Ross County midfielder Noah Chilvers aims to use Parkhead as a stage to showcase what he’s capable of against Scottish champions Celtic.
The 23-year-old former Colchester United playmaker is fast becoming a key creator for Don Cowie’s Staggies – and would love to score his first County goal in Glasgow’s east end on Saturday.
Facing Brendan Rodgers’ Hoops on their own turf could make some first-timers break out in a cold sweat.
However, Chilvers has confidence in his own ability – and that of a team which ran Celtic close in a 2-1 league loss in Dingwall in October.
He said: “Everyone knows Celtic are a top side. We expect an extremely tough game, like we had against them here. We’ll take the positives from that game and learn from it, having come so close.
“We will have to all be at our best, raising our games 10-15% to be able to compete.
“Whatever Celtic side shows up, we know we will have to be at our best.
“It’s exciting. I want to play against the best teams to test myself and to show how good I know I can be as a player.
“These games are always going to be big occasions.
“For me, it’s not about going there with fear about who we’re playing against, it’s more excitement for having the chance to show what I’m really about – that’s what I’m looking to do.
“The mindset is very much that this is a stage we want to shine on. We want to show we’re as good as we believe we are.”
Chilvers, who pulled the strings in a 2-1 victory over Motherwell to move ninth last week, knows County will have to make the most of any opportunities that fall their way.
He said: “Celtic are at a level where you really must concentrate. We do our due diligence on every team we play.
“We will look at their strengths and weaknesses. They have fewer (weaknesses) than the other teams, but we will look to put our stamp on the game and see where we can cause them problems.
“We have confidence in ourselves that we can cause them problems. If we don’t believe that, there is no point showing up. We will give it a real go.”
Chilvers was a top transfer target for County in the summer, and he is delighted to test himself in Scotland’s top division following his move from English League Two.
With a lack of pre-season, Chilvers was playing catch-up, but he’s moving in the right direction.
Catching up on County team-mates
He added: “When you sign for a new club, you want to hit the ground running straight away.
“That’s what I planned to do, but when you’re behind fitness-wise and you miss pre-season, it is always tough. You’ve got to catch up.
“It has been frustrating at times, because I want to play football and show everyone what I can do. Thankfully I am starting to do that, and I want to keep improving.”
Now the County number 10 wants to follow the example of eight-goal forward Ronan Hale, and Josh Nisbet, who netted his first goal against Motherwell, having provided the assists.
Chilvers desperate to open account
Chilvers, who bagged 24 goals in Colchester career over 198 games, said: “The missing part of my game at the minute is goals, but I know they will come.
“I just need to keep getting into good positions. I was unlucky on Saturday when the Motherwell goalkeeper Aston Oxborough made a good save.
“Ronan is a natural finisher, so when the ball dropped to him at the weekend, there was never any doubt that he was going to slip the ball away.
“Josh also scored with a great finish, so I’ll try and chip in with goals, starting on Saturday hopefully.”
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