Lennon Miller passed up a traditional Christmas dinner for a bowl of chicken pasta.
Now he hopes sticking to his pre-match ritual will help Motherwell give Celtic a stuffing this afternoon. The Fir Park sensation – who is heavily linked as a transfer target for today’s opponents – knows the Steelmen are going to have to serve up something special if they’re to grab a first Parkhead win in nine years. But the teenager can’t wait to test himself against the best.
Miller said: “I’m quite superstitious so I like to eat the same dinners a couple of days before a game. So there was no Christmas dinner for me, it was chicken and pasta instead. There were maybe a couple of pigs and blankets in there to make it more festive! I’m quite superstitious so the day before the dinner will be the same, and then pre-match it’ll be the same too.
“I have a few rituals in the changing room too. It works so I’m sticking to them. We trained Christmas morning, it’s part of the game and part of being a footballer. We look forward to it. You want to play as many games as you can, and the faster they come the better.
“This is the game you look forward to, playing against the best midfield in the league. It’s what you play the game for. I’m going to look forward to it and to test myself against the best.”
Motherwell might not have tasted victory at Celtic Park since December 2015 – but they have drawn 1-1 on their last two visits. Jon Obita’s injury time leveller back in November last year sent the travelling Well army mad.
But Miller revealed he had to curtail his celebrations – as he was watching the game on the TV at his local gym as he stepped up his recovery from a knee injury.
He said: “I remember watching it at the David Lloyd in Hamilton. It was actually on a wee bit of a delay of about four or five minutes. I saw the goal pop up on my phone first.
“I had to keep it a wee bit quiet, in case there were a few Celtic fans there! But it was a huge result for us in terms of the season. It probably changed our fortune a wee bit in that wee tough spell we were having.
“We always need to take confidence into every game we play, no matter if it’s at Parkhead or at home. We need to go in expecting to get something from the game, so that’s what we’re going to do.
“This is the game you look forward to, playing against the best midfield in the league. It’s what you play the game for. I’m going to look forward to it and to test myself against the best.”