Following his standout performances in the youth side 18 year-old Simon Ferry joined the first team squad for their trip to Poland before the 2006/07 season, making his full debut against Legia Warsaw. The future looked rosy for the Dundee bhoy but then injury forced him out of the picture completely for almost three years. He's finally back to something approaching full fitness and now he's hoping that he can pick up where he left off in 2006 - aiming for that first team jersey! 
against Spurs at Wembley
He'll always be grateful to Gordon Strachan for bringing him into the first team set-up as a raw youth but now he has to impress the new boss and show him just why the old manager thought so highly of him. Ferry is mightily impressed by Tony Mowbray and he says that his team-mates have given the new man a unanimous thumbs up.
"There's a breath of fresh air around the place just now." said Celtic's number 53. "We all seem to love the manager and what he's doing. We've got a clean slate. He's giving people a chance and boys like Massimo are showing they can play. If he can come back then I think anybody can.
"It's the first time I've actually had a new manager so I don't know what the difference is." he admitted. "He's not a bawler or a shouter and I think the lads like that. The new manager will come to you and tell you how to improve and do things differently. You can also go up to him and not be afraid to speak to him. It's a great confidence booster for me to have been involved in pre-season and so far the rehab has been brilliant"
After so many false dawns in the past three years Ferry's progress has even surprised the player himself. Maybe he dared not dream of playing at this level again just in case those dreams were dashed once more but a call up to the Scotland Under 21 squad has helped convince him that others are convinced by his form and fitness. "I'll be honest." he said. "I had expected to break down by now but it's not happened. To be fit and playing in pre-season games has been good enough but then the Scotland call-up for the under-21s was a great surprise. I'm just delighted with how things are going."
The under-21 squad were taking part in a three-day training camp in Dunblane with the focus being on next month's European Championship qualifier against Belarus. "It was definitely a surprise to get the call-up," said Ferry. "I was half-asleep at the time so it never really sunk in. The manager called on the Sunday morning but I was still in bed so I missed his call. Then Peter Grant called me to tell me what was happening and I had to meet up with the Scotland squad. It was my first day off in three weeks - but I'd rather have been up here than lounging about."