Shaun Maloney feared that his season was over following the Queens Park game which saw him break down but a visit to the specialist quickly eased his concerns and now that he's been back training hard with the first team squad for the past couple of weeks he feels fit and ready to play his part in the chase for the league flag. 
"I feel a lot better now," he said. "I have had two good weeks and that never happened the last time. Hopefully, that will help me out and I'll be okay. I'm desperate to contribute. Hopefully, I'll add something to the team if I am asked to play or come on.
"It's been a frustrating time for me." he added. "Worse things can happen, but it has been frustrating, especially as it looked as if I was coming back a few months ago and got injured again. The title race is tight now but I'm looking forward to getting involved. I want to contribute because I haven't managed to do that over the last few months."
"There's a bit of pressure on myself to do that." continued the Celts number 13. "I don't think the manager or any of the players will put any more on me, because they know I have been out for a while. The manager knows all about the injury. At the same time, it's the crunch period of the season, so we'll have to see what happens. The scenario of each game will probably dictate how big a part I will play."
"The form of the team has been up and down." he observed. "For periods, we've looked great but Rangers have gone on a run. That's the way it's been and it's so tight now. There's no room for errors. There's always pressure at Celtic and it's magnified now. You do feel it, but we've been through it before and it's part and parcel of playing for Celtic. It shouldn't drag you down - it should be the opposite."
Shaun is in the squad to face Aberdeen at a sold-out Celtic Park tomorrow and he's hoping to make an appearance at some point in the game. He realises that the last match before the league split will be no easy task for the Bhoys. "It will be tough." he said. "We lost to Aberdeen at Pittodrie and the last game was really close at Celtic Park when we scored two late goals to win 3-2. They are a good side."