It's been a frustrating time for Flood since he signed for Celtic two months ago. His transfer to Celtic Park was the biggest bit of business conducted by the club during the January transfer window and the winger made his first start for Celtic against city rivals Rangers in the first Glasgow derby of the year in February. Between that game and his appearance from the bench in Celtic's last SPL game against Dundee United at Tannadice he's managed 90 minutes playing time in total but he's been working hard in training to catch the manager's eye.
"The cup games have killed me, with me not being eligible." he told the Celtic View. "But as the boys were saying, I played my part in getting them to the final! But it's been a bit of a nightmare for me, although I've just been working hard in training and hopefully catching the eye there. I've been doing a bit of extra work with our sports scientist Gregory Dupont, just to try and top up my fitness. You don't want to lose your fitness and you find that if you don't play games you lose that bit of match sharpness. I've tried to keep that up in training, by doing a bit extra."
Flood is enjoying life as a Celt but the passion and intensity of the fans is still an eye-opener to the boyhood fan from Dublin. "Obviously I'd have liked to have played more often, but it's been great so far." said Willo. "I knew the club was massive before I joined here, but once you actually join, you see just how big it really is. We came back to Celtic Park after the cup final and you could see from the reaction of the fans who were waiting on us, just how much the club means to them. I know from being a supporter back home, what it means to be a Celtic fan, but coming here you meet a lot of really passionate supporters."
The Irish winger had to be content with a seat in the stand at the recent Co-operative insurance final but usually when he's not involved he prefers to avoid football. "I watch a little football in the house," he said. "but because I am usually training and playing so often, I prefer to just spend time with the nipper. Sometimes I just like to keep my mind off the football, but if there's a game on at night when he's in bed I'll watch it. I played in the final last year and know what a great occasion it is to play in, but at the end of the day, it's only a great occasion if you win."
"Last year with Dundee United we came so close and I know that people have said that we were the better team on the day," he continued. "But that's no consolation. Yes, it might be a good day, but it's only a great day if you win. That's why I enjoyed the game against Rangers, although it would have been a lot better if I'd played."
Manager Gordon Strachan has said that he has been impressed by Flood's attitude since he arrived and the player himself has been equally impressed by the manager these past couple of months. "The manager is great," Flood said "He is really hands-on and all of the lads here have a lot of respect for him. He's not just a great manager, he's a great coach as well and he is there every day working with you. Not many managers do that, only a certain few and I like that he takes the time to work with us individually and tries to teach us something new."
I've really enjoyed working with him" added the winger. "And hopefully I can continue to keep learning from him. The fact that the manager has also given me some praise since I came here has given me confidence as well, because when you come here you have a few little doubts in the back of your mind. The fact that he gave me a starting place in the derby game against Rangers just a few days after I joined gave me the biggest confidence boost I could ever have hoped for and hopefully I can kick on from there. But I also realise that if the lads keep doing well and are winning games, I might have to wait and bide my time for my chance."
Willo was an on-field spectator when the title-winning celebrations kicked off at Tannadice last season and he'd love to be a part of the team that clinches the SPL title for the fourth successive year this time around. He was part of the defeated opposition that wonderful night but Willo will never forget that emotional atmosphere created by the players on the pitch and those wonderful supporters in every single area of the stadium. "You could see how much it meant to the players and the fans." said Flood. "I think it was still 0-0 when Aberdeen scored against Rangers up at Pittodrie and I'll never forget the stands just erupting. The Dundee United fans couldn't even get into their own ground for that match, there were Celtic fans all over the place and the day showed how passionate they are and showed that we have great supporters here."