Martin O'Neill demands Celtic contract talks for 'lad', reveals striker latest and savours Neil Lennon moment

Celtic required extra time to defeat St Mirren 6-2 in an epic Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden. They secured a return date to the national stadium on May 23 against Championship side Dunfermline Athletic and remain in contention for the Premiership crown, sitting third in the league and three points behind leaders Hearts.

O’Neill took heart from his team recovering from letting a two-goal lead slip in extra time and rediscovering their poise. He was also pleased to see six strikes, with Kelechi Iheanacho (2), Daizen Maeda, Anthony Ralston, Luke McCowan and Benjamin Nygren getting on the scoresheet. But the veteran coach knows that more is required to ensure the campaign ends with silverware.

"Obviously I'm relieved to have won the game,” said O’Neill. “But I've got a lot of pride about the side, in the way they focused in extra time. With St Mirren scoring so late on to equalise, they are in the psychological ascendancy. For us to retrieve that situation, in the manner in which we did, gives the team confidence, which is great. And gives us all renewed energy.

Did I think that we were going to score four goals in six or seven minutes? No. But it was for us to try and turn the game, turn the game in our direction again. They did it emphatically.

"[But] I think that we'll have to improve. No doubt. I don't think that we can just be hanging on in games. I think if we can get an early goal in matches, I think we have to really, really go for it. Try and put the game to bed if we can do. But there are going to be moments in these next five league games where we will be stretched completely. And it's whether we have the resilience to do it.”

O’Neill hopes that Iheanacho can have a huge part to play in the final matches. The former Manchester City hitman has struggled with injury since arriving last summer from Sevilla, but the manager revealed the Nigerian believes he is fully fit and hinted he may be a close to a starting berth,

"I couldn't disagree with that, yeah,” responded O’Neill when asked if he is on cusp of a place in the team. “Obviously he's had the few injury problems. I think I said to you that sometimes if you felt as if he started the games, he might not see the game through. We've got a couple like that at the moment. Today his goals have been big for us. Really big. He says he is completely fit. And I'm not completely sure. But he was brilliant for us. He took the goals magnificently. You can see why he's had a career.”

Forrest catches manager’s eye

Another player who made a telling impact from the bench was 34-year-old winger James Forrest, who set Iheanacho up for the third goal. He is out of contract in the summer and O’Neill called for him to given a new deal.

"I would like to keep James for one more year, at least, so that he could see his career through at the football club,” said O’Neill. “I would be asking the board. And I think James would stay for another year. He's 34, isn't he? 34. With just a little burst, you know, the one-v-ones.

“He has changed a number of games for us. You know, he changed the game at Aberdeen. I know Nygren scores the goal, but he came on and changed that. We scored from him getting the cross at Rangers as well, too. So, yeah, he's definitely played a part. And Neil Lennon was telling me that he is just, which I've known now for two or three months, that he really is a proper lad.”

O’Neill was also asked in Forrest should be in contention for the Scotland squad. "Right, OK,” he smiled. “Well, I'm not the manager. I don't know. I don't know. It hasn't crossed my mind. So I'd have to think about it. So the last thing I want to do .. I used to hate this myself, you know, when other managers were telling me how to run the football club or run international football. So I do not want to have a headline up here ... but why not put him in?"

The Premiership campaign now takes centre stage for O’Neill, with the visit of Falkirk on Saturday. But he now knows the season will end with a clash against his former Celtic captain Neil Lennon, who has done a fine job in charge of Dunfermline.

"I've just done an interview with him,” added O’Neill. “He's doing some punditry work. Gosh, he gets everywhere. But he has done remarkably well. Did brilliantly for me at Leicester and at Celtic. And I think I mentioned to you on Friday, he's done brilliantly at Dunfermline. What an effort yesterday. So when the time comes, I look forward to it.”

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