Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths has urged Parkhead manager Brendan Rodgers to let him loose at Hampden as the striker looks to finally hit the 100-goal mark.
Griffiths is two goals away from joining an elite group of just 28 players who have hit the century for Celtic and he is itching to bring down the curtain on what has been a frustrating season on a high.
Welshman John Hartson was the last Celtic player to achieve entry into the illustrious 100-club but as Griffiths has admitted, it has been a long time coming. At one stage this term the striker had set his sights on hitting the benchmark before the end of the festive period but prolonged spells on the sidelines with injury and, of late, illness have played havoc with his season.
The Scotland internationalist is set for a clean-up operation at the end of the campaign and sums up what has been a staccato campaign for the forward. But as Celtic prepare to face Motherwell in the William Hill Scottish Cup final at Hampden on Saturday afternoon, Griffiths is desperate to write his name into what could be a unique chapter in the history of the Parkhead club.
“I’m two away now and it seems to be getting increasingly and increasingly more difficult but I’ll be there on Sunday and if I get the chance to put the ball in the back of the net I will,” he said.
“The boys are willing me to get it done and hopefully if there are any set-pieces, penalties I’m sure they’ll duly oblige and let me hit them.”
Griffiths has yet to score for Celtic in a final but believes the stage is set for him this weekend.
The striker lit up Hampden last summer with his two goals for Scotland against England and although it ultimately proved fruitless, he’s love to make more memories at the national stadium.
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“If I could write it how I want to get my 100 goals then it would be to get them in the Cup final.
“I’ve never scored in a cup final for Celtic yet, so that would break my duck.
“But to get my 100th goal in the cup final would be the perfect end to the perfect season.”
Whatever happens, though, Griffiths is well aware that it is about scoring the goals rather than who does it.
With Celtic just one game away from delivering the unique achievement of a back-to-back treble, the striker appreciates that it is about the team leaving their mark rather than one player.
“I don’t think many people take notice of the goalscorers in finals as long as we get the job done, obviously Tom Rogic’s was a little bit different because it was so late in the game,” he reflected.
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“But I’ll need to wait and see what happens at Hampden. A lot of things can happen, we need to turn up on the day and make sure we play to our best.
“Motherwell will come and make it difficult for us, we’ve seen that in the past. They are a difficult opponent but if we bring our A game then we are almost there.”
Motherwell have a reputation for being overly physical but while Griffiths anticipates that it will be a testing afternoon against the Fir Park side, he has no apprehension about what lies ahead.
“That’s the thing, they will come and have a go,” he said. “That is what they are all about.
“They have had an up and down season but they have got to two major cup finals and they’ll be looking to make a mark, they want to get their hands on the trophy as well.
“But when we have everyone on form then we are very difficult to contain.
“There is pressure on us to win every week. We’ve got 60,000 fans at home pressing us to win and if we don’t win then we hear them.
“The manager says just take it game by game, let him deal with the off-field stuff and lets us just concentrate on our football and make sure you get the win.
“If you play to your best and you get beat then fair enough, it’s not our day but we’ve got a full week to prepare for the big game.”
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