IT HAS become commonplace at Inverness Caley Thistle, such is their market, to hear new signings speak of great career moments in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy or England's League Two play-offs.

Usually, the pretext for such enquiries is the prospect of facing Celtic in Glasgow in (sic) "the greatest game of their lives".

Often the crowds in those lower league occasions are vast by Scottish standards, but the conversation inevitably has the interrogator scrambling to Google the famous moments of a Stevenage, Chester City or Macclesfield Town.

Edward Ofere, Caley Thistle's powerful new striker, gently douses that line of questioning in an instant. The soft-spoken Nigerian is unlikely to be awestruck at Hampden Park this Sunday.

In a far-travelled career, the 29-year-old from Lagos spent four years amid the baroque architectural splendour of Lecce in Serie A, the first two of which had him hovering on the first team fringes.

While the breakthrough never quite came - there were three goals in just seven starts and 18 appearances - Ofere can draw on rich experience from playing at some of Italy's most intimidating stadia.

"I have played against AC Milan, Juventus, Inter Milan and Roma - big games and big atmospheres - so it is not new to me," Ofere assured. "Playing Celtic is also a big game for me, a big team, but it is one I approach with excitement not anxiety.

"I have played cup games but not semi-finals. This is an important game for me. We have a shot at getting to the final.

"It's going to be an open game so if we just try to play, hopefully we can keep ourselves calm and take our chances.

"Scoring a goal against them in the league gave me the edge to really prove myself in Scotland. I'm really excited about that, so I'm going to keep working hard."

Behind Ofere's polite, laid-back demeanour, there lies a fierce intelligence and obvious desire to fulfil the promise that first drew him from his native land to sign for Malmo from Enugu Rangers in 2005.

When career prospects in Italy ebbed, he went on to play for Trelleborg in Sweden, FC Vestsjælland in Denmark and Sogndal in Norway, a team he departed in October last year.

Ofere deftly sidesteps queries on where Celtic sit in comparison to those Italian giants he faced.

"Celtic are a great team in the Scottish Premiership. With teams from other countries in Europe, you have to go into competitions to see which teams are better," he said. "I can't really just pick Celtic as the best team I've played against.

"We are just going to focus on our part of the game, not what Celtic are going to do. It is about what we can come up with against them."

The departure of Billy Mckay to Wigan Athletic in January, you could surmise, co-incided with the advent of a more difficult spell for Inverness after flying through the first six months of the league season.

At first, manager John Hughes kept faith in the remaining players, nudging the jet-heeled Welshman Marley Watkins forwards into a lone striking role from the three behind.

Ofere's arrival as a free agent in February was perhaps recognition that more was needed, but the fact Hughes has used the new striker sparingly until recently lends him a slight air of mystery in Celtic eyes.

He debuted as a starter in defeat to Motherwell in late February and scored. Four substitute appearances followed but a second start against Celtic on Saturday brought a second goal.

With pace, physique and sharp control, Ofere is a completely different proposition to the furrowing, hard-working but comparatively diminutive Mckay.

"It has been great for me at Inverness so far," Ofere said. "Scoring goals is what I came here to do, so to score two in two league starts is fantastic for me and the team.

"It is a little bit difficult joining a club in mid-season, getting to know players' names and mind-sets. But the boys have made me feel welcome and I'm getting to know them every day.

"I'm set up for the semi-final. If the opportunity comes at the weekend, I'm just going to have fun and get myself switched on for the game."

Ofere's brief immersion in Scotland has been enough to acquaint him with Celtic's dominance domestically, but he is optimistic for Sunday.

"They are a good team. They have great history compared to other teams," Ofere said. "They have quality and, compared to other teams I've played, they have great names.

"We just have to match the capabilities of their players on the day. We did that on Saturday. If we can match up to them and the qualities they have, we will give them a good game."