Shay Given has opened up on his brief but memorable spell at Celtic as a teenager, recalling the pressure he felt while being named on the bench for one of Scottish football’s biggest fixtures.

The Irish goalkeeper, who went on to enjoy a long career in England and internationally, started out in the Parkhead youth system but never made a first-team appearance.

Despite progressing through the ranks, Given’s only brush with the senior side came when he was listed among the substitutes for an Old Firm clash in the 1990s. At just 17, the magnitude of the occasion was not lost on him as he prepared for the possibility of being thrown into action against Rangers.

During an appearance speaking to CeltsAreHere alongside former Celtic skipper Stephen McManus, Given revisited those early days in Glasgow’s East End and the emotions that came with them. While his path ultimately led him away from Celtic Park, the experiences remain strong in his memory.

The 49-year-old admitted there was a sense of what could have been, especially looking back at his time training and working as a young apprentice within a very different club setup to the one that exists now.

He said: “Yeah, there is. I was on the bench once for an Old Firm game when I was 17, praying to God that Packie Bonner wasn’t going to get injured because I was going to have to come off the bench at 17. I would have been a nervous wreck, if I’m being brutally honest.

“But even just driving up the road there past Barrowfield, I remember we had to change here at the stadium, and I had to run down the road as an apprentice and train. The first team boys were driving past, blowing the horn and stuff. It’s just all the memories come flooding back.

“But yeah, some great memories. The club’s changed so much since I was here at 16 until 18. Even the stadium, look around the stadium now, it’s just phenomenal.

“I was here when the old jungle was there across from the dugout. The way the club has moved forward and moved on, it’s a phenomenal club now. It’s a totally different animal, as such, but it’s great to see how the club has progressed.

“But yeah, it always brings back a special feeling coming back here, definitely.”

Given would go on to enjoy a decorated career down south, spending over a decade at Newcastle United before further spells with Manchester City, Aston Villa and Stoke City. He also earned 134 caps for the Republic of Ireland, becoming one of his country’s most reliable and celebrated goalkeepers.

While his first-team breakthrough never came at Celtic, those early experiences helped mould his mentality at a young age. Being around the first team, even briefly, allowed him to witness first-hand the demands and expectations at one of world’s biggest clubs.

The challenges of life as a young apprentice in Glasgow laid a solid foundation for the challenges he would later face on the highest stages of club and international football. The standards set at Celtic left a lasting impression on how he approached his professional career in the years that followed.

Even now, with his playing days behind him, returning to Celtic Park brings back strong emotions for Given. The stadium may have changed dramatically since his youth, but the memories remain as strong as ever whenever he steps back through the doors at Paradise.