‘The boys are thriving of it’ - David Turnbull reckons gruelling fixture schedule is making Celtic stronger

David Turnbull believes Celtic are growing stronger each week amid a gruelling fixture schedule as they aim to head into the winter break on a high with victory over Ross County.

Fatigue has yet to play a part in the Hoops squad as Ange Postecoglou’s side continue to drive through their relentless run of matches aiming to maintain their recent domestic eight-match winning streak ahead of the World Cup.

Tomorrow’s Premiership clash with the Staggies at Parkhead completes a brutal 13 games in 43 days for the Scottish champions, who have also had midweek Champions League commitments in recent months.

It’s been a testing period for Postecoglou’s men, both physically and mentally, but they have navigated a tricky spell with flying colours as opposed suffering tiredness and picking up injuries.

Scotland international Turnbull reckons the amount of fixtures his team mates have had to contend with and Postecoglou’s regular squad rotation has increased player’s fitness levels rather than having the opposite effect.

He admitted: “I don’t think many of the boys are tired to be honest. When you are playing these games thick and fast you feel more fit. The more games that come, the fitter you get. So boys were thriving off it and getting fitter every game. It’s been good for everybody.

“I’d say we just take it each game at a time. We would take the weekend game and then during the week when we had a game it’s completely difference. It’s about focusing on different parts of our game against different teams. It was tough to take in some of the midweek (Champions League) games.

“We performed well, but going into the weekened, we took it game by game and didn’t let it affect us. It’s about not getting too down and continuing our run.”

Turnbull, who has been hampered by injuries so far this season, was handed a rare start as part of SIX changes made by the Hoops boss in the 2-1 victory over former club Motherwell at Fir Park on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old looked sharp and played a crucial role in supplying Daizen Maeda with a brilliant pass to set up the team’s second goal in Lanarkshire, which turned out to be the decisive winner.

He is adamant the workload must continue to be spread across the entire group, admitting: “Competition is always good for everybody and it’s about performing when you get your chance. If you’re coming on in games or starting games, it’s about impacting on them and all the boys are doing that at the moment.

“It’s completely different to last year. There were games thick and fast and we didn’t have as many bodies. Since January and the summer, we’ve strengthened massively and it’s good for rotation for boys and, if someone is tired, you can give them a rest. Teams are going to throw everything at us, so it’s about grinding out results when you are not playing well.

“That’s what has to happen if we aren’t dominating games like on Wednesday night. That’s the sign of a good team I think, and we are doing well at the moment. I don’t think you can go through a full season without teams testing you. You get a new challenge every week.”

Turnbull, who is one of several players set to swerve Scotland’s international friendly with Turkey next week, will instead be part of Celtic’s travelling contigent when they head to Australia for a tour Down Under later this month and he is relishing the trip.

He stated: “It’s a big thing for the club. It’s been in the pipeline for a few months now and I’m sure everybody is looking forward to it. It will be a good trip.”