Oh escapes Celtic obscurity with Brendan Rodgers rally cry as inspired star keeps candid over 'very difficult time'

Oh Hyeon-gyu admits it felt amazing to escape a difficult time as he gloriously surged from the shadow of Kyogo Furuhashi.

Now the South Korean striker admits he’d love more opportunities to combine with the Japanese top gun. And Oh has also outlined his deep gratitude at relentless backing from boss Brendan Rodgers. The 22-year-old picked a perfect moment to get off the mark for the campaign with a crucial late winner to sink St Mirren.

Oh climbed from the bench against Stephen Robinson’s side to smash his blistering effort which maintains his side’s five point lead at the top of the Premiership heading into tomorrow’s away trip to face Ross County. It had been a long wait for the back-up hitman who has had to bide his time behind Kyogo this term and the feeling was special when he struck.

Oh said: “I feel so happy to score my first goal of the season. It felt amazing when the ball hit the net. To be honest, it’s been a very difficult time for me when I hadn’t managed to score this season. But the gaffer said to me: Always keep going, keep going. And I have been working hard every day in training.”

It was a special moment with family members in the stand to see it and Oh’s relief was understandable because, until that match-winning cameo, he’s been subdued during the beginning to the term after an early setback.

The striker made a quick impression in Glasgow after former manager Ange Postecoglou moved to capture him in January from Suwon Samsung. Oh took the place of Giorgos Giakoumakis as the deputy to Kyogo when the Greek departed for the MLS and he was soon on the goal trail.

Ironically, given the strike this midweek against St Mirren, it was against the Paisley side where he first displayed a knack for netting. Oh