A HAT-TRICK against Rangers in a cup final at Hampden which his team won 5-2 in front of his family friends.

Yes, it is fair to say that Celtic kid Aidan Nesbitt hasn't had a better Thursday night in his young life.

No matter where his career goes from here, the Parkhead youth star will always have this match to remember.

His first goal in a superb win for the Hoops came courtesy of a brilliant finish, the second was spectacular, and he rounded it off with the coolest penalty kick you will ever see.

Is it any wonder, then, that Nesbitt admitted it might take a few days for it to sink in what he did at the National Stadium?

He said: "There is a good chance I will remember that night for a while.

"I think everyone will. It was brilliant.

"All I want to do is play football. Nights like that one make me want it even more.

"When you are growing up, you dream about scoring hat-tricks and playing in cup finals, big games.

"Fortunately, it all came together for me.

"I can't quite believe it happened. I don't actually think I've ever scored a hat-trick before. No, never.

"It wasn't a bad time to get my first. As I said, it's motivated me to do even more.

"Nobody else was taking the penalty. But actually, when we practised penalties in training on Wednesday, I missed mine. But I just walked up and stroked it home. I knew where I was putting it."

Nesbitt is a nice lad who claims to be 18, although he looks about 12; he still wears braces, for goodness sake.

However, he is some footballer. As his coach Stevie Frail said, it wasn't just his goals that caught the eye, but his all-round play which suggested Celtic just might have a player on their hands.

Nesbitt said: "I've been at Celtic since I was eight. I'm 18 now, so I've gone through every single age group.

"I have been training with the first team more or less every day this season. A few of us have and I've really enjoyed it. That has made us better as players. It's helped us improve our game knowledge."

The pick of his hat-trick was his second goal, a shot into the top corner of the Rangers net at the end of an excellent, flowing move.

Nesbitt said: "It was a great weighted pass by Luke Donnelly. I looked across and could see Paul McMullan, but their keeper had gone that way and I just stroked it home."

He is being more than modest. It wasn't a stroke, more a brilliant finish which made it 4-1 and ensured Rangers were down and out in the final.

That goal brought Celtic captain Scott Brown, who has been coaching the Under-20 team, to his feet so impressed was he by Nesbitt. The feeling is mutual.

The cup final hero said: "He wasn't just there in the final. He has been with us all the time this season. He has helped us hugely. He's been brilliant.

"Scott knows the game better than anyone else. He's the Celtic and Scotland captain and has been for years.

"He has so much experience and hopefully he will keep helping us out."

Nesbitt was rightly praised by Frail, who found it difficult not to single out the man of the match.

The Celtic coach said: "Even taking the hat-trick out of it, Aidan was excellent.

"He was a threat going forward and he was an outlet for us all the time, causing their young left-back a problem.

"He did it in the semi-final as well.

"That's what people want to come and see, and for him to score a hat-trick at a national final is brilliant."