TAKING on promising players and improving them is a cornerstone of Celtic’s transfer policy, and there are a host of unsung heroes behind the scenes at the club who are integral to the polishing of those rough diamonds. There is no doubt though the gratitude the players all feel for those working away in the background to make them better footballers.

Scott Bain has expressed thanks to one of those men, Celtic goalkeeping coach Stephen Woods, who he credits with bringing on a ‘ten-fold’ improvement in his game.

The remarkable rise of Bain from part-time football to being Celtic’s number one is of course mainly down to the determination, talent and work ethic of the keeper, but he puts a fair portion of the credit on the meticulous training methods of Woods. It’s all a long way from training on his own during a nightmare spell at Dundee with nothing but a tennis ball and a wall.

“From my first loan to now I feel like I have improved ten-fold,” Bain said. “That’s down to players, staff, my fellow goalkeepers and the goalkeeping coach Woodsy.

“I have learned a lot about myself since I have been here, what I can handle and what I can push myself to become if I want to.

“It’s been brilliant for me and I’ve loved every minute of it.

“Most importantly [Stephen] is just a great guy so whatever he wants you to do, you want to do it to the best of your ability.

“He comes with a reputation. He has worked with a lot of top goalkeepers, he has improved goalkeepers. And I think it’s just that he is a great guy, he knows his stuff and he is very enthusiastic about learning and finding out what he can improve on to help you.

“He has helped me to realise that I need to watch and really study the top players to see what I want to achieve in the game. It’s really a pleasure to train with him.

“In myself I have always been confident in my ability. At the time I came to Celtic I think had maybe gone about stale in terms of the same old routine. I needed a change in my life to bring me forward and realise what I can achieve.

“I am grateful I got that chance to do that because a lot of players out there don’t get that opportunity.

“I have confidence in myself and training with these lads and doing well helps to improve that every day.”

Another man who is central to Bain’s improvement is the one man who has suffered because of it, but while Craig Gordon has been usurped in the stating line-up, Bain says that he too deserves credit for raising his standards.

That example which Gordon sets, in Bain’s view, is typical of the team ethic and culture that has made Celtic so successful.

“Craig Gordon is probably one of the best goalkeepers that Scotland has produced,” he said. “He definitely is one of the best. To have him to work with and train with every day is great.

“I’ve always said he’s been fantastic with me since he hasn’t been playing. He’s really good for me to lean on and pick his brains about things that happen on the pitch.

“Of course, he’ll want to play, and my job is to make sure that doesn’t happen. He fully understands that, and I fully understood it when he was the number one. Obviously, you’ve got a mutual respect for each other in that sense.

“At the end of the day, what I’ve seen at Celtic is that the team is above all else. You don’t win a treble Treble with individuals, you win it with the best team.

“We all have that understanding, and we do have that goalie’s union. We all push each other on because we work so closely together every day.

“It’s a joy to be a part of this club and be part of that circle.”

While at club level, everything looks rosy for Bain, he recently lost his starting position in the national side as new Scotland manager Steve Clarke plumped for David Marshall in goal for his opening two fixtures against Cyprus and Belgium.

But he has vowed to follow Gordon’s example at Celtic in doing his utmost to help drive Marshall on, while having an eye on snatching back that starting position.

“I don’t know if I was surprised,” he said. “When Marsh got called into the squad I thought he would be playing.

“From there it was a case of doing the best that I could and if my performances in training helped him to push on then that would be the goal.

“He performed really well in the games. We got a good result against Cyprus and a good performance against Belgium, so I think they would be happy with what happened.

“I think the whole squad is really good, really competitive. We are in a good place and once we start taking on board what the manager is saying I think we will be in an even better place.”