Home Bhoy Greg one to hang onto

PAUL HARTLEY reckons it’s crucial to appreciate local Celtic heroes such as Greg Taylor.

- By Craig Swan

The full-back’s contract is coming to an end and no new deal has been agreed to extend his six-year stay at Celtic Park.

With Kieran Tierney returning this summer, Taylor appears likely to be heading out of the door at the end of the campaign.

However, boss Brendan Rodgers stated at the weekend he would “fight to the very end for a player and a person like Greg” after the 27-year-old again displayed his abilities with an outstanding performance in the win over Kilmarnock.

Taylor is among a core group of Scots at Parkhead alongside the likes of skipper Callum McGregor and James Forrest and Hartley knows how vital that is to the club’s identity.

During his spell in Glasgow’s East End, he shared the title-winning stage with home heroes such as Barry Robson and Gary Caldwell while stars such as Shunsuke Nakamura and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink sprinkled the foreign magic.

Hartley, inset, says the importance of stars such as Taylor should not be underestimated as he smiled: “It’s just because we're Scottish and we’re not, maybe, box office, big name!