Lambert predicts disgruntled fans will put lid on anger if Hoops shine in Europa fight

IT was a Euro adventure that began and ended in a place of pain and frustration.

- BY FRASER WILSON

But boy, did Celtic and tens of thousands of supporters enjoy the road trip in between.

Paul Lambert will never forget the sight of the green and white tidalwave of punters washing through Seville in May 2003.

Losing the UEFA Cup Final on that blistering evening in the frying pan of Spain hurt.

But the rest of it?

It's been burned into Hoops’ history for eternity.

Of course, the road to Seville wasn't mapped out when the season started with a clash against Swiss side Basel for a place in the Champions League.

Just like the current side did in Kazakhstan last month, Celtic backfired and tumbled into the second-tier competition.

Refusing to stall, Martin O'Neill's players used the fuel of frustration to blitz through the rounds that took them to Marijampole, Blackburn, Vigo, Stuttgart, Liverpool and Boavista before it all came to an agonising end against Porto in Andalucia.

It was a reward for the fans who had been shortchanged in Switzerland months earlier.

And it’s a Euro redemption story that Lambert, captain of that O'Neill side, insists Brendan Rodgers’ players can look to for inspiration and proof they too can salvage their reputations on foreign soil this season.

The dust might be a long way from settling on the fallout from the Almaty flop in Kazakhstan that has seen Celtic tumble into the Europa League - and the board cop blame for a failed transfer window.