Celtic must 'repay the fans' after Ibrox shocker, says Donovan

Defender Colby Donovan insists Celtic are looking to go far in the Europa League and shrug off the disappointment of the League Cup defeat to Rangers. Martin O'Neill's side failed to progress to the Champions League after surrendering a four-goal lead to LASK in Austria in the play-off second leg. That confirmed a Europa League place with the home tie against Ferencvaros on Thursday their opening fixture of the league stage. "We know what happened in the Champions League, it's not great for us," Donovan said. "But we know the Europa League is a big competition. Last year there were a lot of games I played in, a lot of experience I got in this competition. We're hoping this year we can go far and hopefully do better than we did last year." Donovan believes the quick turnaround after losing 3-0 to Rangers - who visit Celtic Park on league duty this Sunday - is a positive to help the squad shrug off what was a major disappointment for the club. "You never want to get beat off your fierce rivals. That's not a Celtic team, that wasn't us on Sunday. It wasn't a great on our side, it hurt a lot, but you've got to put that aside now," the 20-year-old said. "That's a good thing about being in Europe. When there are bad moments that happen you've got a game every three days, so you've got a chance to get back on track. "We take a big ownership of what happened on Sunday and we know we weren't at our best. [Ferencvaros] is a huge game for us and we know we need to repay the fans. We just want to put a real marker down and get us building again." Donovan also shared his delight at his first Scotland call-up, with new head coach Sebastien Pocognoli adding freshness to his set-up. "I'm over the moon," he said. "As a young player, it's always a big achievement to play for your country, you want to represent them. I can't wait for it to come. "Hopefully, I go over there and he sees the real potential in me and hopefully gives me a chance."