Greg Taylor still has his final game for Celtic in his mind, almost a year on.
A serial winner throughout his time in Glasgow, the defender suffered a rare cup final defeat last May, as Celtic lost to Aberdeen on penalties to miss out on the Scottish Cup.
Taylor moved to PAOK in Greece, vacating his left-back spot for the incoming Kieran Tierney. The Greek club are in their 100th anniversary season.
Since the end-of-season split, his side have fallen behind in the title race, but they have an opportunity to make history tonight regardless.
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Greg Taylor on exercising Celtic demons with ‘mental’ fans at PAOK
PAOK fans are making the significance of the occasion known ahead of their Greek Cup final against OFI Crete tonight, as Taylor told the Scottish Sun: “The supporters are really fanatical and there were some great scenes through the week.
“There has been a big push to hopefully do the Double to mark the centenary.
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“It’s similar to Glasgow in so much as they live and breathe football. It was mental. There were so many flares and you could see their total love of the club.
“The aim is now to witness those scenes again — but this time with a trophy. I can’t imagine what the scenes would be like if we won the cup.
“It’s a special season and we want to bring the club some form of success to mark it. My last final was the first I’d lost with Celtic — on penalties against Aberdeen last season.
“I need to get a win this time to make up for that disappointment.”
On his time in Greece in general, Taylor said: “It’s not just been a football lesson, but a life lesson. It’s the first time I’ve moved away from home.
“I have a young family, the football is different, the culture is different, the changing room is different. It’s been an amazing learning curve — but I’m really glad I did it.
“It’s improved me as a person and opened my eyes. It’s a different way of life. We train in the evenings.
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“There’s a Greek core in the dressing room but we have Serbs and Croats, a couple of Italians and one Brazilian. It’s a big change from having a Scottish core who are the most vocal.
“It takes time to earn respect here and it takes time to show your true character when it’s not your country and not your language.
“This season has been about adapting, but I’m excited for the Cup final and hopefully we will come out on top.
“It would be nice to win something in my first season over here.”
You wouldn’t bet against Taylor bringing the trophy home tonight, given his stellar medal haul across his six years at Celtic Park.
The final holds a profound significance for PAOK boss Razvan Lucescu, who lost his father Mircea, a legendary manager in European football, earlier this month.
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