'Still nice to win it at 74' - O'Neill is Premiership manager of month
· Yahoo Sports
Martin O'Neill feels Celtic have momentum for the "monumental" remaining games after their winning run landed him the Premiership manager of the month award.
The Northern Irishman guided Celtic to three league wins from three - against Dundee, St Mirren and Falkirk - in April.
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Celtic also reached their fourth consecutive Scottish Cup final, beating St Mirren 6-2 after extra time.
With four league matches left, second-place Celtic head to face Hibs on Sunday three points behind long-time Premiership leaders Hearts, who host Rangers on Monday.
"Coming back from the international break and we had just lost at Tannadice against Dundee United, then you just have to win the games coming back," said O'Neill.
"So reset, or mindset or whatever it was, we got the late goal at Dundee and we've gone on from then.
"It's great, it's just nice to still be in the hunt at this stage. At this minute we are on a decent run, we're getting results at this moment and the team are just gelling."
O'Neill senses more unity at the club after fans put protests against the board aside and ultras group the Green Brigade were recently allowed back in the stadium after a six-month ban.
"Even the welcome we got when the bus pulled in before kick-off [against Falkirk last week] was terrific," he said. "That's not been around for some time. The support we got was magnificent, absolutely magnificent.
"They stayed with us. It was lovely to get that feeling at Celtic Park, it took me back years and years and years.
"It's massive, absolutely massive. When I came here the second spell in January, a bit of mayhem around and I thought, the players won't mind, they can play through this.
"But the difference here between then and now, with the crowd behind us, you can actually feel it within the dressing room, the players are up for it. It's like anything else, encouragement rather than discouragement is a massive boost to us."
O'Neill is manager of the month for the second time this season, having won the award in November during his first interim spell.
"Even at 74 years of age, it's still actually nice to get it," he said.
"But this is for work by the players and the coaches and I have seriously played a little part in the proceedings – but not as much as I should be in getting this award."