The young striker has been a revelation in recent games, mixing it in the Champions League with Manchester United, then firing in a couple of goals to see off Kilmarnock in midweek.

No-one is hiding from the fact that Sheridan is the fourth-choice frontman at Parkhead, but following injuries to Georgios Samaras and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, manager Gordon Strachan has not been let down by the teenager he pitched in alongside Scott McDonald.

So, instead of trying to make a name for himself Down Under, Sheridan, 19, finds himself partnering an Australian in the Celtic attack.

It was while playing Gaelic football in his native Ireland that Sheridan first attracted the attention of Australian Rules scouts. Considered an outstanding GAA prospect, he was making a name for himself with Cavan. The Brisbane Lions got to hear of his raw potential and offered to take him to Australia for trials. It never happened and Sheridan transferred his talents to association football where he proved similarly adept. Celtic were soon alerted and he was signed as a 17-year-old and made his first-team debut in February 2007 in the last-gasp Scottish Cup win at Inverness.

Strachan has been thrilled with his progress this season but stresses there is still much work to be done with the player. Hardly surprising given his early sports career was devoted to Gaelic football.

"We had some work to do with him with the video analysis on Monday then we tried to do some stuff with him on Tuesday on his movement," Strachan explained in the aftermath of his two-goal show against Kilmarnock. "So we're trying to bring him on because he doesn't know the game all that well, to be honest with you. He's an intelligent lad and what you give him he takes in. But what you have to watch as a coach is giving too much information at the one time because that can blow your mind. I thought he was awesome (against Kilmarnock] ... You could see at one point the defenders thinking, 'there's that kid coming back at us again'.

"We know he can score goals but we just had to see about his fitness and if he could keep playing games… but he's been a real bonus for us."

With Samaras back from injury but still short of sharpness, it will be fascinating to see if Sheridan can keep Celtic's top scorer out of the first-team just a little longer. The Greek is a confirmed fan and echoed Strachan when he spoke of Sheridan's ability to soak up information. "In pre-season, myself and Cillian played some games together and I tried to put him in the correct positions," Samaras said. "I tried to show him things like holding the ball up and when to pass it but, trust me, since pre-season his improvement has been so big."

So big that the free-scoring Samaras is likely to be sitting on the bench at Hamilton today as the lanky youth from Bailieborough lines up alongside McDonald, looking to add to the three goals he's scored already this season. He may not be able to keep the Greek out of the side too much longer but Sheridan has a big future at Celtic.