AIDEN McGEADY has added an end product to the sublime skill he's been showcasing since he stormed on to the SPL scene. But the midfielder insists it's the recent additions by boss Gordon Strachan that have made the biggest impact on his and every other Celtic player's game. The Republic of Ireland international was in sensational form in the 5-1 rout of Aberdeen and admits the fact the players are all fighting for a jersey has taken their game to a new level. As Celtic closed the gap on leaders Rangers to four points, McGeady and Co have clicked into a new gear and he's adamant the arrivals of Barry Robson, Georgios Samaras and Koki Mizuno could swing the title in their favour. McGeady said: "That's us now put in two fantastic performances in a row and everyone from one to 11 can take the credit for that. It's probably one of our best displays of the season but we could have said that after our win against Kilmarnock last week as well. "It was great to continue that rich vein of form. The team is now starting to go through the gears and if you look at our performance against Falkirk a few weeks ago then the difference between that and the one at Aberdeen is night and day. "It's the same group of players so it could be the new signings have given us that bit of freshness. The fact everyone is now playing for his place is the kick up the backside we were needing and we are now seeing the benefits of that." Celtic had been stuttering with below-par performances during an unconvincing festive period but last week's 5-1 destruction of Killie and the emphatic display at Pittodrie suggests they are back on track. The 23-year-old was the conductor-in-chief and the orchestra followed his every note. McGeady believes they've blown away any notion they're not up for the challenge thrown down by their Old Firm rivals. But in an honest assessment he admits Celtic would rather be looking down at Rangers than playing catch-up. He said: "It has been frustrating recently as everyone knows our performances in the middle part of the season have not been great. "Over the Christmas period we were scraping results but over the last couple of games we've started to lift our game and everyone is playing with confidence. The goals are now flying in. "We've won the last two titles and that gives us confidence but this season it's slightly different as we're now chasing instead of being ahead of Rangers. We would rather have a bit of a cushion but that's not how it's worked out." After delivering a virtuoso performance McGeady was the first to admit the difference between the young man of last season and the mature performer of the current one is consistency. At times the midfielder glided past players with such arrogance and self-belief that the big suitors may soon start to take notice of his undoubted talent. But despite grabbing a goal and adding two assists McGeady is keeping his feet on the ground. He said: "The main difference for me this season is I'm managing to achieve a bit of consistency. In the past I would have two or three good games in a row followed by two or three bad ones. "This season I've been playing well over a longer period. The main thing though is I'm setting up a lot of goals which is what I'm paid to do." McGeady knows he now has another dead-ball specialist to contend with in the shape of Barry Robson but was delighted with the instant impact made by the former Dundee United skipper. He got off to a stunning start to his life at Celtic after emerging from the bench to curl home a free-kick. McGeady, however, warned his team-mate he'd better make the most of his chance in the absence of Shunsuke Nakamura. He said: "I was only kidding Barry on that I was going to take the ball off him at the free-kick as I told him he was only getting one chance now that Naka was off. To take it and hit it straight in was obviously fantastic for him on his debut. "The gaffer would never have signed him if he didn't think he could do a job here and time will tell if he's going to come into the team right away. "But to come off the bench and score on your debut is the stuff of dreams." The win over Aberdeen was capped by a brilliant fourth goal that saw Scott McDonald head home a McGeady cross after the winger produced a moment of brilliance with a drag-back and cross on the touchline. It brought back memories of Zinedine Zidane but McGeady admits it's the first time he's attempted the trick during a game. He said: "It was a fantastic moment and it's something I would only try in training so for it to happen in a game is even better. "It's the first time it's come off but I always try tricks and to cap that off by setting up a goal makes it even better." | 
