Youth/Development Team Thread

He's starting tonight, all good. 6pm kick off against Falkirk.

 

Drew 0-0.

 

DESPITE an improved second-half showing, Celtic’s Development Side were held to a goal-less draw at Cappielow by Falkirk.

A win would have taken the Bhoys within a point of league leaders Hibernian but they had settle for a share of the spoils which keeps them in fifth place in the table.

There was only one change from the team which beat St Mirren last week as Mark Hill replaced PJ Crossan, who was named among the substitutes.

The young Hoops made a bright start and their first chance of the game came after two minutes when Calvin Miller made a great run down the left side. He floated a cross in for Michael Johnston, who couldn’t get a shot away.

Six minutes later Anthony Ralston broke forward down the right flank, resulting in a ball into the six-yard box that Jack Aitchison was close to reaching. The rebound fell to Regan Hendry who had a shot blocked from 20 yards.

Celtic threatened again in the 17th minute. Although Johnston’s corner was cleared by the Falkirk defence, the winger retrieved the ball and delivered a dangerous cross from the byline but goalkeeper Robbie Thomson was equal to it.

Around the half-hour mark, Hill came close to breaking the deadlock. Following a great one-two with Johnston, the midfielder burst into the box and flashed a shot across the face of goal and just wide of the target.

At the other end, Kevin O’Hara had a chance for the visitors with a low, powerful shot from distance but it didn’t trouble Ross Doohan.

Centre-half Fiacre Kelleher doesn’t usually find himself down the flanks, but the defender delivered a superb cross from the byline, following Johnston’s corner, which was met Hendry, who couldn’t keep his header on target.

It was Falkirk, however, who had the last effort of the half as Scott Shepherd rattled the post with a shot from 15 yards, leaving both teams on terms at the break.

Both teams emerged unchanged for the second half and it was Miller and Johnston again who looked the most likely to unlock the visitors’ rearguard as the Bhoys upped the tempo.

Tommy McIntyre’s side were now beginning to grow in ascendency and apply some sustained pressure. Aidan McIlduff tried a long-range effort on 52 minutes, while Ralston and Miller both sent in dangerous deliveries, though the hosts were unable to profit.

Aitchison had a great chance to break the deadlock on 64 minutes as he latched on to Hill’s clever flick. His shot packed plenty of power but keeper Thomson was equal to it.

And it was the former Hoops youngster who denied the Bhoys again, shortly after. McIlduff was brought down just outside the box, Hill produced a superb save from Thomson from the resultant free-kick, the keeper tipping the midfielder’s accurate strike round the post.

PJ Crossan and Theo Archibald were introduced to the fray in the closing stages as the young Celts searched in vain for a winner.

Johnston had effort from distance saved by Thomson and the same player had a shot charged down on a frustrating evening for the home side. The Bhoys will look to return to winning ways on Friday when they take on Dundee United at St Andrews University.

 

TOMMY McIntyre says his team can’t only perform in patches after Celtic’s Development Side were held by their Falkirk counterparts last night at Cappielow. The Bhoys had several excellent passages of play in the match, particularly in the second-half, and they came close to scoring through Jack Aitchison and the impressive Mark Hill.

But they failed to build up enough momentum to break the Bairns’ resistance as the league match ended in stalemate.

“It was a better second-half from us, but we I just don’t think we are being consistent enough," said the Professional Academy Manager. "We do a lot of training in preparation for the game and, individually, while there were wee bits of pieces and two or three spells of magic during the game, it wasn’t consistent enough and not enough in the game.

"We needed a goal and I thought we were going to get it. It was a good move and Jack Aitchison hit it too well - anything down the sides and it’s a goal, and the goalkeeper made a great save from Mark Hill’s free-kick.

“Collectively in the game, however, we aren’t creating enough. There are periods in the game where we are stepping off it a little bit and we need to show more intensity, more speed and quickness of passing.

“We are disappointed it was 0-0 but it’s not so much about the result, it’s about the individual performances and collectively as a team, and I just felt we were short in one or two things.”

Hill, who will be in action for Scotland Under-19s next week in the European Championship elite round matches, was a prominent presence in the middle of the park for the young Hoops, playing with purpose and drive.

“I thought Mark was the best player in the team,” said McIntyre. “He has a lot of attributes and he just needs to keep working hard, but when we got the ball I thought he drove forward well in the middle of the park and created one or two chances.

“I was really delighted for him. We want one or two more to get that end product and with a wee bit of luck we could have got the win, but we just needed a bit more luck in the game.”

The point leaves the Hoops in fifth place in the table, three points adrift of league leaders Hibernian, and McIntyre and will be seeking improvements from his charges when they resume action on Friday away to Dundee United at St Andrews University.

“The games are coming very quickly,” said the coach. “The big thing for us is that if the performances are there then we will get the results.

“It’s good to win, you want to breed winners at the club, and that will happen, but if we want to get into that sequence of winning game after game to put a wee bit of pressure on the teams up at the top, then draws aren’t great for us. But I’m more interested in the performances and we need to perform well to win the games.”

 

FOUR young Celts have been selected for the Scotland Under-21 squad for their match against Estonia on Tuesday, March 28. Liam Henderson, Jamie McCart, Joe Thomson and Paul McMullen have all been included in Scott Gemmell’s squad for the game, to be held at the Paisley 2021 Stadium.

Henderson has made 13 appearances for Brendan Rodgers’ side this season, including his UEFA Champions League debut against Borussia Monchengladbach, while he has also netted one goal, scoring the opener in the Hoops’ 5-2 win over St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park last month.

Defender Jamie McCart joined Inverness Caley Thistle on loan during the recent January transfer window until the end of this season, and has already played a number of first-team games for the Highland side.

Joe Thomson, meanwhile, is on loan at Queen of the South until the end of the season, having spent the first half of the 2016/17 campaign on loan at Dumbarton and the midfielder has already netted four goals for the Dumfries side since his January move. And Paul McMullan has impressed during his season-long loan at Dunfermline, and has seven goals to his name for the Pars.

A further five Celtic Youth Academy players have been selected by Scotland for the Under-19 European Championship Elite Round, to be held from March 18-20 in the Czech Republic.

Goalkeeper Ross Doohan, Anthony Ralston, Regan Hendry, Mark Hill and Theo Archibald will all be hoping to help Scotland beat Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

 

Ralston made it 1-0 for Celtic

Hazard, Wardrop, Ralston, Kerr, Kelleher, McManus, Johnston, Hill, Crossan, Hendry, Miller.

Subs: McAdams, Duffy, Henderson, Bell, Watson.

 

5-0 up on Dundee United with around 10 minutes to go

 

6 0

 

You sure because Celtic Haven't updated anything.

 

* all from Celtic again.

 

Get live youth scores here, 6-0 now

http://www.allscores.co.uk/

 

Any idea who got the other goals.

 

6-0 win.

Goals from Anthony Ralston, Calvin Miller, Broque Watson and a Mikey Johnston hat-trick

 

6-0 FT with goals from Anthony Ralston, Calvin Miller, Broque Watson and a Mikey Johnston hat-trick

 

A BLISTERING second-half performance from Tommy McIntyre’s Development Squad saw them beat Dundee United 6-0 at St Andrew’s University today (Friday) and return to winning ways following a frustrating goal-less draw against Falkirk at the start of the week.

Anthony Ralston had given Celtic a 1-0 lead in the first-half, scoring the only goal of the opening 45 minutes after just 10 minutes. But after the break, the Hoops fired home five more goals, including a Mikey Johnston hat-trick.

The young Celt got the first of his treble just two minutes after half-time to double Celtic’s lead, and then three minutes later Calvin Miller made it 3-0.

Just before the hour mark, Johnston scored again and then, on 77 minutes, he completed his hat-trick to make it 5-0 for the Celts. And substitute Broque Watson completed the scoring on 82 minutes, capping a fine performance from the young Hoops to take all three points.

 

Aitchison first goal for Scotland u17

https://mobile.twitter.com/CelticGoals/status/842833575225561088/video/1


McInroy
https://mobile.twitter.com/CelticGoals/status/842833805274701825/video/1

 

https://mobile.twitter.com/CelticGoals/status/842840036475330562/video/1

Aitchison second goal for Scotland u17

 

That's more like it. Johnston must be due a sub appearance this season for the first team.

 

I know we have lots of players out on loan, but isn't it a little bit concerning our youth team isn't top of the league ?

 

No.
We have 7 games to go and 4 of them against bottom half teams including the team we just beat 6-0