This game was pretty much a cut and paste performance from last week in Attack of the Hairy-Arsed Higlanders part 2.
Once again, the first half was tepid. The referee was blowing his whistle just short of grievous bodily harm on anyone wearing Hoops and Celtic struggled to get a grip on the game (although the Caley players certainly got enough of a grip on anyone wearing a green and white jersey).
Truthfully, we could have been easily been a goal down after Gordon, again, looked unconvincing from a set-piece. The resultant header from the Caley player went over the top of a gaping net.
However, we came out for the second-half looking like a much better side. Sviatchenko was running the show at times from centre-back and our passing was much slicker. Yet the Dane’s lack of pace almost had us caught out as Jordon Roberts was denied one on one by Gordon.
Still the final ball was lacking until some excellent one touch passing around the box resulted in an excellent GMS snapshot into the back of the net.
Griffiths added another two (both fine finishes) but the attention was shifted in the last quarter onto the attacking trio that finished the match – Allan, Christie and Roberts.
Many have called for these three to start next game. I remain skeptical. While I am totally sold on Ryan Christie – there’s no question that this lad is a true talent and he was bright from the moment he came on – I feel that it is counter-productive to give game time to a player who will almost certainly be back at Man City at the end of next season at the expense of a player who we own outright. That said, Roberts also looked lively and probably should have scored.
Allan is clearly quite a talented player but he has been given a reasonable amount of game-time without much substance and gave away the ball a number of times. Not sure he’s better than what we’ve already got and at 23 he’s hardly a young prospect anymore.
Nevertheless, all three linked up well for Griffiths’s third and rounded off a decent second-half performance and a decent display overall.
Tommybhoy
ntvcelticfanzine.com 