‘VAR re-refereeing the Game’ – O’Neill Unhappy With Trusty Red Card Call

Interim Celtic manager Martin O’Neill believes it was the wrong decision for Austin Trusty to be sent off following an on-field review. The American defender was initially given a yellow card by referee Steven McLean following his challenge on Landry Kabore in Celtic’s 2-2 draw away to Hearts, but VAR official John Beaton recommended an on-field turnover of decision and sent McLean to the monitor. The yellow was upgraded to a red, with Trusty deemed to be the last man. However, O’Neill disagrees with the need for VAR to interfere. He said: “I do have an argument with the red card. “The referee has given a yellow card and he’s sent over, obviously VAR re-referee the game, and it is no more a red card than a blue card – which don’t exist I don’t think. “First of all, the ball is going away from goal, so the player has to get hold of that and control it. “And secondly, more importantly, is that we’ve got someone in the cover. That’s what the referee saw in the first place, and it puts you under severe pressure in the last twenty odd minutes.” Trusty saw red when the score was at 2-1, with Hearts forward Claudio Braga netting the all important equaliser in the 87th minute. Defeat would have seen Celtic fall nine points behind the league leaders, and O’Neill believes a point a piece was an honest outcome. “They [Hearts] might’ve had the opportunity with us down to ten men and having played on Thursday night, there might have been that chance [of a Hearts win], “But in the overall take of the game, a draw probably is a fair result.” Celtic’s injury list grew by one name as Kieran Tierney was substituted off a moment before Trusty’s sending off. O’Neill is unaware of the extent of it just yet, and in unsure if he will make the Europa League contest fixture with FC Utrecht. “I’ll have another look. He [Tierney] is pretty sore, I’ll see how he is for Thursday.” When asked who would step in to replace him with Marcelo Saracchi also unavailable, O’Neill responded: “Me, coming in there, comeback! We will probably have to just shift somebody over.” Celtic face FC Utrecht of the Eredevisie on Thursday night, knowing a win guarantees them a place in the next round of the Europa League, before turning their attention back to the league with the visit of Falkirk on Sunday.

Hearts 2-2 Celtic: Fiery Drama at Tynecastle Cauldron Ends Even

Hearts came back from behind twice to earn a point in a 2-2 epic against title holders Celtic. Benjamin Nygren gave Celtic the lead from a free-kick inside seven minutes, before second half goals from Stuart Findlay and Claudio Braga either side of a Hyun-jun Yang tap in ensured both sides left Tynecastle with a share of the points.  It is the second time in three days Celtic have drawn 2-2 with a man down, after defender Austin Trusty was shown a straight red before Hearts’ second equaliser.  Nygren’s opener came inside seven minutes after he was fouled by Hearts debutant Marc Leonard on the edge of the box. The Swede stepped up, and curled one into the top right corner to become joint top scorer of the Premiership so far this season. It is the first time Celtic have scored a direct free kick in the league since January 2021, when David Turnbull netted against Hibs. Landry Kabore felt he should have had a penalty 23 minutes in after he went down dragging an effort way wide. No VAR check was required however, despite a swarm of protests from the Hearts players and fans. The hosts were gifted a golden opportunity to restore parity with around ten minutes of the half remaining. Austin Trusty failed to play a bouncing ball back to his goalkeeper with his knee or thigh which slipped Alexandros Kyziridis through one on one. The Greek winger could not beat the extended leg of Kasper Schmeichel, who produced a fantastic save to keep his side in front. The equaliser would come for Hearts though three minutes after the restart. Debutant Leonard’s inswinging corner to the back post was met by Stuart Findlay, as the centre half rose highest to nod home his sixth goal of the season. Kyziridis had the chance to make amends for his glaring miss 55 minutes in when a flicked-on header fell into his path, but a last-ditch tackle from Liam Scales inside the area brought the Hearts attack to a halt. Just as the hosts looked to have gained the upper-hand on the defending champions, they were stung by a Hyun-jun Yang tap in. After tremendous combination play from Daizen Maeda and new signing Tomas Cvancara down the left hand side, the Czech forward put it on a plate for Yang to fire Celtic ahead with less than half an hour to go.  It came just a minute or two following Cvancara having a looping header hit Craig Gordon’s crossbar, and a minute or two before the new recruit was booked and subsequently subbed off. Quite the five minutes for the attacker.  Audible disbelief could be heard around Tynecastle when referee Steven McLean brandished a yellow card for Austin Trusty after he brought down Landry Kabore with around fifteen minutes to play. He was sent to the VAR monitor and would send Trusty off, wit the American adjudged to be the last man and denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.  Celtic had just brought off an injured Kieran Tierney for Dane Murray a moment prior, with Anthony Ralston then being brought on for Yang to further re-arrange an already makeshift backline.  With less than seven minutes to play there was a scramble inside the Celtic box that you were just anticipating to be brought to an end by the sound of Hearts fan raptures. A point-blank stop from Schmeichel again nearly creeped beyond him, but the Dane and Arne Engels made sure it only went passed for a corner.  But the league leaders would level proceedings with three minutes of regulated time to go. Oisin McEntee headed down a ball from a set-play, and Claudio Braga was in the right place to unleash a rocket passed Schmeichel to give the home side the equaliser just before the fourth official’s board confirmed an additional eight minutes to play.  Blair Spittal clipped the bar deep into injury time after the ball fell to him first time just outside the box. It was always rising, but hearts would have been in the mouths of many a Celtic supporter.  The draw means that things only get tighter at the top of the table. Celtic are now third still six points behind leaders Hearts, but a win for Rangers over Dundee means the Ibrox side sit second now four points behind the Jambos.  Celtic have European matters to take of at home to Utrecht on Thursday before they are back in action domestically at home to Falkirk on Sunday. As for Hearts, they are on the road Saturday as they will hope to seize the opportunity of going further ahead of Celtic before they play, travelling to Tannadice to face Dundee United.  HEARTS: Gordon 5, Halkett 7, McCart 5 (McEntee 71’ 3), Braga 7, Kabore 5 (Wilson 90+4 1), Steinwender  4 (Spittal 86’ 1), Milne 5, Findlay 6, Magnusson 4 (Kerjota 71’ 2), Leonard 5, Kyziridis 5   CELTIC: Schemichel 7, Scales 6, Trusty 3, Nygren 6, Cvancara 5 (Tounekti 60’ 2), Yang 5 (Ralston 77’ 2), Araujo 6, Engels 6, Maeda 4, McGregor 5, Tierney 5 (Murray 73’ 1)  

Falkirk 4-1 Hibernian: Falkirk dismantle Hibs with ease as Barney Stewart nets hat-trick

Falkirk ran out convincing 4-1 winners over Hibernian at the Falkirk stadium on Saturday afternoon courtesy of a hat-trick from Barney Stewart and an own goal from Grant Hanley.   John McGlynn’s side are now only two points behind fifth-place Hibs as their impressive return to the Scottish Premiership continues.  Despite the visitors doing well to control the first 15 minutes, it was Falkirk who took the lead in the 17th minute as Calvin Miller raced to the byline before playing an inviting low ball across the face off the Hibs goalmouth that was met by Falkirk striker Barney Stewart who was there to side-foot the ball into the net.  Following a lengthy VAR check for a potential offside, Barney’s opening goal was awarded. Hibs’ best chance of the game so far came after the half hour mark when Scotland International Grant Hanley came close to equalising from a free kick, Falkirk Goalkeeper Scott Bain done exceptionally well to tip it over the bar and ensure his side remanded ahead.  Falkirk were unfortunate not to have doubled their lead as they had two opportunities within a few minutes; Kyrell Wilson struck from inside the area as his shot sailed inches wide of the Hibs goal.  Raphael Sallinger then got down well to push away Calvin Miller’s fierce effort from close range.  Barney Stewart netted his second of the afternoon and gave Falkirk a comfortable two goal cushion on the 43rd minute.  The build-up play was almost identical to the first goal with Calvin Miller skipping past the Hibs defence with ease before delivering a low cross for Barney Stewart who was once again on hand to finish beyond Sallinger in the Hibs net.  The Bairns headed into the interval 2-0 up after an impressive first half showing.  Hibs made an attacking change at the break with Elie Youan coming on in place of Centre-back Jack Iredale as David Gray’s side changed shape to a 4-3-3.  On the hour mark, Hibs found a way back into the game as Rocky Bushiri rose highest to head the ball home from Jordan Obita’s corner kick delivery to give his side a lifeline.  With twenty minutes remaining, Falkirk were awarded a free-kick in a dangerous area as Calvin Miller stepped up to take it 20 yards from goal, Raphael Sallinger was on hand to get a hand to it and tip it over the crossbar for a corner which Falkirk failed to threaten from.  Hibs substitute Rudi Molotnikov was involved in play instantly as the Youngster picked the ball up in a good position high up the park before he cut inside forcing Scott Bain to save well.  Both sides had struggled to create any real quality going forward for large spells throughout the second half resulting in a quieter affair.  Despite that, Falkirk all but secured the three points in the 83rd minute when Barney Stewart netted his first ever hat-trick for the club as any hope of a comeback from the visitors now looked near impossible.  The Bairns made certain of victory as the game approached additional time, Louie Marsh fired the ball across goal as the ball deflected off Grant Hanley’s right foot as he was unable to prevent the own goal to cap off what had been a disastrous afternoon for the Hibees. 

Partick Thistle Continue Push For Automatic Promotion After 2-1 Win Over Ayr United

Alex Samuel’s first half header earned Mark Wilson’s Partick Thistle a vital three points in the fight for the title as they defeated Scott Brown’s Ayr United 2-1. The match started slow, but with 12 minutes on the clock, former Ayr United player Logan Chalmers opened the scoring for the hosts after Kevin Holt failed to intercept Patrick Reading’s through ball. That wasn’t the end of the drama, as just two minutes later, Thistle’s continued pressure on Ayr saw Luke McBeth’s cross find Alex Samuel’s head and fall into the bottom left of Liam Russell’s net. Ayr United’s first half went from bad to worse, Leon King’s foul on Alex Samuel in the penalty area on the 19th minute saw referee Grant Irvine point to the spot. Chalmer’s stepped up to the penalty spot hoping to get his second of the match, however his effort down the middle was saved by the leg of goalkeeper Russell. The penalty save brought some hope for Scott Brown’s side, as his squad started to take the game to the Jags. Ben Dempsey’s effort on the 21st minute deflected by the post of Josh Clarke’s goal and earned The Honest Men a corner which they failed to capitalise on. Ayr United looked more comfortable for the remainder of the second half creating some well worked plays but failing to cause Thistle’s Clarke any problems. Ayr’s manager Scott Brown was shown yellow for dissent on the 35th minute, mostly out of frustration after his side’s poor first half performance. Ayr United almost found away back into the game late into the first half, their best chance of the game comes from a cross from Scott McMann and lands on Anton Dowds head, but his effort hits the side netting of Josh Clarke’s goal. A tactical substitution for Scott Brown saw Jude Bonnar being replaced by striker Curtis Main in a hope to get something from the game. And it was almost a dream start to the half for Ayr when Kevin Holt’s header looked goal bound, but it was blocked off the line by Thistle captain Lee Ashcroft. Partick Thistle almost extended their lead to 3, after Ben Stanway’s cross almost sneaked a way into the back of the net but was tipped over the bar by Liam Russel.  Substitute Curtis Main got one back for the visitors on the hour mark after George Finney’s rocket was blocked and the striker was there to pounce on the rebound and find the top right corner. 72 minutes in Lee Ashcroft’s header was saved well by Russel, and moments later he was needed at the other end of the field to hold off Anton Dowds in a one-on-one battle near the Thistle goal. In the 79th minute, Alex Samuel’s original chance turned into a catalogue of blocked efforts from the Ayr United defence to keep themselves in the match. George Oakley’s burst of pace found him in a good position wit just two minutes remaining, but his powerful effort was parried away by Josh Clarke. In the dying moments of the match, Scott Brown’s continued dissent was punished with a red card, which really summed up Ayr United’s afternoon. Results elsewhere give Partick Thistle the chance to go top of the league by a point this Friday if they win away to current leaders St. Johnstone, after they fell to a 1-0 defeat to Dunfermline Athletic at McDiarmid Park. As for Ayr United, their next outing is also away to St. Johnstone as they travel to Perth on Tuesday in the Scottish Challenge Cup. The aforementioned defeat to the Saints and subsequent Dunfermline victory means Neil Lennon’s side have leapfrogged them into the play-offs on goal difference.  

Celtic Solve Striker Crisis With Tomas Cvancara Signing

Celtic have completed the signing of striker Tomas Cvancara from Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach on loan, with an option to buy at the end of the season. The Czechia international had been tenuously linked with rivals Rangers online before reports emerged from Sky Germany that the hitman was headed for Glasgow’s East End instead. The Hoops have been in desperate need of a striker since the summer after selling Adam Idah on deadline day and replacing him with free agent Kelechi Iheanacho, who has spent most of his time at Parkhead injured. They were linked with former hitman Kyogo Furuhashi on a loan return from Birmingham City nearly exactly a year on from selling the Japanese forward to Stade Rennais, but the 31-year-old has stayed south to fight for his place. There was also reports that a loan enquiry for Leeds United man Joel Piroe were ‘laughed away’ due to the Elland Road side sharing investors with Rangers. Johnny Kenny and Daizen Maeda have shared spells through the middle for Celtic this season, but neither have had a consistent level of performance for any length of time this season, paving the way for Cvancara to make the position his own. Cvancara told club media: “It’s a massive honour to sign for this club. “I am so excited to get started and make my own contribution to the team. We have lots of challenges ahead of us and I am ready to get going and do everything I can to meet these and bring success to our brilliant supporters. “Celtic is one of the great names in world football and I am delighted to be here to play my part.” The 25-year-old has spent this season on loan at Turkish side Antalyaspor, scoring just once in eleven appearances this season in all competitions. He made the move to his parent club from Sparta Prague in 2023 for a reported fee of £9million, scoring eight times in 54 fixtures having played some games as a right-winger rather than through the middle. In his homeland with Sparta, Cvancara enjoyed the best spell of his career as he fired home 24 goals in 49 matches for the Czech capital side in an eighteen months spell from 2022-2023. He has represented his national side on eight occasions, scoring once in a 3-1 victory over Poland in Euro 2024 qualifying. Cvancara has also played at Celtic Park already, coming off the bench for Czech side Jablonec in a 3-0 second leg defeat in Europa League qualifying in 2021 at the beginning of Ange Postecoglou’s tenure as Celts’ boss. Celtic travel to Tynecastle to face league leaders Hearts this Sunday in a game which could have huge repercussions as to where the league trophy goes at the end of this season. Cvancara scored twice on his Monchengladbach debut, and could be in line to repeat the trick for the Glasgow side in a potential baptism of fire.

“I’ll Definitely be Looking to Change That” – Ferguson Eager For First Win Over Celtic

Scotland star Lewis Ferguson is looking for his first win over Celtic as his Bologna side host the Scottish champions tomorrow night in the Europa League. The former Aberdeen man failed to get the better of the green and whites in fifteen tries when he was in the North-East, as well as one failed attempt when he was an 18-year-old at Hamilton Academical. Despite managing seven goals against Celtic, more than he has scored against any other club by a fair distance, the Bologna captain is hoping to taste victory over the Glasgow giants at long last tomorrow. He told the media: “Every time I’ve faced Celtic, they’ve been strong, they’ve been really good. “I faced them a lot of times when I was at Aberdeen when we had a good team. They were always just better than us on the day. “But I’m obviously looking to go and change that stat. Maybe it doesn’t look too good, 16 times but never won so I’ll definitely be looking to change that. “It was probably the first game I looked at when the draw came out. Obviously it’s nice to play against a Scottish team. We’re looking forward to it, we’re ready. If we want to get in the top eight then we need to win this game.” Bologna currently sit 13th in the league phase, just two points off the top eight. Despite being eleven places higher in the table, Ferguson is well aware of the threat that Celtic can carry under Martin O’Neill. “He [O’Neill] is such an experienced manager, he has been there and done it all. “He is one of Celtic’s most experienced managers and as such, he knows the club so well. Winning seven out of eight games in that [interim] period is impressive. “Martin is a safe pair of hands. He knows how to get the best out of the players, so we will be expecting a really tough game.” Ferguson, son of Rangers hero Derek and nephew to former ‘Gers captain Barry, says that his family opted against making the journey to Italy amongst the Celtic following. “Everybody’s at home. I don’t think my dad wanted to take a flight out and be surrounded by Celtic fans. My family will be at home and watching from Scotland. “I’ve not had a chance to speak to him [Barry Ferguson] recently to talk about this game, but I think I know his thoughts on it! I know who he wants to win, that’s pretty clear. “I’ve obviously spoken to my dad a lot over the last couple of weeks, just about things in general, not too much about the game. “But yeah, I could probably tell you Barry’s thoughts before he said them.” The sides face off at the earlier kickoff time of 17:45 GMT tomorrow afternoon. A win for Celtic would further boost their chances of a playoff round spot going into the final league phase match, whilst Bologna need to win if they want any chance of sneaking into the top eight places.  Celtic are yet to concede since O’Neill’s return but have looked less than convincing in their last two outings against Falkirk and Auchinleck Talbot. As for the Italian hosts, they have suffered a poor run of recent form of one win in their last seven, yet have only lost to Aston Villa in European action this season on match day one. 

Auchinleck Talbot 0-2 Celtic: Celtic Limp Into Next Round After Defeating Junior Opposition

Celtic progressed to the fifth round of the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup with a 2-0 win over sixth-tier non-league side Auchinleck Talbot at Rugby Park. The match was due to be played at the West of Scotland league side’s home Beechwood Park, but Police Scotland advised the game was moved to the home of Kilmarnock fifteen miles away.  Striker Johnny Kenny got Celtic ahead 33 minutes with a stabbed effort from close in, before substitute Sebastian Tounekti killed any hope of a Talbot equaliser with just five minutes to play.  A performance with enough reason to give fans of a Celtic persuasion concern as to why they were unable to put away a side five divisions below them with ease, as chants against the club’s board were vocally heard from the first whistle. Talbot goalkeeper William Muir produced a great stop to deny Celtic forward Johnny Kenny five minutes in. The Irishman got his head on the end of a headed cutback from Luke McCowan, but was denied by Muir as well as the linesman’s offside flag. Last season’s runners-up maintained the early pressure, with McCowan almost registering an assist once more five minutes later. The former Ayr United man tried playing in Prestwick native James Forrest, but a fantastic defensive intervention diverted any danger. Celtic’s best opportunity to put themselves ahead came 24 minutes in. Anthony Ralston fired a ball in across the deck which made its way to an arriving Michel-Ange Balikwisha. The Celtic number ten however, blazed his attempt over from less than twelve yards out. The ‘bot had their best chance of a shock lead come just after half an hour played. A looping free-kick was failed to be punched clear by Viljami Sinisalo and bounced in the Finnish international’s six-yard box, before being eventually bundled clear for a corner kick. The breakthrough finally came for the favourites two minutes after the scare. McCowan payed the ball from the right flank low into the Auchinleck area, and Johnny Kenny got across his man to poke the ball home and net his sixth goal of the season with a first time finish. And it could so nearly have been two for Kenny just a couple minutes into the second half. James Forrest, who swapped wings with McCowan, floated a ball into Muir’s six-yard area, but Kenny’s header cannoned off of the crossbar. Talbot gave the Parkhead side another fright just after the hour stage. Kyle McAvoy was slipped in down the right inside the box with time and space to pick out his teammates, but his cross lacked any accuracy as it went wayward into he side netting. Within a minute, the action moved from one goal to the other, as Johnny Kenny chipped the ball over Muir to score what he thought was his and Celtic’s second of the afternoon. The offside flag was raised, though, and a lengthy VAR check agreed with the on-field call. Another headed opportunity went begging for the away side with fifteen minutes to play. Liam Scales dinked cross was perfectly timed to match Anthony Ralston’s run from deep, but the right-back’s header towards the bottom left corner was an inch or two wide of the post. Benjamin Nygren stung the palms of Muir a minute or so later, with the Swede forcing the Talbot goalkeeper into making his first real save since Kenny’s chance early in the match. Tunisian winger Sebastian Tounekti got the Celts their two-goal cushion with five minutes to play. Paulo Bernardo found him in his natural position, and the 23-year-old cut in on his right foot and curled a beauty to put some polish on a sub-par performance from Celtic overall.  The fairytale is over for Auchinleck Talbot as they bow out the competition with their heads held high after a resilient effort defensively and not shy in the attack either.  As for Celtic, the 42 time winners are in the hat for the next round, but will need to up their game against better opposition, whom they face twice in the next week in two away contests to Bologna in the Europa league on Thursday, and league leaders Hearts on Sunday. AUCHINLECK TALBOT: Muir 7, Schoneville 5 (Kerr 79’ 1), Wilson 5 , Sime 6, McCubbin-Boyd 5 , Gillies 5, Main 6(Wood 87’) , Clark 6, Crooks 6 (Kazoka 87’1), McPherson 5, McAvoy 4 (Nimmo 82’ 1)   CELTIC: Sinisalo 4, Balikwisha 4 (Nygren 67’ 2), McCowan 5, Kenny 5 (Yamada 86’ 1), Bernardo 6, McGregor 6 (Hatate 86’ 1), Murray 5, Forrest 7 (Tounekti 62’ 4 ), Donovan 5 , Ralston 5 , Welsh 5  (Scales 67’ 2)

“We All Know We Need to Put in Stronger Performances”- Benjamin Nygren

Celtic midfielder Benjamin Nygren conceded that the level of performance from himself and his teammates must improve in the final half of this season.  The Swede scored the only goal in a narrow 1-0 win away to Falkirk, bringing him up to ten for in the league campaign so far, only behind Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland. And the 24-year-old is aware of the importance of getting positive results at this time of year. He said: “We said in the dressing room before that we have to almost win every game now. “In the end, it’s about getting the three points. If you play a great game, you still get three points. Today we didn’t play our best game but we still got the three points and that’s the most important thing.” Falkirk had a series of chances in a game in which the home side dominated spells of. Nygren was quick to give John McGlynn’s side credit where it was due, but also feels Celtic must look inwards. “For sure, I can give Falkirk some credit, they played a good game, but I still think we should do a better performance. “But we didn’t, and we still ran a lot of metres and did pretty good defensively. “We all know we have to put in stronger performances to win football games, today was not good enough. “We cannot continue with performances like this, but today we got the win and we are pleased with that.” Nygren is averaging a goal less than every three games after converting his twelfth Celtic goal in 33 appearances, but the summer recruit insists that the team performing well is his priority. “I always want to do good individually, but it’s a team sport so the most important thing is for us to win the league, and be first in the league and we are not at the moment. “But you need to score goals to win games and I’ve always been a player that from a deeper position that is creating chances, and scoring goals and making assists in the final third and I want to continue.” Celtic are now six points behind leaders Hearts after they also won tonight, but Nygren believes that this Celtic squad can turn their fortunes around. “We have the team right now to turn it around. In a massive club like Celtic, you always need competition [amongst the players]. “We still play both Hearts and Rangers again so it’s still in our hands and we will do everything to turn it around.” Celtic travel to Rugby Park on Sunday afternoon to take on non-league Auchinleck Talbot in the Scottish Cup, before a week which sees them travel to Bologna in their penultimate Europa League league phase match on Thursday, and then to league leaders Hearts in a mouth-watering clash on Sunday.

“I Can’t Remember Our Goalkeeper Being So Quiet Against Celtic” – John McGlynn

Falkirk boss John McGlynn shared disappointment over his side being unable to take anything from their 1-0 defeat at home to Celtic.  It is only the third time the Bairns have lost at The Falkirk Stadium this season, with their home form being a significant factor as to why Falkirk find themselves in the top six. However, manager McGlynn was dismayed that his side lost tonight, despite having enough chances to get at least a point if not all three. He said: “Never mind being a Falkirk fan, I think any neutral individual is going to say Falkirk deserved to take something from that game. “I thought we were the better team in the first half, and created some really good opportunities and gutted to come in at half-time a goal down. “Very proud of our performance, I think it was an outstanding performance. I’ve played against Celtic many times, I can’t remember our goalkeeper being so quiet. Scott Bain’s not had an awful lot to do and that’s unusual.” Striker Barney Stewart was recalled from Dunfermline in late December after scoring 7 goals in 11 Championship appearances, but was denied twice tonight by Kasper Schmeichel in two one on one scenarios tonight. McGlynn retains faith that the goals will come for the 21-year-old. “Barney, thirteen months ago, is playing for Heriot-Watt University. He’s playing out there against Celtic, who are champions. What is he going to be like in three, four, five, six months from now having had that experience of going out there and creating the opportunities that he did? “Yeah, he didn’t take them, but keep getting in there, keep getting in they positions. It’ll start hitting the back of the net and then we’ve got a player there.” It is the third meeting between Falkirk and Celtic this season, with Celtic also winning the other two 4-1 and 4-0 both at Celtic Park. McGlynn hopes his side can take confidence into their next meeting there, which takes place in just over two weeks on February 1st. “I’m not naive. It’s different playing Celtic with 50/60,000, lovely beautiful pitch, everyone behind them. So your best chance is when you’re at home. “We go to Celtic Park on the 1st of February, so we can test the water there and how far we have come when we go back there and see if we can do something similar to that. “That would be a little bit of a guide for us. We’re not that far away from being a decent, right good side.” Falkirk travel to the capital city to face McGlynn’s former club Hearts at Tynecastle in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup this Saturday.

“We Were Second Best” – Martin O’Neill Delivers Honest Verdict After Victory Over Falkirk

Interim Celtic manager Martin O’Neill admitted that Falkirk were the better side despite losing 1-0 to the Northern Irishman’s side at The Falkirk Stadium. It is the second clean sheet in a row for the Parkhead club since the 73-year-old returned again on a temporary basis following the sacking of Wilfried Nancy, after eight games without a shutout during the Frenchman’s disastrous reign. However, O’Neill believes that Falkirk can be disappointed in failing to come away with any points from tonight’s defeat. He said: “We didn’t play well in the game. “We saw it through, and we can play much, much better. It just seems strange in the contrast where we were so good on Saturday [against Dundee United] and tentative tonight. “I think Falkirk would have found themselves really unlucky to be behind at half-time in the game. I thought we pressed a bit better in the second half, but overall we didn’t play well in the game.” Falkirk had three big chances in the first half, including an open goal miss from Kyrell Wilson, and then Kasper Schmeichel produced a massive save to deny Ethan Hamilton in the dying minutes of the second. O’Neill insists stronger performances will come. “I just thought, certainly in the first half, we were second best and we seemed devoid of that real energy that was necessary. “But obviously I am delighted to have won the game because we will play better. “The most important thing, I’ve said this often enough, is winning, tonight particularly, Hearts have won as well too and our margin of error is very small and we dropped a lot of points. “So winning tonight was the most important thing. We can play much better and we will” Falkirk are one of three Premiership sides who play on an artificial surface, but O’Neill was not prepared to use the pitch as an excuse for Celtic’s struggles today. “The circumstances today are totally different. We’re playing on an artificial surface. “I’ve no problem with that because they played pretty well on the artificial surface, or scored four goals anyway, against Livingston a couple weeks ago. “But things were different, and you have to adjust, you have to adapt, you have to do all of these things. It’s the nature of the game for the players, they have to dig in, and for that I’m eternally grateful.” Celtic have been linked with Croatian striker Franko Kovacevic from Slovenian side NK Celje, with the 26-year-old scoring 25 goals in 28 appearances so far this season. However, the Celtic manager remained coy on how far down the line a deal may be. “I’m probably sure I have done [looked at Kovacevic], I’ve only looked at about four and a half thousand at this minute! “You can tell a mile away we need to get a centre forward. Young Johnny Kenny has done really fine in the games but I think that’s really harsh to put that sort of pressure on a young lad.” Celtic are back in action this Sunday at Rugby Park as they face non-league Auchinleck Talbot in the Scottish Cup.