Celtic players proved in Bologna that they are up for a battle

Although many fans, and even our captain Callum McGregor, are disappointed about letting slip a two goal lead against Bologna FC 1909 in Italy, I feel that under the circumstances getting a point was a fantastic result…

If you had asked me beforehand would I have taken a point I would have snapped your hand off, and the way we earned it was even more impressive as we head towards one of the most important games of the season.

Celtic may have let a 2-0 lead slip away but the fact we had to play for an hour with ten men proves that it was a result we should be all happy with. Heading into the last two matches of the league stage in the Europa League we knew that four points were needed to secure our passage to the knockout phase.

I wouldn’t have been the only one who felt like if we could get a point away in Bologna then we would be all set for a final round showdown against a struggling Utrecht side that surely the players must fancy taking three points from.

There was a huge opportunity on Thursday night to claim back to back European away wins for the first time since Martin O’Neill’s first stint in charge over twenty years ago, but that opportunity took a severe blow when Reo Hatate stupidly got himself booked twice within three minutes to leave us with a monumental task on our hands. The fact we were able to score again after that point should be applauded and we did well to hang on until half time.

The second half saw a lot of backs to the wall type defending and I was impressed by how solid we looked defensively, an absolute world away from the nightmare we witnessed under Wilfried Nancy. All those players who helped us hang on for the point last night deserve great credit, including many who have had their willingness to fight for the cause questioned over these past few months.

I know that type of game will have taken a lot out of the players, which isn’t ideal before what could be a season defining game on Sunday. On the other hand however I think that type of gritty performance and result will have reminded the players that they are a lot better than they have shown this season, and could be the spark we have needed to ignite this team for the rest of the season.

A performance like that will do the world of good when it comes to building team spirit. I’ve no doubt Martin would have been using all his experience afterwards in the dressing room to praise the players and let them know that if they perform like that on Sunday they will walk away with all three points.

Watching that last night certainly filled me with hope regarding how this season might pan out. It felt a bit like playing roulette at a dm solutions casino,  when you’ve got a number right and have hope for the future. I have said in previous articles that this is one of the poorest Celtic squads in decades and I stand by that, and the blame for that has to fall at the feet of a board who have overseen the downgrading of this squad over these past few years.

Last night however they showed that you don’t have to be the most talented Celtic team to achieve positive results. By sheer grit and determination, and pride in the jersey, they were able to withstand an onslaught for over an hour from one of the top teams in Italy. The UEFA Europa League playoffs are certainly within reach – assuming the Bhoys can keep digging in!

If these players can display the passion they showed last night domestically for the rest of the season then I have no doubt they will be good enough to win the league.

Our challengers have done well to put up a fight this season but in all honesty we would probably be safely sitting at the top of the league with a decent cushion had we stuck with Martin O’Neill and stayed clear of Wilfried Nancy.

This team know what it takes to win titles, on Sunday it’s about playing with the pride we showed against Bologna and proving we are still the top dogs in Scotland.

A win at Tynecastle will not only be huge for Celtic’s confidence, it will also be a devastating blow to a team who have no experience of navigating their way through such an intense title race.

It’s time to show these pretenders just who it is they are up against.

Conall McGinty

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