Tommy McIntyre’s Celtic B Team’s victory over Vale of Leithen at the Penny Cars stadium ensured a Sunday full house for Celtic, as a Ben Summer’s inspired performance saw the young Hoops emerge with a 4-0 win to add to Ange Postecoglou’s top team winning by the same scoreline against Raith Rovers and Fran Alonso’s Celtic FC Women’s Sunday skelping of theRangers in the Scottish Cup earlier in the day. Alonso’s side incidentally have been rewarded with a quarter final Scottish Cup pairing with an away trip to play Aberdeen (more on that to follow).
Yesterday’s B team game saw a welcome return to action for Karamoko Dembele, who had been injured since being on the end of a vicious tackle in a pre-season game with Bristol City that resulted in a fractured ankle.
The winger’s inclusion yesterday made it a double of returning injured stars, as Christopher Jullien also made a welcome return from injury with a second half appearance against Raith Rovers at Celtic Park. The fact Dembele played the whole 90 minutes will also be pleasing for Ange Postecoglou, as well as the player who has now entered the final six months of his Celtic contract and will be keen to prove he’s worthy of a new deal, and Dembele put in a bright performance down Celtic’s right wing.
Celtic opened the scoring in this one through Joey Dawson with a tidy finish after an assist from Adam Brooks, but from there Vale’s ‘keeper Kyle Wilson kept the Hoops at bay throughout the first half as he denied Owen Moffat, Tsoanelo Letsosa and Adam Brooks and the Celts went in at half-time with only one goal to show for their first half dominance.
And it was much of the same in the second half as Celtic struggled to add to their tally, and it took until the 76th minute for the dam to break, and when it did it was Ben Summers who stepped up with a nine minute hat-trick to reward Celtic with the goals their dominance deserved, slotting home his first goal with ease before scoring again two minutes later after Vale’s Kyle Wilson could only palm a Joey Dawson cross as far as Summers who put Celtic 3-0 up, before completing his hat-trick with five minutes left to play with a fine finish.
Celtic now sit third in the Lowland League, only two points adrift of second placed Spartans although the Hoops do have two games in hand on the Edinburgh side. Next up for a pleased Tommy McIntyre’s Celtic is an away trip to face Gala Fairydean on Saturday.
Niall J
