Neil Lennon’s Celtic followed up from the 2-0 win over Ross County on Wednesday night with a comfortable victory at the FOYS Stadium, beating Hamilton Accies 3-0. Five talking points from the win that took Celtic to six games without defeat in all competitions as they closed the gap on Rangers at the top of the table.
1.Job Done
After Rangers beat Hibs at Ibrox earlier today, three points was the only thing that mattered with a huge 19 point lead being held by the Ibrox side. The first half was comfortable even if there was nothing to show for it at the break. Hamilton defended valiantly but Celtic managed to fashion a number of openings with the goalkeeper and woodwork keeping the score level. However, goals from Edouard, Griffiths and Turnbull gave Celtic a vital win, some added confidence and narrowed the gap to 16 points (with 3 games in hand).
2. Positive signs from French Eddy
Odsonne Edouard looked like his old self, the 22-year-old was involved of all three of the Celtic goals this afternoon. The second half saw Odsonne Edouard inspire a quick-fire two goal lead with an assist and a goal for the Frenchman, he was also involved in the third goal as his header cracked the post before Turnbull slotted it home. The promising sign would be that Edouard was being able to come deep and interact in the game, taking the ball on the turn and running at the defenders. This was likely aided by having Leigh Griffiths on the park as well.
3. Griffiths back on form
Leigh Griffiths was back on the scoresheet with a thunderous strike from the edge of the area. That now takes the 30-year-old to three goals in three games as he continues his return to fitness. What Neil Lennon will be more impressed with is that Griffiths & Edouard appear to be hitting their stride again. The pair connected well and seemed to find their groove into the second half as it will likely take a wee while to click before they get back to their all-conquering best.
4. No Jullien
There was one surprise omission from the team sheet this afternoon with Christopher Jullien missing. Neil Lennon said that he had a small knee injury and that he hoped he would be back for the game against Dundee United on Wednesday. However, this news won’t be welcome to the Celtic support as it means that they could be lining up in a Glasgow Derby match. Hopefully the big defender will be able to return to the starting XI so that Lennon has a full compliment of defenders to pick from.
5. Frimpong hitting the byline & Turnbull settling in
A real positive in recent weeks has been Jeremie Frimpong looking to get beyond his man and trying to cut the ball back into oncoming Celtic attackers. On more than one occasion, Frimpong forced the defenders to scramble backwards. It is a big bonus for Celtic that the team look to be finding some form. A big factor in Celtic’s incredible form in the second half of last season was the ability of the ex-Man City youngster to bomb forward and lead attacks from deep. David Turnbull has started to really show his worth since moving to Celtic. The former Motherwell player found the net again but he has really found his feet in the centre of the Celtic midfield. Turnbull has a creative spark but also the defensive work rate that will excite the manager. At just 21, Turnbull will only get better. He has an eye for goal but also looks to play in his teammates.
