Celtic FC B fell to defeat at the Excelsior yesterday afternoon as East Kilbride came out victorious over the young Hoops…
Neither side really tested the goalkeeper in the opening stages as crosses were blocked and loose balls were claimed.
That would change as the game approached the half-hour mark, as a fantastic save from the East Kilbride goalkeeper, Samuel Kane, denied Daniel Kelly a sure goal. Shortly after, James McCarthy played a brilliantly accurate pass to Rocco Vata, who managed to beat his man but couldn’t put it in the back of the net.
With 35 minutes on the clock, East Kilbride found the opener. Ryan Lockie took the ball out wide before setting up Scott Ferguson, who struck home.
The visitors doubled their advantage two minutes later as Balde found the back of the net.
As the second half began, Celtic changed their style of play and were trying to build out from the back. With an hour gone, Mitchel Frame, who recently made an appearance for the first team in the UEFA Champions League, sent a ball towards the back post. From the cross, Vata found Kelly on the edge of the area, who shot just wide of the EK net.
The final whistle was approaching, and the young Hoops were yet to find a goal. Vata took the ball into the area but was quickly closed down before he could attempt to shoot. He was almost played through by Frame shortly after, but the pass was blocked by the opposition.
Disappointment for the Celts at home, who would’ve hoped to take something against the league leaders.
🗣️ “We’ll continue working, and the boys will be better off for all these experiences.”
🎥 On the Match with Darren O’Dea.#CELEKFC | #SLFL | #COYBIG🍀 pic.twitter.com/muPhIkb477
— Celtic FC B (@CelticFCB) December 16, 2023
Darren O’Dea, Celtic FC B manager, spoke to Celtic TV after the defeat. He said: “It was a fair result. Fair play to East Kilbride. It was a strange game. Very scrappy game.
“The teams become younger each year. We’ve got kids out there who are 16 and it’s their first year as professionals, and then they’re flung into a game of that magnitude against good good players that have played at a lot of a higher level. At times, they struggle, but the struggle is what makes you want to search for improvement.
“We’re going through a year where it’s difficult. We’ve lost a number of games, we’ve won games, we’ve played well in parts of games, we’ve played poorly in parts of games. But this exact same team, if you come back in one year’s time, these exact same players, it’ll be night and day. You need to go through these difficult moments, and you need to be challenged.
“We’ll continue working, and the boys will be better off for all these experiences.”
Celtic B currently sit a disappointing 10th in the Lowland Football League on 23 points. Victors East Kilbride remain at the top of the table with 47 points.
The young Hoops are in action this Wednesday as they travel to the Kingsmeadow Stadium in London to take on Chelsea’s Under 21s in the Premier League Cup.
Jessica Elliott
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🍀 Brendan Rodgers says he is “not surprised” by Celtic’s 2-0 loss at home to Hearts but insists the blame for the defeat is solely with him and his players. pic.twitter.com/jUKC0UR0G0
— Clyde 1 Superscoreboard (@ClydeSSB) December 16, 2023
