SCOTT BAIN was last night called up to the Scotland squad after his Celtic team-mate Craig Gordon, who missed the 0-0 draw at Livingston yesterday after picking up a few knocks against RB Leipzig on Thursday night, pulled out of Alex McLeish’s squad.
There is of course a case for fans of both St Johnstone and indeed Livingston, to ask the national team manager why he opted for the back-up Celtic goalie, when their own keepers have been performing so well.
Not that any of that will worry Scott Bain, he preferred to look on the positives and started with noting that the Scottish Premiership now has a new team at the top and it’s not Hearts!
????️ Scott Bain gives his post-match reaction following #LIVCEL. #SPFL pic.twitter.com/dyQVneaMCB
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) November 11, 2018
“It’s good for us to be back in that position. The last few weeks we have set a really high standard.
“Now we have got to the top we want to stay there. We’ve got the international break but we’ll come back refreshed and ready to kick on again.
“The standard’s been exceptional in recent times. The boys deserve a lot of credit because it’s not easy to keep that up every week.
“We wanted three points at Livingston but it is a difficult place to play. So we take the point and the fact we’re top of the league and move on.
“I thought we played very well considering the conditions and the artificial surface. The boys did pretty much everything apart from score. By the end we could have had the three points.”
The Celtic keeper stood up well to the home side’s tactic of throwing long balls from throw-ins into the area and looking for a knock-on and possibly a scrappy goal. Thankfully that never happened. Bain was pleased to get the start and of course secure the clean sheet.
“It was good to play. It’s always good to play for this club,” he said to Celtic TV afterwards.
“We’ve been on a good run of games and set a high standard. It was pleasing to get out and play but disappointing not to get the three points. It’s not really the case I need games to get sharp.
“I train with the best players in the country every single day. I’ve got the best goalkeeping coach in Stevie Woods and I’ve got people like Craig Gordon to work with.
“Mentally and physically I am sharp and I have got everything I need to keep me ticking over until I get the call to play.
“It wasn’t an easy game to come in to. The first ten minutes really set the tone. They were getting balls in to the box from wide areas and made it very difficult for us.
“You can see why Livingston have done so well under Gary Holt. It’s a difficult place to go to with the tight pitch and the surface.
“They get right on top of you, but we handled it pretty well. We went into the details before the game about their style of play and the fact they’ve scored eight goals from set pieces this season.
“We knew what was coming but dealt with their threat and took it away from them by the end of the first half.”
Also on The Celtic Star…
‘Our supporters were once again first class,’ David Potter…See HERE.
Jim Craig – Benfica substituted Eusebio then Harry Hood got a third goal…See HERE.
TG: ‘My goal in the European Cup Final? Which one?’ Menga: ‘My head-butt on Ryan Christie? Which one?’…See HERE.
And another fine addition to the Celtic Fans media this season, joining Celtic Fans TV and of course The Celtic Star is the new fans forum where all Celtic supporters are welcome and the conversations are friendly and interesting…Celtic Noise. Check it out!
