The Celtic B team welcomed Cumbernauld Colts to Penny Cars Stadium in Airdrie on Saturday with the match finishing 2-2, with the visitors coming from behind on separate occasions in what was an exciting match. This was the second time the B team has played the Colts in a week with the previous match ending in a 2-0 away victory in Cumbernauld.
Speaking after the game, manager Tommy McIntyre told Celtic TV: “Cumbernauld did really well, they played better than us. I thought we became complacent because of the game the other night.
“It’s always difficult when you’re playing games so close to one another, but all credit to Cumbernauld. They were better than us on the day and I thought we were disappointing.
“There were just too many players off their game, and that’s being brutally honest.
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— Celtic FC B (@CelticFCB) October 31, 2021
‘Sometimes you’ve just got to take it. We never really passed the ball as well as we did the other night.’
“We were excellent the other night, the whole intensity of the game was different class, whereas this time we never really got going.”
He added “They put us under pressure, they stuck to their game-plan and we struggled a little bit. They had one or two great chances, and goals change it.
“I thought our first goal was excellent and scoring it early on helped us settle a little bit, but to lose the second goal so soon after going 2-1 up again was disappointing and we’ve got to manage it better.”
That opener came from young Rocco Vata, son of ex-Celt Rudi Vata, in the 11th minute but a flurry of goals mid way through the second half meant Celtic B had to Celtic for a point.
McIntyre said of Celtic’s opener, from the Ireland U-17s star: “He’s done really well, there are positives coming out of the game and that’s one of them. It was a great finish, but we’ve got to take the game by the scruff of the neck and be more in control of the game.
“There were too many times when it was like a basketball game – they had, we had it – and it never really settled as much as we’d want it and as much as normally play. But the players know that and they understand that as well.”
Rocco Vata really looks like he could be a potential future star. He has performed admirably this season for both the Celtic B team and the Ireland U-17s, scoring a few special goals recently for both sides. Definitely one to keep an eye on.
Conall McGinty
