| Match Pictures | Matches: 2017 – 2018 | 2017-18 Pictures |
Trivia
- First game of the new season.
- Tour of Austria of friendly games.
- Brendan Rodgers fields son Anton in Celtic friendly against BW Linz (24 years old). Brendan Rodgers insists there’s no desire to sign his son Anton despite the former Swindon Town midfielder getting a run out in Celtic’s friendly victory over BW Linz.
- First show for the new Celtic kit.
- Celtic draw in Champions League, expected to next face Linfield (N Ireland) (Linfield (NIR) or La Fiorita (SMR). Explosive stuff potentially. Potentially troublesome, so Celtic have opted out of an allocation following police consultation).
- Celtic director Lord Ian Livingstone resigned, he was not a popular choice amongst some due to his political allegiances with the Tory party. In fairness, he did little wrong at Celtic and is a genuine Celtic fan.
- Ex-Celt Paul Lambert has left his role as Wolves manager.
- Giuliano Sarti, the legendary Inter Milan goalkeeper and the Man of the Match in the European Cup Final in Lisbon in 1967 has died. RIP
- Ex-Rangers owner Craig Whyte cleared of fraud in his takeover of Rangers from David Murray, which their old fans were pinning on winning. Big Tax Case still in process. Very entertaining.
- General Elections just held in UK: Conservatives lose their majority BUT SNP still in charge in Scotland but reduced numbers .
- Scotland draw with England in World Cup Qualifers, Leigh Griffitihs scores two exceptional free-kicks but England score injury time winner.
- Rangerschairmn DaveKingtries to claim Celtic have only achieved two –in a-row and not six, as “‘Rangers’ not there for four years”, and that his Celtic-supporting taxi drivers agreed with him. We all just laughed at him being an idiot.
- Transfer window:
In: Johnny Hayes (Aberdeen);
Out: Eoghan O'Connell to Bury (free); Efe Ambrose signs for Hibs; Christie (loan to Aberdeen)
Review
Not an exciting game, Celtic fielded two different sides, all fun & games. Forrest scores a goal to win. All good warm-up for the upcoming important Champions League games.
(CM 1975 of KdS)
Every season I watch the friendlies, every season I wonder why……
Teams
CELTIC FIRST-HALF (4-3-3): de Vries; Lustig, Sviatchenko, McCart, Miller; Armstrong, Brown, McGregor; Hayes, Mackay-Steven, Griffiths
CELTIC SECOND-HALF (4-2-3-1): Hazard; Ralston, Simunovic, McCart (Boyata 60), Tierney; Bitton, Rodgers; Henderson, Forrest, Sinclair; Aitchison
Goal: Forrest 84
Stadium: Stadion Rohrbach-Berg, Austria
Referee:
Attendance:
Articles
- Match Report (see end of page below)
Pictures
Forum
Articles
Forrest gets the Invincibles off to a winning start in Austria
Stadion Rohrbach-Berg, Austria
Wednesday June 28, 2017
CELTIC…1
(Forrest 84)
BLAU-WEISS LINZ…0
JAMES Forrest scored the only goal of the game as Celtic started off their pre-season campaign in Austria with a 1-0 win over Blau-Weiss Linz.
It was a performance which Brendan Rodgers will take plenty of positives from, in what was the Hoops’ first match since clinching the treble at Hampden last month.
The manager would also have been encouraged by a lively first-half debut from new Bhoy Jonny Hayes, who signed earlier in the month from Aberdeen on a three-year deal.
The Bhoys kicked-off their pre-season run of matches by using a complete set of fresh legs in either half, and they fashioned the first opening in the eighth minute as Miller’s wicked delivery allowed Mackay-Steven to test Linz goalkeeper Hankic.
Linz, who play in the second tier of Austrian football, came into the contest with de Vries having to be alert minutes later. The strike, though, sailed over the bar.
The Scottish champions were enjoying plenty of possession and came close to opening the scoring in the 18th minute. McGregor’s effort from the cut-back was tipped on to the bar by the Linz keeper, and Griffiths hit the woodwork on the rebound.
Midway through the first-half, however, Anic showed good strength to shrug off the challenge of Miller before his chip was saved by the Hoops keeper.
However, the Bhoys kept up the pressure and earned themselves a free-kick in a good area. Following on from his Scotland double, Griffiths was set for another spectacular free-kick but was thwarted away by Hankic.
At the other end, de Vries had to pull off a smart stop from Oppong’s close-range header as the half drew to a close.
Only Jamie McCart remained on the field for the start of the second-half as essentially a completely new team took the field, with Kieran Tierney wearing the captain's armband for the first time.
The Bhoys started brightly after the interval and nearly grabbed the opener through Scott Sinclair. Some neat play from Forrest down the right allowed the winger to skip past two men and find Celtic’s Player of the Year. The headed effort, however, crept over the bar.
Celtic, who gave their new green and white Hoops kit a debut, continued to press, piling forward through Forrest who was fouled at the edge of the box in the 68th minute. Tierney was unlucky from the resulting set-piece, the through ball from Bitton to the left-back producing an excellent save from Hankic.
Four minutes later, the Celts broke forward again. Ralston collected possession at the edge of the box but his attempt was off target. Some great midfield play from Anton Rodgers, playing as a trialist, along with Bitton and Henderson, ensured the Bhoys completely dominated possession in Rohrbach.
And after a swift breakaway, the Champions took the lead. Tierney fed the ball inside to Forrest, whose superb first touch held the ball up for him to volley home. The victory was the perfect start for the Invincibles, with Rapid Vienna next up on Saturday.
CELTIC FIRST-HALF (4-3-3): de Vries; Lustig, Sviatchenko, McCart, Miller; Armstrong, Brown, McGregor; Hayes, Mackay-Steven, Griffiths
CELTIC SECOND-HALF (4-2-3-1): Hazard; Ralston, Simunovic, McCart (Boyata 60), Tierney; Bitton, Rodgers; Henderson, Forrest, Sinclair; Aitchison
BW Linz 0 – 1 Celtic: Brendan Rodgers’ son plays as trialist
Anton Rodgers, son of manager Brendan, played for Celtic in their win over Linz in Austria. Picture: Craig Foy/SNS
22:45 Wednesday 28 June 2017
TheScotsman
Brendan Rodgers fielded his son as a trialist as Celtic began their pre-season fixtures with a 1-0 friendly win over
BW Linz.
Anton Rodgers has joined Celtic on their training camp in Austria to maintain his fitness after leaving Swindon Town and the 24-year-old played for 45 minutes as the Scottish champions beat the Austrian second-tier side.
Callum McGregor and Leigh Griffiths both hit the woodwork in quick succession in the first half before Rodgers made ten half-time substitutions. Dedryck Boyata came on for Jamie McCart on the hour mark to complete the full set.
Celtic left it late to record victory as James Forrest volleyed home after Kieran Tierney sent him through on a counter-attack.
The Celtic boss revealed injuries to midfielders saw him give his son a run-out.
“Anton has come with us just to get fit really, his season won’t start down in England for another week or so,” Rodgers senior told Celtic TV. “So I asked him to come in.
“Then we had a few injuries to midfield players, Eboue Kouassi and Kris Ajer. I know he can play, he is technically very gifted, Anton.
“He has a good view of the game and he can come in and slot in and play with the players, and I thought he did very well.”
Celtic’s next match is against Rapid Vienna on Saturday.
l Sunderland announced yesterday that they would be hosting Celtic in a pre-season friendly on 29 July to mark the 20th anniversary of the Stadium of Light.