Match Pictures | Matches: 2024 – 2025
Trivia
- KO: 19:30; Wednesday; LOITV ppv stream (league or Ireland TV)
- Very much a second string side albeit a few first team players like Palma, McCowan and Valle.
- Sligo Rovers Football Club (Irish: Cumann Peile Ruagairí Shligigh) is an Irish professional football club playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland.
- Friendly match played at The Showgrounds
- Internationals this weekend so no first team competitive matches for Celtic. Liam Scales scored equaliser for Ireland in their 2-1 win v Finland which is a big turnaround for the team as they’ve been very poor for long time now.
- Brendan Rodgers at his fantasy best with a post match story about his his first Celtic game, which many laughed or grimaced about.
- Luis Palma hat trick! He actually didn’t travel for international matches to help make his way back to the first team at Celtic.
- Adidas: Celtic confirmed to join Liverpool, Roma & Newcastle Utd in being added to the Elite Team Catalogue at Adidas next season.This will mean authentic strips as well as the Adidas Trefoil logo on our third kit.
- Scott Brown says he probably should have retired as a player after leaving Celtic and focused on coaching, instead of joining Aberdeen.
- Celtic women’s team: clinical double for Dutch champions Twente ensured defeat for Celtic in the Women’s Champions League, the Celtic women’s teams debut in the group stages, match played at Douglas Park in Hamilton (Tuesday 8th October), 2-0 defeat.
- Luke McCowan insists Aberdeen cannot be considered title contenders yet, despite the Dons’ perfect start to the Scottish Premiership season.
- Thecelticway stat: 23% of Celtic domestic wins are by just one goal!
- Celtic are set to bring in former Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale, who describes himself as a “football doctor” to revamp the club’s football operations with head of recruitment Mark Lawwell and chief scout Joe Dudgeon having left in March.
- Scottish Government expects to hold informal discussions with the Scottish Professional Football League about ending the alcohol ban at stadiums but admits it will be “tough” to convince ministers that change is needed.
- Scottish Premiership sits sixth worldwide for the amount of expatriate players, behind Cyprus, Turkey, Greece, United Arab Emirates and Italy, with the CIES football observatory stating that 57.4% of minutes are, on average, played by “footballers who grew up in a different association than the one they currently play in”.
Summary
Palma saved the blushes of a mostly second string/reserves side again Sligo Rovers, with Palma scoring a hat-trick. Two of the goals were at the death so this Celtic side (which included on loan Valle from Barcelona) almost were embarrassed, but it must be noted that Celtic were losing throughout much of the much after Barlow & Power put Sligo ahead.
From general comments/feedback only young McArdle seemed to come out of this with much positive feedback, with senior players like Yang and Palma criticised (despite the hat-trick!) for decision making and general play.
“Physicality. A lot of them need to improve on that aspect of the game. They have talent on the ball, but that is nowhere near enough, so that physicality will allow them to play at a higher tempo. But it is nice for them to feel that, get out there and play front of a crowd, play with that personality you need to play for Celtic. Some of them did really, really well.”
Brendan Rodgers
Teams
Celtic:
Bain, Agbaire (Bonetig 61), Welsh, Nawrocki, Valle (Robertson 45), McCowan, Turley, Bonnar (McArdle 61), Yang, Palma, Dobbie (Isiguzo 61).
Subs: Morrison, Rice, Robertson, Bonetig, McArdle, Dargie, Davidson, Cannon, Haddow, Isiguzo.
Goals:Palma 9, 89 & 90
Sligo Rovers:
McGinty, Morahan, Denham, Wiggett, Hutchinson, Henry-Francis, Malley, Barlow, Fitzgerald, Pearce, Power.
Subs: Brush, Mooney, McElroy, Mahon, Radosaljevic, Malone, Muldoon, McDonagh, Reynolds.
Goals:Barlow 13, Power 17
Ref:
Att: 5500 (sold out)
Articles
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Articles
Celtic boss lays down gauntlet and issues demand to young stars following late win
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/celtic-boss-lays-down-gauntlet-and-issues-demand-to-young-stars-following-late-win-4815327
By Graham Falk
Sports Writer
Comments
Published 10th Oct 2024, 08:59 BST
A hat-trick from Luis Palma saw Celtic defeat Sligo Rovers 3-2 in last night’s mid-season friendly.
Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers laid down the gauntlet to his young stars following his side’s last-gasp 3-2 friendly win over Sligo Rovers last night.
Two late strikes saw Celtic rescue a win over the League of Ireland outfit, with Luis Palma the hat-trick hero thanks to goals in the ninth, 90th and 92nd minutes. Sligo had looked to pull off a surprise victory after strikes from Kailin Barlow (14) and Simon Power (17) put them into a first-half lead.
Rodgers fielded a number of fringe players for the game at the Showgrounds, with Luke McCowan, Alex Valle, Maik Nawrocki and Stephen Welsh all getting minutes in their legs, while a number of the clubs young stars were also offered opportunities to impress.
“It was a really good exercise for us,” said Rodgers following the win. “A lot of our senior players got 90 minutes in, which is good. The second-half was much better than the first, better tempo, better rhythm and speed in our game. We were very good in the second-half. It was excellent to come here. A great little test for us in how they played and how they worked. Overall, really pleased.”
Teenage duo Samuel Isiguzo and Sean McArdle caught the eye of the onlooking Celtic supporters, with the pair grabbing an assist each after being introduced to the game in the 61st minute. The Celtic head coach admitted he was impressed by some of what he saw from his young stars, but spelt out exactly what he needs to see from them if they are to progress to the first team in the months to come.
“Physicality,” explained Rodgers. “A lot of them need to improve on that aspect of the game. They have talent on the ball, but that is nowhere near enough, so that physicality will allow them to play at a higher tempo. But it is nice for them to feel that, get out there and play front of a crowd, play with that personality you need to play for Celtic. Some of them did really, really well.
“We’ve got some free days. A little bit of rest, but then planning ahead for a really exciting game. Looking forward to that. We will have a couple of days to recover. It has been a long period of games, seven games in 23 days, so a little bit of recovery time then we’ll get look forward to getting everyone back in for the Aberdeen game.”
Palma the hat-trick Bhoy in Sligo
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2024/october/09/palma-the-hat-trick-bhoy-in-sligo/
By Daylin Docherty
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09 Oct 2024, 9:27 pm
Friendly
Wednesday, October 9 2024
The Showgrounds, Sligo
SLIGO ROVERS…2
(Barlow 13, Power 17)
CELTIC…3
(Palma 9, 89 & 90)
It was an entertaining win for the Celts as Luis Palma grabbed at hat-trick at The Showgrounds in Sligo as Celtic reconnected with their Irish roots in a wonderful friendly against Sligo Rovers.
Brendan Rodgers’ team made the trip over to Sligo with a changed side hoping to get some minutes in the legs of youth players and those on the fringes of the first-team.
Celtic started brightly at The Showgrounds, with Palma making an early impression by capitalising on a defensive lapse from Sligo. Driving forward, the Honduran’s clever effort just missed the mark.
Palma’s persistence paid off in the ninth minute when he opened the scoring for the Hoops. Luke McCowan and Yang combined superbly on the right, and Yang’s low delivery evaded the defence, allowing Palma to slot home at the back post.
However, Sligo responded quickly and decisively. Kailin Barlow levelled the score in the 13th minute after latching on to a deflected pass. His curling effort was parried by Scott Bain but ultimately found its way into the net.
Just four minutes later, Sligo took the lead through Simon Power, who cut inside from the right and unleashed a powerful strike low to Bain’s right, sending the home support into raptures.
Celtic looked to regain control, but Sligo continued to pose problems. Bain was called into action several times, denying Power and Fitzgerald to keep the Hoops in the contest. Celtic’s best chance to equalise came in the 41st minute when Francis Turley’s deflected effort looped harmlessly into McGinty’s hands.
The Hoops came out firing in the second half and nearly equalised in the 49th minute. Good interplay between McCowan and Irishman Turley ended with a blocked shot, denying the Hoops an early breakthrough.
Palma, who had been dangerous all evening, almost found the top corner with a free-kick from 18 yards in the 52nd minute, but the ball crept just wide. Moments later, Lewis Dobbie had a golden opportunity to equalise from close range, but his header missed the target.
Wave after wave of Celtic attacks kept Sligo pinned back, with McCowan’s effort in the 75th minute cleared off the line by Charlie Wigan’s brilliant header. The chances kept coming, and the Hoops looked certain to equalise when Samuel Isiguzo nodded wide and Yang missed another clear opportunity soon after.
Celtic’s perseverance finally paid off in the 89th minute. Sean McArdle’s cross found Palma at the back post, and the Honduran calmly slotted it in for his second goal of the night.
Just two minutes later, Celtic completed the comeback. Isiguzo, who had been involved in much of Celtic’s attacking play, delivered a fantastic ball in and Palma finished at the back post to secure a dramatic 3-2 win for the Bhoys.
It was a spirited display from both sides, but Celtic’s late show ensured they left Sligo with a hard-earned victory.
Sligo Rovers: McGinty, Morahan, Denham, Wiggett, Hutchinson, Henry-Francis, Malley, Barlow, Fitzgerald, Pearce, Power.
Subs: Brush, Mooney, McElroy, Mahon, Radosaljevic, Malone, Muldoon, McDonagh, Reynolds.
Celtic: Bain, Agbaire (Bonetig 61), Welsh, Nawrocki, Valle (Robertson 45), McCowan, Turley, Bonnar (McArdle 61), Yang, Palma, Dobbie (Isiguzo 61).
Subs: Morrison, Rice, Robertson, Bonetig, McArdle, Dargie, Davidson, Cannon, Haddow, Isiguzo.