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Trivia
- Celtic fielded three trialists during the match – Stipe Pletikosa, Katlego Mphela & Milos Lacny
- Adam Matthews & Victor Wanyama made their first appearances at Celtic Park
- Ex-Celt Mick McCarthy returns to Celtic Park as Wolves manager
- Minute silence held for victims of a massacre in Norway. (RIP)
Review
An unfamiliar looking Celtic team, which started with two trialists in the ranks, lost 2 – 0 to a well hit free-kick from Jamie O'Hara in the first half and an own goal from young Filip Twardzik.
Teams
CELTIC (4-4-2)
Pletikosa; Matthews, Majstorovic, Wanyama, Mulgrew; Cha (Twardzik 68) Brown, Maloney (Commons 62) Forrest; Mphela (Lacny 45) Murphy (Samaras 75)
Not Used: Cervi
WOLVES (4-4-2)
Hennessey; Stearman, Berra (Zubar) Johnson, Elokobi; Kightly (Foyle 76) Henry, O'Hara, Hunt (Hamill 62); Fletcher (Ward 62) Doyle (80)
Not Used: Davis , Ikeme, Craddock
Referee: Allan Muir
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- Match Report (see end of page below)
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Celtic beaten by Wolves in friendly
By: Mark Henderson on 27 Jul, 2011 21:55 Friendly fixture
Celtic Park, Glasgow
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
CELTIC…0
WOLVES…2
O’Hara 26, Twardzik o.g. 73
CELTIC were defeated by Wolves in an entertaining friendly encounter in Paradise. Jamie O’Hara put the visitors ahead from a 20-yard free-kick after Stephen Hunt had been fouled by Victor Wanyama.
Czech youngster, Filip Twardzik, doubled their advantage when he turned Stephen Ward’s low cross into his own net.
Neil Lennon had made wholesale changes from the team which won so comfortably against Hibernian in Sunday’s SPL opener, using the match as a valuable fitness exercise.
New Bhoys Adam Matthews and Victor Wanyama both made their home debuts, while trialists Stipe Pletikosa and Katlego Mphela also featured in an unfamilar line-up.
In stark contrast, Mick McCarthy had selected a strong side and it was the visitors who enjoyed the best of the opening minutes, with Kevin Doyle and Steven Fletcher trying their luck from distance without troubling Pletikosa.
However, the Hoops soon began to make an impression against their Premier League opponents, forcing a succession of corners and looking to test Wayne Hennessey in the Wolves goal at every opportunity.
That was most visibly demonstrated by a venomous drive from 25 yards from Matthews which Hennessey struggled to keep out. An enthusiastic Wanyama also tried his luck, firing over from 20 yards.
Another defenderwho was presented with the next best opportunity, Charlie Mulgrew heading Shaun Maloney’s corner wide when well-positioned.
Yet just as Celtic were enjoying their best spell of the match, the visitors took the lead. A foul was awarded against Wanyama for a foul on Stephen Hunt. Dead-ball expert, O’Hara took responsibility and curled a shot over the wall into the top corner.
Despite the blow, Celtic were soon back on the offensive. A foraging run down the right from Wanyama drew a foul from George Elokobi. From Mulgrew’s accurate free-kick, Mphela’s header forced Hennessey into a smart reaction save.
Maloney was becoming increasingly influential. First he burst into the area but his low cross-shot was easily held by Hennessey, before his low cross narrowly evaded James Forrest.
It was the visitors who had the first attempt after the restart as Hunt tried to catch Pletikosa out from 18 yards but his drip drifted wide.
At the break, Mphela was replaced by Lacny and he didn’t have long to wait for his first involvement. Mulgrew’s powerful free-kick was parried by Hennessey straight to the Slovakian, but he had little time to react and the ball rebounded harmlessly back to the Wolves keeper.
That free-kick had been won by Forrest after a jinking run through the heart of the Wolves side and he continued to be a real thorn in the visitors defence all evening.
Predictably, both sides began to make several substitutions, causing play to become more disjointed. However, former Birmingham defender, Roger Johnson nearly scored in unusual fashion with a looping volley after Cha had blocked a free-kick.
Shortly after, Daryl Murphy had plenty of space on the left but his low cross lacked the power for Lacny to take advantage and Hennessey was able to smother the ball.
Twardzik, who had replaced Cha, linked up brilliantly with Kris Commons down the left, allowing the latter to test Hennessey with a low effort.
However, the Czech teenager was left holding his head in his hands just minutes later at the other end when he turned Ward’s cross into his own net.
Only an excellent stop from Pletikosa prevented from the Premier League side adding to their tally as he rushed out quickly to block Doyle’s goalbound shot, after the Irish striker had beaten the Celtic offside trap.
Celtic continued to search for a way back into the match in the closing minutes. And Forrest did carve out a decent opening for Georgios Samaras but the Greek striker swept his shot over.
CELTIC (4-4-2) Pletikosa; Matthews, Majstorovic, Wanyama, Mulgrew; Cha (Twardzik 68) Brown, Maloney (Commons 62) Forrest; Mphela (Lacny 45) Murphy (Samaras 75)
Not Used: Cervi
WOLVES (4-4-2) Hennessey; Stearman, Berra (Zubar) Johnson, Elokobi; Kightly (Foyle 76) Henry, O'Hara, Hunt (Hamill 62); Fletcher (Ward 62) Doyle (80)
Not Used: Davis , Ikeme, Craddock
Website Man of the Match:Charlie Mulgrew
Celtic 0 – 2 Wolves: Pletikosa has night of trial and error as Celtic crash
After a tame encounter that produced a slightly flattering outcome for Wolves, Lennon is likely to look for more stirring evidence about the worth of keeper Stipe Pletikosa, and strikers Katelego Mphela and Milos Lacny before contemplating deals for the trio trying to play their way to them against Wolves.
Not one of the Celtic starting XI for the opening weekend SPL win at Easter Road was retained in the team that started last night.
With the two games in the Dublin Super Cup this weekend, Lennon has no need to flog any player. Indeed, only the currently-suspended Scott Brown of those on the park for the kick-off could be regarded as a first choice.
With such an unfamiliar line-up there was no little intrigue about the performances of a Celtic team that could still boast 10 full internationalists. And covered eight different countries. Charlie Mulgrew was the only man to feel left out in the senior cap department.
In particular, Pletikosa and Mphela might have felt they had their work cut out as they went on trial as part of a somewhat thrown-together starting XI. Ranged against a full-strength Wolves side in which Scots Steven Fletcher and Christophe Berra featured, there was reason to fear it was asking a lot of a thrown-together home team to make a game of it.
Of course, with the likes of Brown, Shaun Maloney, Daniel Majstorovic and Mulgrew given work-outs there was plenty of Celtic game time in the ranks of Neil Lennon's selection.
However, with summer signings Victor Wanyama and Adam Matthews also making their first appearance in front of their club's supporters, there was a lot of quick learning required to give Pletikosa and Mphela platforms to show their worth.
The Croatian keeper didn't help his cause as Wolves earned the lead approaching the half hour.
A free-kick in a central position just outside of the box was floated into a rather sizeable unguarded area that Pletikosa had left to the right of him.
As a first real impression – he had absolutely nothing to do in Celtic's win in Cardiff last week – it was the sort to make the player want the ground to swallow him up.
Although his previous pedigree is not to be doubted with more than 80 caps to his name, whether he remains at Celtic depends how he handles this week. In fairness to him, he blocked sharply at the feet of the excellent Kevin Doyle late on to partly redeem himself after his earlier aberration.
The visitors, two weeks behind Celtic in their pre-season preparations, caused few worries for him otherwise. Fletcher and Doyle carried menace and certainly worked over former Wolves man Mulgrew and Majstorovic physically, though. Indeed, the way the 24-year-old former Hibs striker seemed to bully the Swede on occasion made you pine all the more for him to bury his differences with Craig Levein and return to the Scotland fold.
At the other end, there were moments from Mphela. He certainly has pedigree with 40 caps for South Africa and a pretty decent World Cup and he almost had his first, and possibly only, Celtic goal when he produced a powerful header that was tipped over by Wayne Hennessey as half-time approached.
It was to be his last notable contribution with Lacny replacing him at the interval.
His impact was almost instantaneous after Hennessey failed to hold a ferocious free-kick from Mulgrew and it hit off his chest and straight into the path of the Slovakian.
Unfortunately, it then bounced again, straight off the striker's toe and back into the arms of the relieved Wolves keeper. It was to be the first of many openings as Celtic took charge.
It was cruel on the home side and young Filip Twardzik that the night ended with Wolves coasting to victory.
He was only on the field three minutes when he slid in to meet a Stephen Ward cross and only succeeded in bundling it over his own line. No blame could be apportioned to Pletikosa for that one, at least.
Celtic: Pletikosa; Cha (Twardzik 69), Majstorovic, Mulgrew, Matthews; Brown (Towell 85), Wanyama; Forrest, Mphela, Maloney (Commons 63); Murphy (Samaras 75).
Wolves: Hennessey; Stearman, Johnson, Berra, Elokobi; Kightly (Foley77), Henry (Davis 90), O'Hara (Milijas 85), Hunt (Hammill 62); Fletcher(Ward 62), Doyle (Keogh 81).