Trivia
- Summer friendlies starts, pre season 2021-22
- KO: 15:00; Wed game at Dragon Park ; Today’s game will take place at Celtic’s Newport training base (Wales)
- Ange Postecoglou appointed manager 10 Jun 2021
- New chief exec (Dom McKay) at the helm started 1 Jun 2021.
- Celtic managerial target Eddie Howe pulled out after long protracted talks for the managerial role. Caused backlash against board. Fergal Harkin decided to remain at Manchester City after discussions about a potential sporting director role.
- Match is played in three 30 minute periods!
- Liam Shaw debut playing v old club, (from Sheffield Wed, just signed)
- Debut for young Ewan Otoo, Owen Moffat (scored)
- Leigh Griffiths not in either Celtic side, he ended up in another social media storm, the allegations will be left off this site. He signed a contract extension last week.
- Euros underway, Scotland involved. Callum McGregor, Ryan Christie, James Forrest, David Turnbull, Greg Taylor and Jack Hendry named in the Scotland squad. No Griffiths. Final on Sunday coming, Italy v England at Wembley.
- Scottish Lowland Football league admit Sevco and Celtic ‘B’ teams into the league – for one year.
- Celtic women’s team: qualify for UWCL for first time. Congrats & good luck.
- Celtic draw FC Midtjylland in Champions League qualifiers
- Bertie Auld: Family announce that the Lisbon Lion legend has sadly been diagnosed with dementia.
- The away goals rule in European club football is to be abolished from the start of 2021/22 season, governing body Uefa has confirmed. The rule, used since 1965, decided drawn two-legged games by favouring the team that scored the most away goals. All ties level on aggregate at the end of the second leg will instead go to extra time and potentially penalties.
- Transfers
- Jack Hendry, Armstrong Okoflex gone.
- Osaze has signed for Celtic.
- Celtic youngster Tobi Oluwayemi has signed a two-year contract extension
- Signed youngster Joey Dawson from @SUFCOfficial on a 3year deal.The 18-year-old striker agreed terms with Celtic this week and will join the Reserves ahead of the Colts’ debut in the @OfficialSLFL for the 2021/22 season.
Covid
- Places opening up across the UK.
- England etc to open up fully Jul 19th.
Review
Pre season friendlies begin with Celtic back at square one after disastrous past season.
Game played in three 30 minute thirds. Debuts for various young players, including a scoring one for Moffat.
Good news is that despite a bad start (Sheffield Wednesday scored first via ex Sevco player Josh Windass after just 3 mins to rub it in), Celtic recovered to win comfortably 3-1 to give the new manager Ange a winning start.
Booster for a leaner looking Ajeti and the youngsters given their debuts.
Moffat. A wee, skilful, ginger winger? No precedent for a guy like that making it at Celtic but joking aside a good debut.
Questions about the absence of Dembele and Griffiths to be answered but shouldn’t overshadow this match.
@bhoysanalytics
Outside the first 5 minutes that’s an extremely positive game of football. Ange’s ideas from his previous jobs already clear to see. 2 goals from the high press creating transitions is great to seeAt last we have a clear plan on the pitch.
Teams
Celtic:
FIRST CELTIC XI- Barkas; Ralston, Welsh, Murray, Montgomery, Soro, Shaw, McInroy, Moffat, Henderson, Ajeti.
SECOND CELTIC XI- Bain; O’Connor, Murray, Hjelde, McPherson, Connell, Otoo, Robertson, Afolabi, Coffey, Edouard.
Goals: (Ajeti 31, Moffat 55, Edouard 89)
Assists:
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY: Wildsmith; Borner, Dunkley, Hutchinson, Palmer, Trialist, Bannan, Luongo, Green, Windass, Paterson
Subs: Dawson, Galvin, Brennan, Dawodu, Waldock, Hunt, Hagan, Dele-Bashiru, Adedoyin, Trialist
Goals: (Windass 3)
Assists:
Ref:
Att: none – covid
Pictures
Match Links
Articles
Celts kick off pre-season schedule with win against Sheffield Wednesday
By Joe Donnelly, Celtic View Reporter
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Pre-season friendly
Wednesday, July 7, 2021
Dragon Park, Newport
CELTIC… 3
(Ajeti 31, Moffat 55, Edouard 89)
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY… 1
(Windass 3)
Ange Postecoglou kicked off his time as Celtic manager with a pre-season friendly win against Sheffield Wednesday today (Wednesday). Josh Windass fired the Hillsborough side in front after just three minutes, before goals from Albian Ajeti, youngster Owen Moffat and Odsonne Edouard reversed the Hoops’ fortunes.
Given the occasion, the non-competitive match comprised three 30-minute periods which allowed Celtic to field two entirely different XIs over the course of 90 minutes.
Much of the play went in Wednesday’s favour during the first period as they pressed Celtic deep into their half from kick-off. Windass broke the deadlock after just three minutes when he burst into the box and fired past Vasilis Barkas to the left of goal.
Buoyed by their goal, Wednesday continued to contain the Hoops within their half. As the match approached the quarter-hour mark, however, Ewan Henderson carved his side’s first half-chance of the day when he won a free-kick on the inside left channel, which was eventually scrambled clear.
Wednesday’s next half chance of their own fell to Massimo Luongo one minute later, when he sliced a left-footed effort from range wide of the mark.
Over the 20-minute mark and the Hoops hit their stride with a spell of concerted possession. Chances were at a premium, but Owen Moffat tested the Owls’ keeper with a wicked long-range effort that was parried clear.
Straight after the first break, Albian Ajeti restored parity on the scoreboard when the Swiss forward – who donned the captain’s armband for the day – latched onto a superb Henderson through-ball to before unleashing a clinical finish to the left of goal.
From there, Celtic dominated possession, often building from the back as they sought to unpick an increasingly deep-lying Sheffield backline.
On 55 minutes, Owen Moffat put the Hoops in front when he pounced on a loose ball 18 yards from goal. Henderson did exceptionally well to force the move, before the 19-year-old let rip from range.
Substitute between the sticks Scott Bain was called into action on a handful of occasions during the final stretch of the match, as Ange Postecoglou’s men continued pressing to extend their lead.
It took a typically deft finish from Odsonne Edouard in the final minute of the match to do so, when he latched onto a through ball to the right of goal, before coolly slotting the ball across the keeper and into the net.
A routine win for the Hoops and, albeit a non-competitive pre-season friendly, a winning start for new Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou.
CELTIC FIRST XI: Barkas; Ralston, Welsh, Murray, Montgomery, Soro, Shaw, McInroy, Moffat, Henderson, Ajeti
CELTIC SECOND XI: Bain; O’Connor, Murray, Hjelde, McPherson, Connell, Otoo, Robertson, Afolabi, Coffey, Edouard
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY: Wildsmith; Borner, Dunkley, Hutchinson, Palmer, Trialist, Bannan, Luongo, Green, Windass, Paterson
Subs: Dawson, Galvin, Brennan, Dawodu, Waldock, Hunt, Hagan, Dele-Bashiru, Adedoyin, Trialist
Website Man of the Match: Owen Moffat
Ange Postecoglou praises his players’ work rate in Sheffield Wednesday win
By Joe Donnelly, Celtic View Reporter
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Ange Postecoglou was delighted with the effort and spirit his side showed to from behind to beat Sheffield Wednesday in today’s pre-season friendly in Wales.
The 3-1 win saw Albian Ajeti, 19-year-old Owen Moffat and Odsonne Edouard get their names on the scoresheet, and, following a thorough training session yesterday, the manager was pleased with his players’ response after losing an early goal.
“The boys worked hard, we didn’t have a great start to the game, we took a while to get into it but we had a solid session yesterday and they probably felt that a little bit,” Ange Postecoglou told Celtic TV after the game. “We grew into the game, and to their credit for the better part of the first half and then the second we played some decent stuff and scored a couple of good goals and finished strong.
‘You go a goal down, and we see a bit of spirit in the boys who weren’t prepared to accept that which is a positive sign.’
“We’ve been working hard at training and part of it that we want to play a certain tempo for the whole game, we don’t drop off. I thought in the second half we maintained that and we got our rewards – with Albian and Moff scoring a good goal.
“Aside from that, I thought it was good for the young guys. With the start we had, it’d have been easy for them to go into their shells and not be as positive, but they reacted really well and that’s a good sign.”
The manager added: “The strikers did a lot of work, not just scoring their goals but also off the ball as well. We need our strikers to work hard and I thought that Albi and Odsonne worked really hard with our press. I think for both of them, scoring goals, which gives them that confidence.
“We’ll see how everyone is for Saturday. The lads who played today are the ones who’ve been with us from the start. We’ve just got to make sure that we don’t throw guys in too early. But, looking at the international boys and some of the others, they’ve come back in in good condition. I think they’ll play a part at the weekend.
“There’s nothing wrong with winning, particularly in the manner in which we did because we didn’t start well, we didn’t play well. And then you go a goal down, and we see a bit of spirit in the boys who weren’t prepared to accept that which is a positive sign.”
Ajeti leads the way in Celtic’s first game under Ange Postecoglou
By Paul Cuddihy, Celtic View Editor
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Albian Ajeti scored Celtic’s opening goal in their 3-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in the team’s opening pre-season friendly in South Wales and, in the process, also became the answer to a quiz question – who scored the first goal of the Ange Postecoglou era at Celtic?
For any striker, scoring goals is the most important part of their job and Ajeti was pleased to get on the scoresheet, but the main benefit of the game for the players is in building up fitness ahead of the new season and the match against the English League One side certainly did just that.
The game was played in three 30-minute periods, and after conceding an early goal, Celtic scored twice in the second period through Ajeti and Owen Moffat before Odsonne Edouard completed the scoring late in the game.
Ajeti and his team-mates were pleased with the win, which was all the sweeter for the 24-year-old given that he was wearing the captain’s armband for the game.
“The most important thing was that we got the minutes in the legs,” he said, “and everybody has to get fit. Then we got the win, which is also important. We had no injuries, which is also good and it was a great test for us.
“Even a friendly is a game you want to win. This is, first of all, what the manager wants to put in our heads. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a friendly or league, Champions League, or a cup game, whatever it is – a game is a game – and we want to win it.
“And I think we showed that, even when we went a goal down, we showed good character and reaction, we came back and we deserved to win.
Odsonne Edouard completes the scoring to give the Hoops a 3-1 win.
Albian Ajeti leads Celtic out for the game against Sheffield Wednesday.
A few words from Celtic’s Swiss skipper in the pre-match Huddle.
Albian Ajeti scores Celtic’s opening goal.
Young Celt Owen Moffat scores to give the Hoops the lead.
Odsonne Edouard completes the scoring to give the Hoops a 3-1 win.
Albian Ajeti leads Celtic out for the game against Sheffield Wednesday.
“It’s the first game of a very long season ahead, it’s nice to score, I’m happy to score to help the team, and it was good for a young player like Owen Moffat to score – I’m happy for him.
“After a bit of a difficult start for us in the first 10 to 15 minutes, as soon as we got into the game, we took the upper hand and played better, we pressed well and we deserved the win.
‘It’s nice to score the first goal but, as I said, the most important thing is that, after going 1-0 down, we showed a reaction and I was happy to score and help the team.
Ajeti was delighted to lead the team out against Sheffield Wednesday and gather the players together for the pre-match Huddle but, like every other Celt who has led the Huddle, what was said remains a secret.
“The boys know me, I’m a very calm guy, and while I might have a few jokes in the dressing room, the game is different,” he said.
“I tried to motivate the team, try to lead the team. Obviously it was a great feeling and I don’t need to hide that – it’s great to have done that for a club like Celtic, but as long as I can play for this club, I’m happy.”
Ange Postecoglou delivers verdict on winning Celtic start as Edouard and Ajeti earn praise
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou praised the all-round contribution of strikers Albian Ajeti and Odsonne Edouard to his team’s 3-1 friendly win against Sheffield Wednesday on Wednesday afternoon.
By Stephen Halliday
Wednesday, 7th July 2021, 6:09 pm
Both Ajeti and Edouard were on target in Postecoglou’s first pre-season game at Dragon Park in Newport with teenage winger Owen Moffat also on the scoresheet.
As the countdown intensifies to Celtic’s first competitive fixture of the campaign, the first leg of their Champions League second qualifying round tie at home to Midtjylland on July 20, the Australian coach was pleased to see front men Ajeti and Edouard hit the ground running.
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“They did a lot of work off the ball as well, not just scoring their goals,” said Postecoglou. “We need our strikers to work hard and both Albi and Odsonne worked really hard with our press. They got their rewards. For both of them, scoring goals gives them that confidence.”
A largely youthful Celtic side recovered from an early deficit, former Rangers forward Josh Windass giving Wednesday the lead, to leave Postecoglou satisfied with the workout.
“We didn’t have a great start to the game and took a while to get into it,” he told Celtic TV.
“We had a solid training session on Tuesday and I felt the boys probably felt it a little bit. But we grew into the game and for the better part of the first half and particularly the second half, we played some decent stuff. We scored a couple of good goals and finished strong.
“Winning is never a bad thing, especially in the manner we did. Because we didn’t start well, we didn’t play well and went a goal down. It shows the spirit of the boys, they weren’t prepared to accept that.
“We have been working hard in training and part of it is that we want to make sure we continue to play at a certain tempo the whole game. We don’t drop off.
“I thought after the second period, we maintained that and got our rewards in the end. Aside from that, it was good to see the (reaction of) the young boys. After the start we had, it would have been easy for them to go into their shells and not be as positive. But they reacted really well, which is a good sign.”