BROWN IS THE GLUE AT CELTIC
Hibernian 0 Celtic 2
SCOTT BAIN says Scott Brown is the glue which has bonded Celtic through their turbulent week.
The Parkhead keeper and his team-mates have produced a magnificent response to Brendan Rodgers’ departure to give Neil Lennon two crucial wins to start his second spell in the hotseat.
Lennon faced two huge away matches against Hearts and Hibs in the Treble Treble bid having been plunged into the role and his troops have delivered in stunning style with back-to-back wins.
Bain (inset) says the professionalism and mentality within the camp as well as a familiarity with their new boss among some of the group has helped to ensure the transition has gone without disruption.
However, the Celtic stopper also revealed the leadership and continuity offered by his skipper has been key.
While changes have happened six times during his term in the dressing room, Brown has remained the constant through the past 11 years.
He capped a man of the match show at Easter Road with a brilliant goal as the holders moved into the last four.
Lennon described the captain and colleague James Forrest – who got the other goal – as club “greats” and Bain said: “They are important no matter the circumstances outside the changing room because in there they are fantastic boys. The club would be a different place without Broony. He does so much for the boys and keeps us together.
“He drives us through in training and demands the highest standards, so he is massive for the club regardless what has been going this week outside the changing room.
“I think you can see from the two results just how professional the boys are.
“We have just got on with our work and implemented the same things that we have done before.
“Player-wise nothing has really changed for us. We just wanted to go into the two big games and get the two wins and we’ve managed to do that.
“The gaffer has come in and basically continued the work we had been doing before.
“It was a successful blueprint and carrying that on has been working for us.”
Celtic go into tonight’s semi-final draw as the favourites to regain their trophy.
With an eight-point lead in the title race, Bain and his team-mates are in a brilliant position to collect their eighth successive championship.
But he said: “That Treble is something that you hear everyone else talking about but you never hear any of us talking about it.
“It is the old cliche of one game at a time and it has served them well in the past and we continue to go into each game like it is a cup final and we need to keep that mentality.”