Parkhead was panic
A PR DISASTER Hibs grabbed draw against a weakened Celtic side
STEPHEN WELSH admits the Covid crisis caused panic at Parkhead as Celtic chiefs scrambled to find out who was being marched into isolation.
The defender was thrust in to the side for Monday night’s 1- 1 draw with Hibs after 13 of his team- mates were sent in to quarantine along with boss Neil Lennon in the wake of Christopher Jullien catching coronavirus on the disastrous Dubai trip.
Celts have been slaughtered for risking a jaunt to the Middle East amid the pandemic and paid the full price with a full team being flagged up by NHS contract tracers.
Coach Gavin Strachan took the makeshift side as they were caught out by a late Kevin Nisbet sucker punch by Hibs after David Turnbull looked to have earned the club some respite with a sensational late free- kick.
But the Hoops are still 21 points behind Rangers – with three games in hand – and the heads are still spinning following the Covid chaos.
Welsh said: “It all happened very quick.
“Everything was normal on Sunday but then we found out about the positive case and everything happened really quickly.
“Once you find out you’re playing, nothing else matters.
“Probably for everyone there was a bit of panic because anyone can get it these days.
“So, you’re just hoping you don’t get the phone call that tells you that you’re a positive.
“I was happy I wasn’t one of the guys involved so I could go and play. You never think it’s going to be you.
“So when it happens, it is a bit of a shock. When the team comes together you need to get on with it. I thought we did that pretty well.”
The stand- ins came close to a morale boosting win despite the likes of Odsonne Edouard, Ryan Christie,
Scott Brown, Leigh Griffiths and Kris Ajer all left in the house – along with Lennon and No. 2 John Kennedy.
But Welsh admitted it was a sore one conceding in stoppage time.
He said: “The boys who were out are the big players for the team. The team was thrown together within 24- 48 hours, so I think the spirit was really good.
“I thought we were good, but it’s always disappointing not winning, especially when you are 1- 0 up.
“We scored a late goal, an unbelievable free- kick. But we couldn’t hang on at the end.
“It was probably the experience of the younger boys coming on, me included, of trying to see out games and trying to win games.
“That’s what the club’s all about, winning games. So we’re really disappointed we didn’t win the game.”
Celtic are coming under heavy flak for the Dubai trip, with the likes of former Celt Andy Walker branding the jaunt a jolly and slamming the club as arrogant for going in the first place amid a surging pandemic.
It’s a tough one for youngster Welsh to take on but the 20- year- old defender did his best to toe the
Parkhead party line.
He said: “The Dubai trip was a hard- working trip, the training was excellent, four days of really tough training.
“The past two years it’s worked perfectly, we’ve kicked on from January the past few years.
“The training in Dubai, I thought, was excellent.
“We’ve come back and we’ve had all the bad news about Chris and everyone hopes he recovers well.
“We have our own bubble.
This is the first time since
June, July, when we started testing, that someone’s picked up a positive case within the club.”
For everyone there was a bit of panic and I was just glad I wasn’t one of guys who were affected..