TALKING CELTIC
AS THEY narrow in on the home stretch, Celtic have broken into their final sprint. One game away from becoming invincibles – Hearts won’t fancy their chances on this evidence on Sunday – and a Cup Final away from only the fourth Treble in their history, Celtic are doing anything but flagging.
As the rewards for a season of incessant endeavour dangle before them, Brendan Rodgers’s side have the look of a team who believe.
This is not a team edgy at the chance to make history, but rather a single-minded and resolute one whose hunger to succeed looks insatiable.
They put five past a Partick Thistle team that looked as though one might want to remove them of their shoelaces at the interval such was the dominance of Celtic, who moved within one goal of levelling the Premiership record of 105 league goals in a single season.
Rodgers rang the changes for the trip to Firhill – five new faces came in from the team who won at Pittodrie last Friday night – but there is a feeling at Celtic at the minute that whatever reinforcements are brought in, it simply has the effect of reaching for the chainsaw to cut through the chopsticks.
Such is Celtic’s swagger at the minute, their dominance and the zeal with which they stick to their task, they can go without the influence of key players without breaking stride.
The records have melted this season the longer Celtic have gone through this campaign.
The Parkhead side levelled the 103 points records last night, a tally set by Martin O’Neill’s Celtic in 2001-02, and while few would quibble that the standard a generation ago was superior to what the Parkhead side are facing now, there will be few who will grumble at the swashbuckling football on offer from Rodgers’ side.
They needed just ten minutes to bore their way into this encounter; by the time the interval came around Celtic has knocked the stuffing out of their hosts with a performance in keeping with the ruthless tone that has been the hallmark of this season.
Leigh Griffiths began it all with the opening goal from the spot after Patrick Roberts had been tripped by Callum Booth.
The Jags defender made no appeal as the whistle blew for the award, instead covering his head with his shirt, sensing perhaps that the roof was about to come in.
GRIFFITHS netted Celtic’s 100th league goal of the season, but there was more to come from the Parkhead side. Before the game had reached the 20-minute mark the game was beyond the Jags.
It was Tom Rogic this time who plundered the backline, but it was Griffiths who deserved special mention for his footwork in the build-up to the goal as he twisted this way