Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
HE’S EDDY & WILLING
Od and Welsh top Bhoys for Neil
ODSONNE EDOUARD has been accused of being disinterested and lazy this season.
So after scoring his eighth goal in nine games to see off Motherwell you have to ask where he and Celtic might have been if he had brought his A-game more often.
For a guy who has looked a shadow of his former self at times in a disastrous campaign for Neil Lennon’s men, he’s now the club’s top scorer again – with 17 goals for the season.
He was the difference yesterday against the Steelmen – his strike just after half-time effectively sealing the points for Hoops despite a late Well fightback.
Lennon must wish the Frenchman had turned up more regularly. If he had, they might not have lost their grip on the Premiership trophy so easily.
Stephen Welsh (right, with Edouard) opened the scoring with a header but despite Allan Campbell’s deflected goal to narrow the margins,
Well just couldn’t secure an equaliser.
Celtic gaffer
Lennon said: “I still think there’s more to come from Odsonne.
“He could have had a hat-trick out there. His finishing and work rate can be better but he looks in a better place than in the first half of the season – and he’s getting the goals his play deserves.”
Celtic opened the scoring after just a minute and 44 seconds. They got a corner through new boy Jonjoe Kenny and and it was whipped in by former Steelman David Turnbull.
Defender Bevis Mugabi lost Welsh at the set-piece after Celtic’s cluster split and the youngster took advantage of the space to power a bullet header beyond Liam Kelly for first goal for the club.
Welsh said: “It was a great moment for me and one I’ve been waiting for. It was a great ball from Davie. The goal gave me confidence early on.”
It took Motherwell 64 minutes to seriously test Scott Bain. Long produced a fantastic, defence-splitting pass for Cole to run on to but the striker was thwarted by the keeper’s legs – and Mugabi headed the resultant corner wide.
That gave Well a boost and, with a slice of luck, they got a goal and an unlikely lifeline.
Campbell collected a backheel from Stephen O’Donnell and dribbled to the edge of Celtic’s box. His shot took a wicked deflection off a defender and looped up in the air beyond Bain.