Ralston to the rescue

Postecoglou proud of comeback in Highlands

ANGE Postecoglou last night hailed his Celtic players’ fighting spirit following a last-gasp win over Ross County that kept them four points behind Rangers in the cinch Premiership table.

An Anthony Ralston goal in the sixth minute of injury-time in the Global Energy Stadium kept ensured the Parkhead club triumphed 2-1 and avoided a slip-up in the Scottish title race.

Postecoglou, who was missing several key players in Dingwall and was forced to field winger Liel Abada up front as a striker, was pleased that his charges kept battling to the death and picked up three points.

He said: “It was an exciting finish. I was really pleased for the lads after putting in an enormous shift with 10 men at the end. We found a way to get a winner and I think just rewards for their efforts.

“I don’t think we were settling for anything. At the end we were trying to win the game which shows the spirit of the lads that with 10 men they were not going to settle for one point. That’s not what we’re about, they wanted to win that game and they did it.”

Celtic’s fightback was hampered when centre-half Carl Starfelt was sent off for a second bookable offence with 11 minutes remaining.

But Postecoglou was pleased that Callum McGregor and his teammates, who had taken the lead through Abada in the first-half only to concede a second-half Jack Baldwin goal, didn’t let the setback affect them.

“I think a few of the decisions went against us tonight, but I’m not going to complain about it,” he said. “We’re just trying to win games of football and that’s what I keep telling the lads.

“We just keep doing our thing and winning games of football.”