Celtic trio in fitness race for cup final
● Midfielder hits double in Dingwall as visitors make it 10 wins in a row ● Rogic and Johnston also on target but no cameo goal for Griffiths
Neil Lennon admits he cannot ask for more from his players as they continued to make up for the absent Odsonne Edouard by scoring four goals to overcome Ross County 4-1.
But the Celtic manager stressed he is still desperate to have Edouard involved for Sunday’s Betfred Cup final against Rangers.
The striker is nursing an injury that has led to him missing his side’s last two games. Lennon revealed he is still sweating on the fitness of three players, including Edouard.
Mohamed Elyounoussi and Boli Bolingoli are also in a race to be fit for the Hampden clash, with the latter’s potential absence off set by Jonny Hayes’ likely availability at left-back. Greg Taylor, who played there yesterday as Celtic maintained their place at the top of the Premiership, is cup-tied.
Edouard is still trying to shake off what Lennon has described as “a niggle” and was left behind to train on his own as his team-mates made the trip to Dingwall.
Ryan Christie ensured his absence had little bearing on the result by scoring twice to take his tally to 15 goals for the season and in doing so supplanted Edouard as top goalscorer.
Lennon is still hopeful the French striker will be available this weekend even if he
misses Wednesday’s home league clash against Hamilton Accies.
“It’s just day by day,” said Lennon. “We’ll see how he is tomorrow. He’s been out running today and I think he’s come through that okay.
“Moy (Elyounoussi) should be training Wednesday or Thursday so he should have a good chance of making it. Boli we’re not sure on yet. He might be a doubt. Jonny Hayes should be fine. I’m hoping Odsonne will be okay as well.”
Lennon can only be heartened by Celtic’s continued threat in front of goal. After scoring three times against Rennes on Thursday, they overwhelmed Ross County 4-1 and could easily have won by a greater margin.
“We’re getting goals from everywhere really,” said Lennon. “With Odsonne being out other players are contributing massively towards the goal total and as a manager you can’t ask for more.”
Ross County co-manager Stuart Kettlewell, meanwhile, was disgusted by a late offside flag that denied his side a goal he claimed could be pivotal in their fight to avoid relegation.
Ross Stewart thought he had scored his second of the afternoon to make it 4-2 but was thwarted by referee Nick Walsh blowing his whistle for off-side before near-side assistant David Mcgeachie had raised his flag.
Walsh was reacting to Brian Graham straying into an offside position and impeding Christopher Jullien’s efforts to retrieve the situation as the ball came over.
“It’s a farce,” said Kettlewell. “It is wrong. I have never seen an occasion where an offside is given without the linesman raising his flag.
“Ross put it in the net, the referee blows his whistle and then a few seconds later the linesman puts up his flag!
That’s the wrong way round. The point I make is that it might come down to goal difference and fine margins like that for ourselves, you just never know.”
Back in his native Highlands, Ryan Christie scores twice in Celtic’s 4-1 win over Ross County
These are pivotal, potentially rewarding weeks for Celtic. Their fans belted out Christmas songs, some with unfamiliar lyrics, as they got into the festive spirit.
It might be premature, as may be the mockery directed at Steven Gerrard for, among other things, never having won a league title, but their team certainly show little sign of letting up.
This win in the Highlands was Celtic’s tenth in succession in all competitions since a meek 2-0 surrender to Livingston, one of the few occasions this season when they – and Ryan Christie – were off-key, with the midfielder sent off in the first half for a poor challenge on Scott Robinson.
The run started with a 6-0 win over Ross County in the next game – which Christie sat out due to suspension. It continued here with another emphatic win against the same opponents and with Christie very much to the fore against his old rivals from Inverness Caledonian Thistle days.
He doesn’t have to prove anything anywhere any more, certainly not here in the Highlands. Christie guided the champions through a tricky assignment on his home turf.
He certainly knows the way to goal. He has now scored 16 times this season, 15 of them for Celtic. If there was any disappointment for him personally yesterday it was failing to net a hat-trick having scored twice in the opening half. He did come close and his maiden Celtic treble probably won’t be long in coming.
He hit the junction of bar and post with a swerving free-kick in the opening minutes. He also had a hand in the third, flicking the ball into Tom Rogic’s path. The Australian duly swept home his second goal of the season.
Substitute Mikey Johnston scored the fourth within seconds of replacing Rogic. Celtic’s options are abundant even when they are missing their top scorer. Well, top scorer until yesterday that is. Christie has now displaced Odsonne Edouard in that regard and with Celtic in such freescoring form, the currently injured striker’s absence has not been as sorely felt as anticipated.
Lewis Morgan carried on from where he left off against Rennes in midweek. Deployed through the middle once more, he earned Celtic the penalty from which the visitors opened the scoring after just 11 minutes.
There was some initial confusion about why the kick had been awarded. There was a handball before Keith Watson clipped the heels of Morgan, with referee Nick Walsh viewing the latter as a penalty. Even when Christie messes up, he still profits.
The midfielder did not hit his effort far enough into the corner and Nathan Baxter blocked the ball to his right. The everalert Christie pounced on the rebound and with the goalkeeper stranded, made no mistake.
Celtic were given a jolt just 13 minutes later when Ross Stewart headed in an equaliser that seemed to catch everyone, including the home fans, by surprise. The hosts managed to stretch the visitors down the left and Jeremie Frimpong took extreme action by hauling down Stewart.
The tall striker made his way into the box while Frimpong was booked. Josh Mullin whipped a fine delivery from the set-piece into the middle, where Christopher Jullien seemed to misjudge his leap. Stewart took full advantage of the opportunity to glance the ball past Fraser Forster from the edge of the six-yard box.
Six minutes from half-time, Celtic restored their lead.
Christie’s perpetual motion saw him pitch up through the middle. Kristoffer Ajer played him in with a fine through ball that split the middle of the hosts’ defence. Christie did the rest, finishing tidily past Baxter.
Rogic made the points safe just over ten minutes later after Morgan drove into the box before cutting the ball back. Greg Taylor nudged it on to Christie, who pirouetted to set-up Rogic with a chance he was never going to squander.
Taylor was again involved force ltic’ s fourth. He released Johnston, who had just come on for Rogic, down the left. The substitute, clearly relishing this early chance to warm up, scampered into the box, darted between Richard Foster and Callum Morris, and fired into the far bottom corner past Baxter.
Another substitute could not make quite such an impact. His team-mates seem as desperate for Leigh Griffiths to score as he is himself, but the striker was left frustrated during
his 14 minutes on the pitch after replacing Morgan.
Indeed, Ross County felt they should have cut the deficit after Stewart struck what he fiercely believed was his second goal of the afternoon. It was not to be.
Referee Walsh did not wait for his near-side assistant’s flag and blew for offside against substitute Brian Graham, who he felt had impeded Jullien’s effort to retrieve the situation. The howls of frustration were still echoing as the stadium emptied and man of the moment Christie was being led off for another round of interviews.
ROSS COUNTY: Baxter, Watson, Morris, Fontaine, S Kelly, Mullin, Spence, Paton, Foster, Stewart, Erwin (Graham 64). Subs not used: Laidlaw, Fraser, Gardyne, Mckay, Spittal, Chalmers.
CELTIC: Forster, Frimpong, Jullien, Ajer, Taylor, Brown, Mcgregor (Bitton 81), Christie, Rogic (Johnston 72), Forrest, Morgan (Griffiths 76). Subs not used: Gordon, Sinclair, Bauer, Robertson.