BRIGHT SPARK
Lennon delight as Edouard rediscovers his form and Celtic show further signs of recovery in quest for 10 in a row
THE act of marking time continues. Marking time until that potential date with destiny at Ibrox next Saturday lunchtime.
For all the hard work and patience involved in overcoming atrocious conditions and a strong display from Hamilton goalkeeper Kyle Gourlay, particularly in the first half, that is all this can really be regarded as. No matter how good the enigmatic Odsonne Edouard looked for long stages.
Whatever the weather, Celtic have to see off the likes of Accies when there is a title challenge hanging by a thread. Particularly an Accies squad torn to shreds by various afflictions pre-match. And they did that with relative comfort thanks to an Edouard penalty five minutes into the second half and further efforts from Leigh Griffiths and David Turnbull.
They will also have to do it again when Dundee United, another workmanlike and unspectacular Premiership outfit, pay a visit on Wednesday afternoon.
That’s not to say there weren’t real positives for manager Neil Lennon to hang onto from yesterday’s venture into Lanarkshire. The display of Edouard, in particular, was a real bonus — and a beacon of hope — ahead of hostilities with Rangers in six days’ time.
Edouard has looked out of sorts for much of this term, but not yesterday. This was the guy we know. The guy who beats players like the ball is stuck to his feet, the guy whose physique and vision can make things happen for others and the guy who can be banked upon to get goals when they are really, really needed.
Lennon made a very particular point of praising his work from the sidelines throughout this game.
And there was much to be happy with. He had one brilliant, surging run in the first half when he beat four players before shooting over. Likewise, after the break, there was one excellent breaking burst which resulted in a sliderule ball that left Turnbull, who went on to hit the side netting, clean through.
That was just the start of it, of course. His penalty to turn Celtic’s dominance into something tangible was crisp and deadly, his set-up for Griffiths’ goal just sublime and his header prior to Turnbull’s worthy of making the scoresheet.
Whether everything really is sound with Edouard remains a matter of some conjecture. Largely undemonstrative and difficult to read, his game has been the only way to judge his mindset. And it has, undoubtedly, been lacklustre.
Celtic will certainly need him in this kind of form at Ibrox because they will face an opposition side that asks much more than Accies did.
Listen, they made a game of it for the best part of an hour, at least. They got the ball upfield at times thanks to going with two up top, forced a handful of corners and saw Andrew Winter send a drive from distance flashing just wide of Conor Hazard’s left-hand post after slackness from Ismaila Soro.
They were never going to win, though. That manager Brian Rice was able to cobble a team together at all should be regarded as something of an achievement.
He had eight recognised first-team players missing along with a couple of other squad members as a result of Covid-19 and assorted injuries.
One of those out was goalkeeper Ryan Fulton, taken off with a groin injury in defeat to Livingston, but his replacement Gourlay gave a quick taste of what was to come by keeping the scoreline goalless in the opening minutes.
Griffiths played a clever one-two with strike partner Edouard and muscled in ahead of his man to produce a composed effort. However, Gourlay narrowed the angle well and saved low to his right with some aplomb.
Playing with Turnbull at the head of a four-man diamond in midfield, Celtic looked really sharp and purposeful in the early stages and came close again on nine minutes when a shot from the edge of the area by Ryan Christie took a deflection off Jamie Hamilton and looped onto the roof of the net.
From Christie’s corner, Nir Bitton, at centre-back alongside Kristoffer Ajer, got his head to the ball in a clear position, but he failed to get the required direction on his effort and it slid wide. Already locked into a rearguard action, Accies were a little fortunate to get away with it in the 19th minute when a sweeping move left them exposed again. Christie sprayed the ball out right to Jeremie Frimpong and, moving forward at some speed, he delivered a good, deep cross to pick out the onrushing Griffiths. The centre-forward’s header had plenty of meat behind it, but ricocheted off the base of the near post and was cleared.
Gourlay then had to look sharp to tip a stinging drive from Griffiths over the bar after Frimpong had fed him again, with the Celtic man only just foiled on the half-hour mark by a superb saving tackle from Brian Easton after Greg Taylor had provided a dangerous delivery from the left.
Edouard was denied by an excellent low save from Gourlay in time added-on at the end of the first half when getting the slightest touch to a low Turnbull effort and seeing it smothered at close-range.
However, the Frenchman would finally break the deadlock five minutes after the interval. A ball into the area from Frimpong caused consternation with Aaron Martin adjudged to have fouled Edouard after he had dinked it past the keeper and watched it cleared off the line.
Accies players remonstrated with referee Don Robertson. Edouard stood calmly, stone-faced, as their complaints fizzled out — and then confidently buried the ball to Gourlay’s left.
The former Paris Saint-Germain player then produced some real brilliance five minutes later to help Griffiths end it. Frimpong played a ball to his feet on the edge of the area from the right and he took a touch and gave the Hamilton rearguard ‘the eyes’ — before backheeling it into Griffiths’ path.
His low drive went straight through Gourlay and into the net, but it was Edouard who Lennon hollered towards from the touchline to express his delight at an exquisite role in a well-worked goal.
He was central to the third goal, too.
Callum McGregor put a cross in from the left,
Edouard’s downward header came off the inside of the post and Turnbull was on hand with a first-time finish.
Even with the points secured and a game to come in between, that journey across town to Ibrox still looms over Celtic. It feels a little less imposing, though, when Edouard is showing signs he has rediscovered his mojo.
This certainly has the potential to be a turning point in his season, but it depends on him delivering again in the upcoming days and helping keep the dream of 10 in a row alive.
HAMILTON (3-5-2): Gourlay; Hodson, Hamilton, Martin; Easton, McMann, Trafford, Odoffin, Stirling (Mimnaugh 82); Winter (Owolabi 69), Moyo (Munro 90).
Subs (not used): Scully, Hughes, Stanger, Johnson. Booked: McMann.
CELTIC (4-4-2): Hazard; Frimpong, Bitton, Ajer, Taylor; Soro, Christie (Elyounoussi 83), McGregor, Turnbull (Johnston 78); Griffiths (Ajeti 72), Edouard (Klimala 77). Subs (not used): Barkas, Duffy, Brown, Rogic, Laxalt. Booked: Bitton. Referee: Don Robertson.