County boss delighted at historic win

STUART Kettlewell travelled to Celtic Park as a manager under pressure. And left Glasgow after a stunning win to a backdrop of car park protests against opposite number Neil Lennon. Without a win in their last seven league games, the Staggies bounced back to secure their first-ever win at Celtic Park and seal a place in the last eight of the Betfred Cup. Praising his team for an outstanding display capped by a first-half penalty goal for striker Ross Stewart and a late second for defender Alex Iacovitti, Kettlewell expressed sympathy for the plight of his opposite number after protesting fans gathered on Celtic Way. ‘Neil Lennon is a guy I have a huge amount of respect for,’ said Ketlewell. ‘You speak about conducting yourself with class, and about how people treat you as a manager. ‘I know from the dealings I’ve had with Neil he has been nothing but class. I think he has done a brilliant job with this club and if I am under pressure with bad results then that is magnified at a club like Celtic. ‘I’ve had to listen to it all myself this week. It’s part and parcel of the game. I know there will be mass hysteria now in terms of the result and the shock waves it will send around the country — but I need to focus on my players. ‘We had a game plan and executed it very, very well and got a brilliant result at the end.’ Star man in a team with no failures, Stewart set the ball rolling when he won a penalty six minutes before half-time and netted the kick himself. County were the last team to beat Celtic in the League Cup, in 2016, and sensed they were there for the taking yesterday after just two wins in their last nine games. ‘Did we feel Celtic were vulnerable?’ asked Stewart. ‘I think so. The longer the game went, we got more belief. ‘The first goal came at a great time and the second half was all about trying to maintain our lead. I also thought we deserved our second.’