James Forrest leapt off the bench to rifle Celtic into the Premier Sports Cup Final and keep Ange Postecoglou firmly on course for a first trophy at the club .
The attacker replaced Liel Abada at Hampden and bagged the decisive winner with a sharp finish just five minutes after his introduction.
Forrest was on hand to smash into the net beyond Zander Clark and push Postecoglou ’s men into the pre-Christmas showpiece on December 19.
It was a fully deserved win for the Aussie’s team. They controlled for long spells at the national stadium, even if they struggled to engineer a raft of openings.
However, Forrest was there when it counted to deliver for his team and book a date against Rangers or Hibs next month.
It was agony for Callum Davidson ’s men. They were proud holders of the trophy and gave a spirited defence of the silverware.
But it wasn’t enough as Celtic progressed having been on the front foot for most of the clash.
David Turnbull missed a great early chance from a Jota cutback and the Portuguese almost created a goal with a rabona as Postecoglou’s side were quickly into their passing stride.
However, there was a big scare when Joe Hart was sloppy at a Stephen Welsh pass-back. Michael O’Halloran closed the Englishman down and his block tackle rebounded a foot wide of a post.
Craig Bryson also had a couple of ambitious long-range drives as Saints grew into the game and it was level going into the second period after the midfielder made a brilliant block to deflect away an Abada and Jamie McCart did the same with Callum McGregor just before the turnaround.
Saints suffered a huge setback just after the break when David Wotherspoon limped off with a knee problem and Postecoglou had his head in his hands when referee Nick Walsh booked Furuhashi after a confrontation with Bryson which also saw him and McCart, who had tripped the Asian initially, also getting a yellow.
Celtic kept pressing and probing and, after Cameron Carter-Vickers was denied a tap-in from a Furuhashi knockdown, Forrest struck.
Clark’s hashed clearance set the situation in motion as Jota outgunned Shaun Rooney to escape and race into the box to cross.
McCart managed to block the delivery, but the loose ball dropped invitingly into free space and the sub was onto it instantly to rifle a half volley into the net.
Welsh had to go off after he was caught by a swinging arm from Rooney which Walsh deemed only to be a booking to the anger of the Celtic fans, but Celtic saw it through with Bitton in the backline.
Talking points
Forrest lights the fire
Forrest has been a huge miss for Celtic for a large chunk of the past year and, when he’s on form, his influence within the squad is immense. The Scotland winger has not been brought straight back into the starting line-up with Postecoglou biding his time and giving the nod to Liel Abada. Celtic fans wanted Forrest on the pitch earlier at Hampden as the 20-year-old struggled and the sub scored with virtually his first touch. He’s going to be a huge player for Postecoglou.
Old heads do a good job
Craig Bryson and Murray Davidson did an admirable job as they choked the spaces just off the Celtic front line where Turnbull likes to do damage. With a combined age of 68, the pair filled gaps and plugged leaks in front of their back three making it difficult for Postecoglou’s team to transform their domination of possession into clear-cut chances. In the end, they couldn’t hold out with Zander Clark’s miscued clearance coming back to haunt him, but it was some effort.
Saint scrappers
Davidson went into the game with attacking options limited due to the absence of Stevie May and Glenn Middleton and their cause was damaged yet further just moments into the second period when David Wotherspoon had to go off. Despite the absences, the Cup holders battled and fought to hang onto their trophy and it’s been some spell and period to be a Perth supporter.
A bit of Bitton
The Israeli has a lot of responsibility within the Celtic team and, although he doesn’t have the same mobility and speed of pass in the anchor role as McGregor, he does have other attributes. Bitton was booked for clattering Kane and wasn’t shy to get involved in the rough and tumble in the engine room. When Welsh was wiped out and his game ended, the value of the Israeli was again shown as he was able to drop into the centre back area and cover alongside Carter-Vickers. Bitton is a crucial squad member with his ability to play more than one position.
A fitting tribute
Celtic fans gave a display prior to the match for the late Bertie Auld and the team wore his No.10 on their shorts. The roars and singing and applause for the Parkhead legend was fitting and so was the outstanding banner which was unveiled behind the goal in the 67th minute to celebrate him again. The performance was not to the heights where Celtic would have wanted in the game, but they got the job done and that was all that mattered in the final analysis. It was a win they deserved and they are just 90 minutes from the season’s first domestic silverware.
