Paddy McCourt moves up a level

The mystery of Paddy McCourt was opened up to a wider audience last night as the former Derry City man scored his first top-team goal for Celtic.

Fittingly it was his signature goal, drifting clear of chasing defenders then finishing the run with a simple flick of his foot to loft the ball out of reach of the despairing goalkeeper.

BBC highlights from Falkirk

That type of goal was a regular feature in Celtic TV's goal of the month as McCourt lit up reserve fixtures with his special gift.

A search around YouTube will bring to life a number of memorable solo efforts.

Fleeting first team appearances have helped add to the 'legend' of McCourt as he hugs the ball finding time in the game whilst others around him run faster and faster.

IDENTICAL

Gordon Strachan and Tony Mowbray have made almost identical comments about McCourt, the ability is not in question but there have been plenty of comments questioning his fitness, discipline and ability to become a 'team-man'.

After his goal at Falkirk Tony Mowbray said: "We know what Pat can do, at Wembley against Spurs he did something very similar but missed the target. Tonight he scored and he's more than capable of doing things like that, we see it every day in training.

"If football was only about your dribbling ability Pat would play every week, only probably McGeady can dribble like McCourt.

"There's more to the game than just dribbling and doing wonderful things. Pat has got plenty of things that he needs to add to his game to be a regular in the side."

NAKAMURA

It's probably too far fetched to compare McCourt with the departed Shunsuke Nakamura but the departed Japanese star hardly had the complete game.

The qualities that Mowbray would like to add to McCourt's game are similar to those demanded of Nakamura who enjoyed great success without having a turn of pace or being particularly industrious.

What Nakamura did have was time. Time on the ball, time to pass, time to hold onto the ball and vision to see passes beyond the capabilities of most.

There's no doubt that Nakamura was a luxury player. At Celtic, for four years, a team was fitted around him to give him scope to exercise his talents and influence games knowing full well that tracking back and work rate would never be part of Naka's game.

With transfer funds getting tighter and tighter Mowbray has to get the maximum from his squad, if McCourt can have anything like the influence on Celtic that Nakamura had then everyone will be happy.

PREMIERSHIP

McCourt isn't a stranger to Mowbray, with West Brom promoted to the Premiership he attempted to take McCourt from Derry to the Hawthorns.

If the then West Brom boss felt that McCourt could play in the Premiership then he can surely accommodate him in a Celtic side likely to dominate most of their domestic matches.

Mowbray added: "I tried to buy him for West Brom, Celtic jumped in at the last minute and prised him away from us.

"He has to work on the other side of the game when we don't have possession. He has to work hard on his fitness levels, concentration, discipline but when he has the ball you wait for him to do something brilliant."

AGATHE

Tracking back has never really been McCourt's thing but an element of that has been added to his game. Didier Agathe adapted his game similarly to such an extent that he was re-invented as a right back rather than a right winger.

Without the burst of pace that is normally expected of wingers McCourt has been tried in a more central role on a few occasions by Mowbray as he attempts to match the teams requirements to the special skills of the 25-year-old.

At Celtic no allowances are given, the demands are constant with no margin for error. A fixture list that includes Rapid Vienna and Rangers over the next ten days won't cut any slack.

McCourt is now at the stage where it's now or never for his Celtic career, if he continues to make an impact over the next fortnight some exciting times lie ahead, in front of audiences much larger than the diehards that followed last seasons reserve team adventures.

STATS STATS STATS STATS STATS STATS STATS

Without getting as stat obsessed as the BBC's Paul Mitchell, the Celtic team that beat Falkirk last night contained five former Dundee United players.

I've got better things to do with my time than trawl through Rothman Yearbooks or anything else but I'd be amazed if Celtic have ever fielded a team containing so many players brought from the same club.

Celtic team at Falkirk: Zaluska; Caddis, Caldwell, McManus, Wilson; Flood, Crosas, Robson, McCourt; McDonald, Killen.

Rapid red herring

Falkirk 0-4 Celtic match report