Champion youth side make it eight-in-a-row

A second half goal from Callum McGregor gave Celtic's youth side a 1-0 win over Aberdeen today as Stevie Frail's side made it eight wins in a row going into Wednesday's SFA Youth Cup Final with Rangers at Hampden.

McGregor was one of five changes to the team with Richie Towell, James Forrest, James Keatings, Callum Bagshaw and Darren McCauley  rested ahead of the Hampden clash.

Into the side came Stephen O'Donnell replacing Towell at right back, McGregor, Filip Twardzik and Grant Gallagher formed a new look midfield with Michael Ordish playing wide in place of Forrest.

With the league secured after Rangers defeat to Dundee United yesterday and so many changes there was an understandable edge missing to the teams play but no one could deny that Celtic are worthy champions.

"I'm really pleased for everyone, to win a championship is fantastic," Tommy McIntyre, head of the Celtic Academy admitted.

"About eight or nine of the players have moved up to the development squad with the gaffer and Danny McGrain, they have been fantastic with us.

"Our players have worked with first team players and we see the difference when they come back to join us, their attitude has been great.

"We've been the best team in the league, we've been resilient, strong and shown a lot of character which is needed at a big club like Celtic.

"We had two turning points, winning away at Motherwell and also at Rangers.

"At Motherwell we had a lot of young players who came out with a win which wasn't pretty to watch.

"After that they responded well against Rangers, any Celtic-Rangers game will be hard- getting a win at Murray Park changed things.

"We've benefitted from having a fairly settled side especially at the back and have only lost two goals in our last eight games, that's a great record at any level.

"Everyone looks at success that comes with scoring goals and winning games but keeping clean sheets is just as important if you are to win things.

The first half was a bit of a non-event as far as Celtic were concerned despite the constant 'promptings' of Matty Hughes and Declan Gallagher at the back.

After the break Celtic noticably stepped up the pace with Greig Spence dropping deeper to link up with the midfield and Sean Fitzharris and Ordish pushing in more central to give more attacking options.

Midway through the second half Celtic took the lead with an impressive finish from 16-year-old McGregor.

Fitzharris created the opening cutting in from the right flank before laying the ball off to McGregor whose well drilled low shot across the Dons keeper found the net from 18 yards out.

"Callum has been doing exceptionally well at u-17 level," McIntyre added. "He still has to develop, he's still a young kid and a bit slight.

"He's a clever player, an intelligent player and that will stand him in good stead. He was in today on merit, he's scored an unbelievable number of goals and is one for the future.

"He's played with the 19s before because we believe in him."

CELTIC: Giordano; O'Donnell, Hughes, D Gallagher (Jones 74), Lowden; McGregor, G Gallagher (Bagshaw 76), F Twardzik; Ordish, Spence (Forrest 76), Fitzharris

SUBS: Kennedy, Towell,McCauley, Keatings.

Celtic youth side prepare for title clincher

Stevie Frail has invited the Celtic support into Lennoxtown tomorrow as the u-19 side look to clinch the SPL title.

A draw against Aberdeen tomorrow will be enough to give Celtic the championship but after seven straight wins the young hoops are looking to keep their momentum going ahead of Wednesday's SFA Youth Cup Final with Rangers on Wednesday.

The league could be clinched this afternoon if Rangers fail to win at Dundee United but regardless of that result Frail is looking for another winning performance from his side against Aberdeen.

He said: "We've had a great week in training and all of the players are looking forward to this match, Saturday can't come quickly enough for them.

"They've been sharp and lively and are confident with the run of wins that they've had.

"It would be great to see a few more supporters along to see what's coming through at the club.

"Supporters like to identify players that are coming through the ranks and this group are progressing well."

Over the season Celtic have lost just twice in the league and responded to their last defeat, 2-1 at home to Rangers, by embarking on their current seven match winning run.

Alongside that they have beaten Threave Rovers, Brora Rangers, Dundee United and Livingston to reach the final of the SFA Youth Cup.

The squad has been changed frequently throughout the season with competition for places in every area of the park.

As well as players brought through the ranks from the traditional scouting areas of Scotland and Ireland the side has been able to call upon Italian goalkeeper Daniele Giordano and midfielder Filip Twardzik from the Chech Republic.

Last Saturday Celtic beat Hibs 2-0 to inch closer to the title with James Forrest returning to the side alongside Darren McCauley.

Competition for places in midfield and in attack is especially fierce with a dozen or more players competing for six places.

Every manager likes to be confronted with options when he picks his side with Frail no exception.

He added: "There are loys of factors that come into picking the team, we look at the boys in training, consider our opponents and how we fared in the last match.

"Grant Gallagher missed out through injury last week and Darren McCauley stepped into midfield, up front it was good to have James Forrest back after more than a month being out injured.

"We've got strong competition for places and that's what every coach is looking for, they all want to play and there's a cup final coming up as well.

"No-one is looking too far ahead and all of our thoughts or on Aberdeen.

"They beat Rangers last week and will want to finish the season on a high.

"Players have got contracts to play for as well as their own pride, we had Aberdeen watched on Tuesday when they drew with St Mirren and we know that they will be tough opponents.

"We started the season well with a 2-0 win at Aberdeen and the same sort of result on Saturday would be great."

Youths on the brink of title success despite the lack of sporting integrity

With sporting integrity returning to the footballing agenda it's perhaps appropriate to highlight the obstacles that Celtic's u-19 side have overcome to take them to within touching distance of the championship.

A 22 game season could almost be described as a sprint rather than a marathon making a decent mix of home and away fixtures of extra significance.

While Celtic and ten of the other clubs have managed to achieve that Rangers have found themselves in a very strange run of fixtures.

Of the first sixteen games of the season Rangers played 11 of them at home giving them what would appear to be a significant advantage in the title race.

For whatever reasons a significant number of Rangers away matches during the course of the season were postponed leaving the Murray Park kids with six away games to complete their season.

Despite the advantage of such a favourable run of home fixtures Rangers currently find themselves trailing Celtic by nine points as they approach their final five matches, Celtic have three games remaining.

During the season Celtic had home games against Aberdeen and Hibs postponed due to weather conditions as were the games at Motherwell and Hearts. The first Celtic-Rangers fixture, scheduled for October was cancelled due to international commitments for both clubs.

Assuming that Rangers win all five of their remaining matches, Celtic require to take seven points from their last three matches to take the title with their recent 1-0 win away to Rangers the significant result of the season.

Should Rangers slip up in any of their remaining matches Celtic can clinch the title by winning their next two matches, at home to Hibs and Aberdeen.

It is very ironic to hear Martin Bain use the phrase sporting integrity in regards to fixtures, perhaps he's not aware of how his u-19 side are faring this season?

Every season you can anticipate the arguments and complaints that arise from the post-split fixtures.

The SPL- governed entirely by the member clubs- have a set of criteria to follow with the priority being to give as many clubs as possible 19 home and 19 away games.

Every season this has happened with Celtic and Rangers.

The added complications are caused by the SPL's desire not to have a Celtic-Rangers title decider/clincher and being unwilling to play the derby fixture on the weekend of the May bank holiday.

These requirements create the problems with the SPL arranging their fixtures in order to give Rangers the chance to win the title at home in the first post split fixture and to be formally presented with the trophy in the final match.

To allow for this Rangers will play three back-to-back away games, something that many clubs face during the course of a season.

If the championship 'race' had been tighter Rangers would have been given a better balance between home and away fixtures- this season's schedule is to ensure that the clinching of the title and trophy presentation gets maximum publicity with Rangers slotted in to play those games at Ibrox.

The phrase sporting integrity is one that first came to light two seasons ago when once again the SPL fixture list was being manipulated to suit Rangers needs.

Having taken the unusual step of agreeing to postpone a fixture at Gretna to help Rangers Champions League prospects- the SPL took the unprecedented step of extending the season to accommodate Rangers bid to win four trophies.

Celtic and other club's kept their unhappiness over this situation private but when a request for a further extension became an issue Peter Lawwell made Celtic's opposition public.

Whilst Rangers kept on playing matches when it suited them Celtic had to wait ten days between their final two fixtures before clinching the SPL title away to Dundee United- Rangers finished that season with three consecutive away fixtures- one of those against St Mirren had been held from October of the season with the Saints players counting down the minutes to their end of season sunshine jolly.

As his club prepares to win the SPL title perhaps Bain should think more about the facts and his own club's credibility rather than playing to the gallery as he attempts to sell season tickets against a very uncertain financial backdrop.

Now that sporting integrity is back on the agenda hopefully the SPL will keep a close eye on u-19 postponements to ensure that no club finds itself playing eleven of their first sixteen fixtures at home before ending the season with six consecutive away matches.

Next season's Champions League group stages will consist of six matches, three home and three away for each club, with the officials selected from outwith the nations of the competing clubs.

LATEST NEWS from The Evening Herald 
u-19 league table 
u-19 fixture list 

Talks underway to restore SPL Reserves

The SPL are taking a look at restoring the Reserve League or providing some sort of league to bridge the gap between u-19 and first team football.

At a get together for managers on Thursday the issue was raised as clubs discussed the best way to bring through and develop players from the youth ranks.

It really was shameful how the Reserve League was abondoned at the end of last season as club's took the short sighted view of saving cash with the demise of Setanta a convenient excuse.

Any club that can't field a team for 22 Reserve fixtures over the course of a ten month season really is kidding themselves on.

Youth players need to develop and whilst the Reserve League was far from ideal it was better than the current arrangement of very little.

Addressing the current void Hibs boss John Hughes said: "Any walk of life should have a four or five-year apprenticeship. I didn't turn pro until I was 23. If we don't have a reserve league we'll lose too many good players."

Celtic of course have set about creating and finding fixtures wherever they can with Drogheda Utd, Queen of the South and Kilmarnock all played within the last ten days and another match lined up against Shamrock Rovers on February 23.

Those type of fixtures could continue to be played alongside a revised Reserve League, while 22 games might be a stretch for some SPL clubs Celtic would probably prefer to play close to 40 games over the course of the season for their reserve/development squad.

Players need to be pushed and tested outwith their comfort zone, putting the best 17 and 18-year-old's into the reserve side benefits them more than playing at u-19 level.

After one season in the reserve side any player showing the potential to make it into the Celtic first team should be loaned out for a season to see how they shape up. This season's loan deals have brought mixed results but have confirmed that Simon Ferry is up to the rigours of regular football playing on average more than one game a week for Swindon Town.

Bringing back some sort of Reserve League also requires an overall look at the u-21 rule which requires all SPL teams to have three u-21 players in their 19 man squads.

Gordon Strachan and Tony Mowbray have both complained about the restrictions of that rule which sees young players sitting on the bench when they could be out on loan playing whilst others like Paddy McCourt can't get a place on the bench because younger players must be listed.

If a club has got five or more u-21 players out on loan they shouldn't be forced to list three u-21 players in their first team squads.

Clearly that club has a commitment to playing and developing their young players, forcing them to fill the bench does no-one any good.

Strangely enough in the opening seasons of the SPL there was no reserve league, an u-21 league allowing five overage players was in operation between the u-18 league and first teams, with the u-18 league now replaced by an u-19 league things could turn full circle with the Reserve League returning as an u-21 league allowing five overage players to be fielded!

University Challenge for u19s

Celtic's youth side travel to St Andrews University to face Dundee United with the game kicking off at 1pm.

Despite the postponement of last Saturday's game against Falkirk at Stirling University the young hoops are still out in front at the top of the league.

Dundee United are in third place, three points behind Celtic, with a game more played.

I'll get details on the match and post them later today, hopefully with the first team and 19s both sitting at the top of the league.

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