Brendan Rodgers admitted beforehand it felt like a crime he couldn’t give some of his fringe men more first team game time.
The Celtic boss needed Luis Palma to get his side out of jail as the Hoops nicked a 3-2 win against Sligo Rovers when it looked like the Irish outfit were going to them red-faced. Rodgers’ men got a result in the end but he might not feel quite so guilty as several his back up brigade don’t look like threatening to break into the first team any time. Palma gave it a go and has a better chance than most as Celts got off to a flier.
But a couple of shockers from Scott Bain turned the friendly clash on its head and it could have been worse for slack Celts in an alarming opening period. Rodgers gave run outs to the likes of Maik Nawrocki and some of the club’s kids, while Alex Valle got another 45 minutes under his belt and Luke McCowan put in a shift trying to help out the youngsters alongside him. The Showgrounds was bursting at the scenes for the friendly clash between two clubs with historic links.
But the future still remains uncertain to some of the players at Celtic Park. Rodgers’s men probably expected a stroll when Palma pounced to drive it from Yang’s deep cross after just eight minutes against a full strength Rovers side. But a couple of howlers from Bain put Celtic on the back foot for the rest of the first half.
Some slack play in the middle allowed Kailin Barlow to curl an effort from the edge of the box. Bain seemed to be caught between catching it or pawing it over the bar – but did neither as the ball squirmed through his hands and into the net.
Worse was to follow when he was slow down at his near post to allow Simon Power’s 20 yard trundler in for number two. In fairness, Bain redeemed himself a tad with some smart stops as Rovers threatened to leave Celts red faced.
There was improvement in the second period and by the end Rovers were hanging on for grim life as the Parkhead men piled on the pressure. It looked like they were going to do it before Palma popped up twice at the in stoppage time to tuck in from close range and spare some blushes.
Aye or Naw
He’s become one of Celtic’s great enigma’s. Unfortunately, the £4m puzzle that is Maik Nawrocki was no clearer to being solved last night.
In fairness to the Polish defender, he was probably rustier than an old gate given his lack of game time. There were some nice passes out from the back but he was caught out too many times for comfort against the side sitting sixth in the League of Ireland. It’s a hard one to work out as it wasn’t so long ago, the former Legia Warsaw man was part of the Poland squad and almost went to the World Cup in 2022. Nawrocki has fallen well down the centre back pecking order at Parkhead and don’t bet on a recall any time soon.
Palm door
Luis Palma has landed in a similar boat to Nawrocki – and the wide man also faces an uncertain future. Palma’s old man insisted this week his boy is going to knuckle down to get back into Brendan Rodgers’s good books.
He did look determined to do the business in Ireland. He took his early goal well and was in the right place at the right time to secure the win. He got his reward at the end but whether he is any closer to getting back into the first team – or hanging around behind January, is still a major doubt.
Happy Valle
The borrowed Barcelona youngster got another run out after impressing against Ross County at the weekend. Valle looked a class act against the Irish outfit, comfortable on the ball and with a burst of pace going forward. He’ll be tested more defensively in the weeks to come but he’s got a big opportunity to stake his claim to be the main left back with Greg Taylor likely to at least miss the Aberdeen game after the break. Taylor has been superb in recent seasons and will be a big miss – but Valle now provides solid competition.
Production line
Rodgers wanted to test some of his youngsters and while there are a few prospects in the ranks, it looks like there’s still a bit to go for some of them to trouble the first team.
The manager has high hopes for Francis Turley and the kid showed some neat touches. Lenny Agbaire has the power and physique at the back, but is still pretty raw, while the likes of Jude Bonnar and Lewis Dobbie will have learned a lot from their run out alongside more experienced players like Luke McCowan.
The Hoops have produced players such as Callum McGregor, James Forrest and Kieran Tierney, but the next batch have a lot of work ahead to follow in their footsteps.
Emotional journey
This was more than a kick-about for Celtic and for Sligo Rovers. It was a chance to reforge a link between the clubs and the area that goes back to the very origins of the club.
Founder Brother Walfrid hailed from these parts as did club legend Sean Fallon, whose dad helped secure the land for the famous Showgrounds almost a century ago. Son Sean junior was a guest at the game, along with Willie McStay, who was a player and treble winning manager at Rovers in the 1990s. Rodgers also got a huge roar when he addressed the crowd before kick-off. To say Celtic got a warm welcome would be a serious understatement – with 5,000 fans packing out the place – around double what they’d usually get for a League of Ireland clash.