Celtic’s u-21 side lost out on penalties to Manchester City in the inaugural Premier League International Cup.
Over four matches the Celtic squad proved that they are the equal to their English counterparts following draws at Everton and Manchester City either side of a win over Sunderland.
The experience of playing at Goodison Park and The Stadium of Light will have benefited everyone in the squad while playing at City’s Academy Stadium must have been an eye-opener for everyone involved.
A purpose built stadium is beyond the means of almost all British clubs but with their wealthy backers City have build their own stadium within their training complex with nothing overlooked.
Among the many features to be admired is the media output from the club with a stream of videos appearing regularly online.
Thursday night’s match with Celtic was certainly dramatic with all of the highlights captured and relayed through You Tube of a quality far in advance of almost all broadcasting of Scottish matches.
While the debate intensifies over the return that the Scottish game gets from their ‘broadcasting partners’ the quality of production away from live matches often leaves a lot to be desired.
One camera high above the halfway line is hardly likely to capture the feeling of the match or portray the game in a manner likely to have supporters charging towards the turnstiles.
While money is clearly a major factor, the quality of the video clip put together by City for the visit of Celtic shouldn’t be beyond those interested in portraying Scottish football in a positive light.
Some imaginative use of cameras, behind both goals, captures some of the incidents from the match and turns a goal-less two hours into a very watchable record of the match.
With aftermatch interviews to compliment the coverage there is little more that any City fan could ask for as the club promote themselves to the maximum in a bid to engage with as many fans as possible.