Celtic coach Tommy McIntyre is delighted by the success of the new look Glasgow Cup.
The round robin u-17 competition was completed on Tuesday night with an 8-0 win over Clyde.
That emphatic result was an exception with Celtic pushed closely by Queens Park before qualifying to meet Rangers in the final with a date still to be confirmed for the match.
“The Clyde performance was very pleasing,” McIntyre admitted. “There was a lot of really good football played and good goals scored.
“At half time I told the boys that they must be enjoying themselves because it was great for me to watch.
“They went into that match on the back of a disappointing performance and defeat from Queens Park. They underachieved in that match and that’s always a possibility when you are dealing with players who are so young.
“Our job was to challenge them because we know that they can play a lot better.”
The new look format to the Glasgow Cup has given each club eight games and given the development of players a competitive edge.
A Celtic-Rangers final is hardly a surprise but with 13 points from their eight matches Queens Park ensured that Celtic were pushed all the way.
McIntyre added: “The format has been great and given our players competitive matches with points at stake.
“It’s been interesting for us in developing our players in a competitive environment and it’s been great for our coaches as well.
“Everyone has learned from the competition and we’ve got a trophy to play for and a game against Rangers to look forward to.
“Queens Park have had a great tournament and both Clyde and Partick Thistle have had their moments contributing to the competition.”
CELTIC: Wightman, Miller, Fraser, O’Brien, Chalmers; George, Kidd, Herron, Kirwan; Ankarhake, Johnstone
SUBS: Lindsay (Herron), McClellan (George), Madden (Chalmers)
SCORERS: Kirwan 3, Fraser, Ankarhake, Johnstone, Miller, OG
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well done bhoys, as usual doing the whole club proud. hail hail