Celtic’s busy youth side return to league action tonight when they host Dunfermline at Firhill, kick-off 7pm.
International commitments, the Next Gen Series and the SFA Youth Cup have all made demands on the squad as Celtic attempt to progress on three fronts.
After five straight wins to start the season John Kennedy’s side drew with Hearts then lost to St Johnstone with the hoops coach keen to get back to winning ways.
“There has been a lot of demands in the last few weeks but we’re looking forward to getting back into the league campaign,” Kennedy stated.
“Our last league match was a defeat to St Johnstone and we want to get winning again.
“The players know the standards that they can reach and it’s important that they pick up on the second half performance against Aston Villa.
“They should be in good spirits and have a bit of belief among themselves after that match and a win at Tynecastle.
“It’s been a wee bit frustrating leaving ourselves a lot to do in the second half recently. We had a great start to the win over PSV Eindhoven (going 3-0 up in 20 minutes) and we want to replicate that in every game.
“Sometimes if you don’t start well it’s difficult to claw a game back and it makes things tough when you have to come back from being behind.”
Dunfermline are sitting on 16 points alongside Celtic having played a game more with Dundee United and Aberdeen setting the pace at the top of the table.
The 16 team division with midweek matches under the floodlights at senior grounds has made each match feel more of an occasion with Kennedy pleased with the way that the u-20 league is developing.
He added: “It’s a really competitive league with teams like Dundee United, Inverness Caley Thistle and Dunfermline towards the top.
“We expect Hearts and Hibs to be there towards the end of the season and we want to be in the mix as well.
“It’s good to be going into tight matches and the expanded league has made things more tasty.
“Our players are expected to win every game in the first team and it’s good for them to have that pressure of winning at this level.
“We’ve got more games and it’s a bonus to be playing at senior grounds. It gives everyone a lift to turn up at a stadium rather than a training ground or junior ground.
“Dunfermline are going reasonably well this season, they’ve had a bit of experience with Craig Darho and Andy Kirk playing a few games.
“They have a good mix of players they used last season mixed with some experience but we’ll be prepared for them.
“Playing against experienced players is great exposure for our boys development. We’ll have a good look at their team sheet but that won’t change our approach to the game.”
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