Young hoops score 10!

Celtic’s u-17 side hit the magical 10 figure in a recent Glasgow Cup tie against Clyde at Lennoxtown.

Paul McMullan netted five times with doubles from Ciaran Lafferty and Aiden Nesbitt and Irish kid Fiacre Kelleher also on the scoresheet in the 10-0 win.

Earlier in the campaign Celtic had beaten Clyde 3-1 at Cumbernauld but coach Tommy McIntyre looks at much more than two results to evaluate the progress of the current squad.

“To score ten goals in any game is difficult,” the hoops coach said. “We had been back in training a bit longer than Clyde after the winter break but that doesn’t take anything away from our performance.

“You still have to go out and perform and we were very pleased with the way our players applied themselves, they kept the tempo up for 90 minutes.

“We measure how the players are performing and developing in a number of different ways, we don’t just look at scorelines.

“As players we are always looking for improvements. They are young but a few of them have been involved in the u-20 side as well to monitor their progress.

“They maintained their concentration throughout the match, sticking to their task and took a lot of work from the training ground into the match. That was gratifying to see.

“There was a realisation that what we were doing on the training ground bore fruition on the pitch. They saw things that we had worked on materialise, that’s good from a coaching point of view but also for the players.

“They have been working hard in training, Ian Coll has worked on their fitness levels and they are seeing the benefits.”

McMullan’s performance obviously caught the eye with McIntyre delighted by his five goal haul.

“Every striker loves to score goals,” the Celtic coach added. “That’s the greatest thing for them, hitting the back of the net.

“It’s a good habit to have. Paul isn’t the strongest but he has a bit heart and is working very hard on his game.

“You don’t just turn up and score five goals, the players round him deserve credit for creating chances, there’s a whole package involved.

“Scoring is a good habit and long may it continue for him, if he continues to work hard then he has a chance but he has to do that every day.”

FINAL SCORE Celtic 10-0 Clyde

CELTIC: Jordan Hart: Glenn Eadie, Kelleher, Mark Barrowman, Callum Waters: Liam Henderson, Connor McManus, Luke Donnelly: Aiden Nesbitt, Paul McMullan, Ciaran Lafferty

SCORERS: McMullan 5, Nesbitt 2, Lafferty 2, Kelleher.