Celtic rolled out the big names to face Dundee in the Development League with Nadir Ciftci, Scott Allan and Anthony Stokes all involved ahead of Saturday’s top of the table clash with Aberdeen.
Callum McGregor and Aidan Nesbitt got the goals either side of half time to maintain Celtic’s 100% start to the campaign after Josh Skelly had given Dundee an early lead.
There was an incredible amount of energy in the way Celtic started the match, pressing and chasing down Dundee from every angle with the pace barely dropping over the 90 minutes.
Despite the big names in the home side it was Dundee that opened the scoring when a long range shot from Josh Skelly beat Leo Fasan low at his left hand post.
Midway through the first half Aidan Nesbitt started to create some openings down the right with Kieran Tierney’s pace pushing Dundee back on the other flank.
Just past the half hour mark Ciftci headed a cross from Tierney into the arms of Kyle Gourlay in the Dundee goal but six minutes from the interval Celtic drew level from the same source.
Rather than cross into the centre Tierney cut the ball back to McGregor whose firm shot from 15 yards out flew high into the net.
Celtic maintained the pressure after the interval with Nesbitt coming in off the right wing to strike the bar in the 51st minute but two minutes later he was on target, netting from 15 yards out following a pass from the overlapping Jack Breslin.
Starting his first match in a Celtic shirt Allan appeared to be trying too hard to impress, looking for the killer ball when a simpler pass may have been more effective.
Fifteen minutes from the end that changed with some real magic from the former Hibs midfielder. A dip of his shoulders, a swivel of his leg and three defenders were sold a dummy before he powered in a great shot that Gourlay was grateful to push into the air and hold at the second attempt.
Celtic should have been out of sight long before the final whistle but in terms of giving first team players a competitive outing and letting younger players see the standard required to reach the top it was a valuable 90 minutes.
CELTIC: Fasan; Breslin, Kelleher, McCart, Tierney; Thomson (Hill 65), McGregor; Nesbitt, Allan, Stokes; Ciftci
SUBS: Wardrop, Hazard, Hendry, Miller, Lafferty, McIlduff.
Cifti needs games and more games, once he scores then I think he will prove to ab astute purchase. Couple of huge games coming up though…Aberdeen & Ajax so we need to ensure that we have no passengers or players carrying injuries.