Youth Cup Final: Celtic v Rangers, April 23

ON Wednesday, April 23, Celtic's brave and talented Under-19s will take on their Rangers counterparts in the Scottish Youth Cup Final at Hampden Park. Kick-off will be 7.30pm, but get along early, as sizeable queues are common at these matches.
Don't be put off by last year's horror show, when a powerful Rangers team cruised to a 5-0 win; this will be a much tighter affair. In fact, despite being underdogs, John McLaughlan's youngsters are at last beginning to show the determination and self-belief necessary to record a memorable victory.
That verdict might come as some surprise to those who read my last report, on a narrow cup win over Motherwell. But, hey, I'm not going to apologise for being honest. I wasn't over-impressed by that performance. However, having just watched Celtic TV's coverage of the 2-1 win over a strong Aberdeen side in the semi-final at Pittodrie, I'm feeling much more optimistic.
The Dons fielded first team regulars Chris McGuire and Sone Aluko. The wee Bhoys were minus big players such as Cillian Sheridan, Lawrence Gaughan and Graham Carey. Yet they showed they have the hearts of giants by tackling their opponents to a standstill and scoring two fantastic goals.
It came as no surprise to me that Kevin Cawley and Jason Marr were the names on the scoresheet. Both have been real leaders for this team this season, and have been justifiably promoted to the Reserves squad.
Just as pleasing was the drive and control that Richard Towell and Michael Tidser displayed in the centre of midfield. Paul Skinner produced a heroic performance between the sticks. And Michael Graham showed great pace and determination up front.
Add in mature performances from the young fullbacks, Grant Gallagher and Carlo Monti, plus real Irish grit from Danny Lafferty as a stand-in central defender, Paul Cahillane on the left of midfield and Declan Bunting up front.
Luca Santonocito will come into the reckoning for Hampden, as will Gaughan and, hopefully, Sheridan. It will still be a massive test for these young Bhoys, many of whom are only 17.
But at last it seems that they are truly standing up to be counted.
They now know that you can't hide in a Celtic strip; you can't be average; you can't settle for second best.
Next Wednesday, Celtic fans won't have to rely on my reports, those on the official website or the comments of a handful of other youth team watchers. Thousands will be at Hampden to make up their minds about these wee Bhoys.
And I back these kids to show that they have courage, they have talent, and they have the determination to make it all the way to the first team.
If they do that, they will be heroes, winners and champions.
Forecast: Celtic 2, Rangers 1.

BP Youth Cup: Celtic 3, Motherwell 2

ON a dry, bumpy pitch at the Excelsior Stadium in Airdrie, Celtic squeezed through to the next round of the BP Youth Cup with a hard-fought win over a taller, stronger Motherwell side.
The victory was deserved, as Celtic, for the most part, dominated possession while their opponents seemed more content to sit back in numbers and hit on the break.
Sadly, however, nothing can gloss over the fact that this was a poor-quality encounter which featured less than a handful of players whom I feel confident will have lengthy careers in the professional game.
And I fear that the Celtic performance was not helped by the team selection and tactics of the manager, John McLaughlan, which appeared (to me, a mere amateur) contrary to football logic.
If that seems negative, let me tell you about one moment of determination and brilliance that lit up the whole match for me.
Ten minutes from time, with the score at 2-2, the Motherwell right back attempted to fire in a cross from the edge of the box. It was blocked, with a flying leap, by the Celtic centre-forward Kevin Cawley.
As the full-back attempted to regain his bearings, Cawley nicked the ball off his toes, sprinted 20 yards, fed Declan Bunting, who was haring down the left wing, then sprinted past gobsmacked Motherwell defenders to present himself in the middle of the goal, 10 yards out.
If Bunting had delivered the cross, it would have been a goal of classic proportions. Instead, a series of passes ended with Michael Tidser slicing the ball well wide.
In essence, that summed up much of Celtic's performance here: plenty of passing, but no end product. And Cawley, throughout, was the one class act.
In the end, the wee Bhoys were grateful for two free-kicks from Tidser that bamboozled the Well defence and, in particular, Owen Jones, a Welsh goalie who played with Celtic Under-17s little more than a year ago.
But for long periods this looked like a disaster in the making. Especially after, a few minutes in, Celtic keeper Paul Skinner flapped at a corner and Motherwell midfielder Shaun Hutchison delivered a header which was adjudged a goal despite Cawley's best efforts to clear it off the line.
That put the wee Bhoys on the back foot for a long while.
They had started with Skinner in goal, Grant Gallagher at right back, Carlo Monti at left back, and Jason Marr and Laurence Gaughan in the centre of defence.
Due to a serious knee injury suffered by Irish left winger Graham Carey and a hamstring twang endured by giant striker Cillian Sheridan, the midfield and forward positions had been re-jigged. But surely it took a perverse vision of the game of football to come up with Mr McLaughlan's solution.
Paul Cahillane, a natural left winger who has been played up front on many occasions, was asked to start on the right of midfield. Michael Tidser, a strong central midfielder, was given the left flank. Ross Hepburn, Tidser's partner in the exciting 3-3 draw with Rangers at Murray Park earlier this season, was on the bench.
In their stead came Ritchie Towell, a stocky youngster who has played much of his football at right back, plus Luca Santonocito, a slight, talented, Italian lad who was simply overpowered time after time by players two years older than him.
The result was that Bunting and Cawley saw little of the ball in the first half, when the Celtic youths played pass after pass along the halfway line, only to end with Gaughan blootering the ball towards the giant Motherwell defenders.
My notes for the match tell me that after 13 minutes, Skinner was unlucky to be booked after challenging Well forward Mark Archdeacon (a tall, talented lad who is the son of the 1986 Love Street legend Owen, who was there to watch him) on the edge of the box.
After 24 minutes, Marr came to the rescue after a poor back-header from Gaughan. Then Bunting went close with a header from a long Tidser cross when, to my mind, he could have scored if more committed.
After 37 minutes, a Tidser cross saw Cawley cushion a pass expertly for Cahillane to volley just a couple of yards wide from the edge of the box. And a couple of minutes from half-time, a cute Santonocito pass sent Cahillane through on goal, but Jones blocked his shot.
At half-time, Derry Bhoy Danny Lafferty replaced the injured Monti. And only three minutes later Celtic were level, with Gaughan flicking in a Tidser free-kick at the back post.
Shortly afterwards, Bunting did well to squeeze a low cross through to Cawley six yards out, but his effort was smothered by Jones.
Celtic were on top, but all their good work was undone when another laborious passing movement along the halfway line ended with Gaughan giving up possession cheaply and Jamie Murphy eventually cashed in with a fierce shot.
It was obvious that Celtic needed more width. Cahillane was uncomfortable on the right, and Tidser is no left winger. So McLaughlan took off Cahillane and put pint-sized winger Joe Bradley on. It seemed to me at the time that it would have been more sensible to take off Santonocito, put Tidser in the centre of the park and Cahillane out left. But what do I know?
In any case, tactical arguments were rendered pointless by a sharp turn of events. And at the centre of it all was that Bhoy Cawley.
After 67 minutes, he controlled a long pass, flicked it over his marker, then volleyed in a fierce shot that Jones saved with his ankles. It would have been a superb goal.
Three minutes later, Towell fired in a superb 25-yard shot that cannoned off the bar straight to Cawley, who kept his cool to control the ball and fire it past the gallant Jones.
From then on the young King's Park kid dominated proceedings. First, he controlled a long pass, beat two markers and fired a shot just over. Then, with 13 minutes to go, he headed a Motherwell effort off the line amid a mighty scramble at the other end of the park .
Cawley then took advantage of a cute Santonicito backheel to fire another shot just over before his marathon run described earlier in this report.
Wee Kevin also popped up twice in the move that led to Towell being fouled 30 yards out just five minutes from time.
As before, Tidser's left-foot cross arced in towards goal, but it's not clear whether Bunting (who claimed it) got a touch before it bounced past Jones. As it was, Celtic were suddenly 3-2 ahead.
Motherwell still had the chance to take the game into extra-time, but Skinner bravely saved the day.
It was a result that showed the wee Bhoys have plenty of courage. Whether any more than one or two of them have the ability to make it to the first team is another matter.

PLAYER RATINGS:

PAUL SKINNER: Tall Irish keeper who does not command his area and seems hesitant too often. Needs a sea change of attitude and application to have any chance.
GRANT GALLAGHER: Young right back from Dumbarton, of fine Donegal stock. I've been impressed with him before but he offered nothing here. Hesitant in possession and reluctant to get forward. Needs to sharpen up massively.
CARLO MONTI: Smallish left back. Injured before half-time in a tackle which he basically chickened out of.
JASON MARR: The one positive, aggressive rock amid a "back four" sea of timidity and indecision. Not the best game I've seen him play, but certainly not helped by those around him. Powerful, skillful lad with a great attitude.
LAURENCE GAUGHAN: Tall, well-built defender who plays for Ireland and came from Liverpool. But I'm not a fan of centre-halfs who don't win headers and play silly passes. Had a couple of good moments, but for most part I thought of a word that rhymes with his surname: Shockin'.
PAUL CAHILLANE: Irish left-winger played on the right of midfield, he exuded frustration. Unlucky to be substituted, but I've not seen much progress over the last 18 months. Needs to give himself a good shake if he doesn't want to end up at Home Farm.
RICHARD TOWELL: Stocky lad who consistently showed for the ball and did a power of work. My hope for him is that his girth is puppy fat and that he'll be a 6ft 1in powerhouse within 18 months. His lack of appreciation as regards how to open up his body for passes and spread the play showed he is more right back or right midfield than central midfield. Worth watching.
LUCA SANTONOCITO: Tallish, but lightweight, Italian lad who was brushed off the ball far too easily by Motherwell's bigger, taller players. Left most of the midfield battle to Towell. Needs to grow up VERY quickly.
MICHAEL TIDSER: Set up two goals with his free-kicks, yet was singularly unimpressive in general play. Why? Because he can't play left of midfield, and he knows it. Not once did he try to go on the outside; he just checked in every time. Probably spent the whole game wondering why he wasn't being played in central midfield. I certainly did. Yet the fact that he didn't knuckle down to his appointed role suggests he has plenty to add to his game.
KEVIN CAWLEY: Last week I spoke to Mick Jackson, a Celtic star of the early 1960s, about Kevin. Mick agrees Kevin is a great wee player. He was the only member of the Scotland Under-19 squad who did not look out of place against Holland the other week. "But he's too small to make it," Mick said. "Well, you might be right," I replied. Before adding: "By the way, Scott McDonald did OK today, didn't he?" As the old saying goes: It's not the size of the man in the fight that counts; it's the size of the fight in the man. Wee Kevin has the heart of a lion, two great feet, boundless energy, a good football brain and tons of courage. Importantly, he also has the humility to listen to coaches. From the guy who knew Aiden McGeady was a player 10 years ago, I tell you: Watch this space!
DECLAN BUNTING: Gangly striker who won plenty of the ball in the air against towering big Well defenders. But a million miles away from threating JVOH or Samaras for a place. A Bhoy who, I think, will advance rapidly because of a willingness to listen, learn and try his heart out. Has to sort out his ungainly running style, though.
DANNY LAFFERTY: On as sub for the injured Monti. Commitment on an Anton Rogan level but, in all honesty, the bold Danny lacks technique and composure. Good lad, though.
JOE BRADLEY: Diminutive right winger in the Brian McLaughlin mould. Added a bit of pace and directness on the right flank.

Rangers Under-19s 3, Celtic Under-19s 3

THE brave, battling wee Bhoys of Celtic managed to negate a strong Rangers youth team and an infuriatingly biased referee to secure a 3-3 draw at Murray Park.
Scrambled efforts from Kevin Cawley and Luca Santonocito had put the young Celts in a good position to go on and secure the three points.
But a ridiculous penalty decision from a referee who had displayed his bias from the opening minutes left Celtic glad to salvage a draw from an evenly-matched and entertaining encounter.
The Hoops had started with Paul Skinner in goal and his fellow Irishman Richard Towell at right back.
Carlo Monti was left back, with Laurence Gaughan and Jason Marr in central defence.
Kevin Cawley, who had done so well at striker this season, started at the right of midfield, with Ross Hepburn and Michael Tidser in the centre, and Graham Carey out on the left.
Up front, with Paul Cahillane and Cillian Sheridan injured, were the very young pairing of Michael Graham and Belfast Bhoy Declan Bunting.
After a slow start in which the referee turned a blind eye to several meaty challenges, Andrew Shinnie came close with a free-kick from 20 yards out.
After 16 minutes, a poor Carey free-kick saw John Fleck sprint forward 60 yards and skin Monti, but just as he was about to shoot, Towell thwarted him with a great tackle.
It was about now, with the game in the balance, that the referee, Alasdair Ross, began his prolonged bid to win favour with any watching SFA supervisors.
He booked Kevin Cawley for an innocuous foul, then also yellow-carded Bunting for an ill-advised lunge at Giorios Efrem, the Rangers left winger from Greece.
It was from that conceded free-kick on 34 minutes that Rangers took the lead, a long ball being flicked on to allow Andrew Shinnie to slot the ball under the hesitant Skinner.
Two minutes later Celtic equalised.
A free-kick rebounded to Michel Tidser 25 yards out, and his powerful drive almost broke the bar. The ball rebounded to Jason Marr, whose sclaffed shot gave Cawley the chance to net at the second attempt.
Before the break, Shinnie headed just wide for Rangers and Hepburn had a header blocked after a great Monti cross.
But, in all honesty, Celtic had struggled for 45 minutes due to the inability of their very young forward line to retain possession.
Things got worse at the start of the second half when the right-footed Efrem ran away from Towell, then played a great reverse pass which allowed Isa Bagci to net low past Skinner.
At this stage Rangers were on top. But the whole nature of the game changed with one substitution.
Michael Graham was replaced by Luca Santonocito, with the former Inter Milan youngster going to left of midfield, Graham Carey to right of midfield, and Kevin Cawley to striker.
All of a sudden Celtic had a player up front who was looking for passes from defenders and midfielders and confident enough to take on the towering Rangers defenders.
And the hitherto anonymous Carey began to torture the Rangers left back Steven Kinniburgh.
On 58 minutes Carey fired a shot just over the bar. Then the increasingly frustrated Fleck was booked after a couple of wild lunges.
Efrem had been a major figure for Rangers at the start of the second half, but that ceased after 61 minutes when Danny Lafferty came on for Richard Towell. The Derry lad went to the left of central defence beside Gaughan, but, more significantly, Jason Marr went to right back.
Efrem was not a force from that point onwards.
Celtic were now in total control of the game. A curling Carey free-kick missed the goal by inches. Then a Cawley corner was headed off the line.
There was time for the ref to give Lafferty a pathetically soft booking before the Celts equalised.
Cawley did well to set up Santonicito, who was halted by a two-footed, studs-up challenge which the referee deemed to be fair.
Rather than argue, the ball was shuttled right to Carey, whose cheeky back-heel set up the rampaging Marr for a cross that eventually fell for Santonocito to net at the second attempt.
At that stage, 73 minutes in, there appeared to be only one team liable to win.
Craig Connell came on for Michael Tidser, who was suffering from cramp. But a minute later Mr Ross continued his bid for a free pint in his local lodge with a ridiculously soft penalty which Fleck netted to make the score 3-2 to the home team.
Our brave young Bhoys could have been forgiven for feeling they were up against 12 men, yet once again they came charging back, with the ever-diligent Ross Hepburn firing just over.
Taking his cue, Graham Carey then cut in from the right and thumped in a 25-yard fizzing drive which Rangers keeper Scott Gallacher allowed to slip through his hands to make the score 3-3.
Celtic striker Declan Bunting hit the post late on as both teams - who were clearly greatly tired on a heavy pitch - battled for the winner.
In the end, both sets of supporters greeted the players with an appreciative round of applause.
If I have to be honest, a draw was a fair result. But I genuinely felt the refereeing was far from fair.
Alasdair Ross: remember the name!

Celtic:

PAUL SKINNER
A couple of times I would have liked to have seen him quicker off his line to claim long crosses. But he had no chance with the goals, and made a couple of good saves late on. Needs an attitude. Can Artur put him up in his flat and teach him aggression and arrogance?

RICHARD TOWELL
Young 16-year-old Irish right back who clearly has a bit of growing to do. Defended well in the first half against Efrem but struggled at the start of the second half. Looked a bit nervous about going forward. Hopefully he will have learned a lot from this match.

CARLO MONTI
Talented left back, but struggled at times to match the pace of John Fleck. Good left foot, but still tons of learning to go. Needs to work very hard on his physique and pace.

JASON MARR
Tall, athletic and totally committed defender. Won header after header in central defence, where he reminded me of McManus. But he transformed the game when he moved to right back and totally bossed Efrem and set up the second goal. A certainty to move into the Reserves this season. A very good central defender, but a potentially GREAT right back.

LAURENCE GAUGHAN
Powerful centre half. Almost gave away a goal by taking one chance too many at the back. But his physique and commitment make him an essential player for this squad. Taking his time to settle in, but he will be a great addition once he stops trying too hard and sticks to his strengths.

KEVIN CAWLEY
Started at right midfield, but spent much of his time trying to play two positions; he was over-keen to switch inside and try to link up with his mis-firing forwards. At times this made it hard for Towell at right back to link up with him. But all this changed when he switched to striker and began to show for the ball, hold it up, bring other players into the game and generally terrorise the Rangers defence. Scored the first goal, but I was more impressed by the influence he clearly has on this team - he is THE player that the defenders and midfielders look to link up with. Kevin has definitely had better games, yet his influence on this game was still immense. Never stops running, totally aggressive, great first touch, out-jumps players six inches taller than him. Should I tell you about the senior Celtic coach who has likened him to Larsson?

ROSS HEPBURN
Once again asked to play the holding role in central midfield, with his chances of getting forward curtailed. Yet he still came close twice to scoring. He and Michael Tidser went toe-to-toe with the much-vaunted Rangers midfielders and came out on top. Any team would be happy to have this selfless, talented and determined young lad in their team. One of his tough tackles near the end was bone-crunchingly superb. Another great performance from a great team player.

MICHEL TIDSER
Totally mature and controlled performance. Set up the first goal with a magnificent 25-yarder which almost broke the bar. Ended up with cramp, which obviously means he has to work harder on his fitness. But he has much to be proud of from a great perfromance.

GRAHAM CAREY
I'll not beat about the bush here: on a number of occasions that I've seen this young Irish lad I've considered him to be more about pose than delivery. And in the first half of this game, it was pretty much business as usual. But when Graham was switched to the right wing in the second half he REALLY came to life. He tortured the Rangers left back, Steven Kinniburgh, and was at the heart of many attacks. Then he cut inside and sent in a thunderous 25-yarder which the keeper made a mess of to secure the draw. If Graham can regularly repeat that 30 magical minutes of aggression, pace, skill and delivery, he really has a chance.

MICHAEL GRAHAM
Skillful striker who had one or two jinking runs but rarely troubled the giant Rangers defenders. Has to work hard on physique and pace, stop blaming others, and get some aggression into his play.

DECLAN BUNTING
Tall, skinny Belfast lad won a few headers against the big Rangers defenders but rarely held the ball up well. Hit the post late on, but then had another chance and decided to pass rather than shoot. A big step-up for him, and at times he looked over-awed. Has to work very hard, but has youth and enthusiasm on his side.

LUCA SANTONOCITO
Came on at left of midfield, which is clearly not his position. I'm told he prefers to play in the middle, but will take some time to adjust to the hectic nature of that role in Scottish fitba. Showed great enthusiasm to get into the box, and was rewarded with the second goal, which he celebrated with gusto. Just a boy, but now on a steep learning curve.

DANNY LAFFERTY
Came on as a left-sided central defender and made some great challenges. Booked for next to nothing by a clown of a referee, but played a key part in changing the game around, not least by allowing Jason Marr to move to right back. It's impossible not to like Danny's Rogan-esque enthusiasm, but he probably knows himself that he has to work very hard on the technical side of the game.

CRAIG CONNELL
Unlucky not to start, and did a great job for the team as a late replacement for Tidser in the centre of midfield.

Celtic Youths 4, Inverness 2

Just after noon on Saturday September 15, 2007, I managed to escape from my onerous familial and commercial obligations to head along to Barrowfield to see how the latest bunch of young Bhoys were faring.
I was aware that they had made an unconvincing start to the season, having lost to St Mirren on the new St Anthony's grass pitch at the old Fifty Pitches site in Govan.
However, I still didn't arrive on time to see Kevin Cawley hit the bar with a header against Inverness Caledonian Thistle's young giants.
Less than a year ago I had seen the young striker miss a barrowload of chances against the same outfit; it now seemed I was in for an action replay. And I was not to be disappointed.
It took me a wee while to work out who was who in the Celtic line-up. In goal was the 16-year-old debutant Stephen Hall, who replaced the injured Paul Skinner.
Due to injuries and departures, Jason Marr filled in at right back, with Carlo Monti on the left and Laurence Gaughan, the new signing from Liverpool, in central defence alongside Derry's Danny Lafferty.
Irish lad Graham Carey started on the right of midfield, although he later switched flanks and even ended up at left back. In the middle, Ross Hepburn partnered another Irish kid, Eric Foley, with Michael Tidser on the left to begin with.
The aforementioned Cawley started up front with Paul Cahillane, and this pair had the Caley lads on their heels from the first minute onwards. But they were made to pay for missed chances on 39 minutes when the visitors broke away and Leslie netted with a cool chip.
Just two minutes later a Gaughan long ball was cleverly headed on by Cawley to Hepburn, whose low cross was dummied by young Kev to allow Tidser to equalise with a powerful drive from the edge of the box.
Craig Connell came on for Foley at the break, and the wee Bhoys made a storming start to the second half.
Within two minutes Tidser had threaded a through ball for Cahillane to run on and net coolly. Just five minutes later, Hepburn found Cahillane, who sent a wonderful defence-splitting pass through for Carey to net with a touch of class.
But the best goal came from a lightning-quick break which ended with Cawley sending a quite incredible reverse pass from inside his own half right into the path of Hepburn, who sprinted on to slot home Celtic's fourth.
Caley pulled one back late on with a Nakamura-esque free-kick from Gillespie.
There was still time for the quite awful ref to give a free-kick against sub Declan Bunting after he was almost cut in half at the end of the Inverness box.

Player ratings

Stephen Hall: The young debutant was, understandably, nervous in the early stages and almost lost a poor goal. But he had no chance with the two ICT strikes and went on to show courage and some good handling. Tall, talented lad.
Jason Marr: Last season's inspirational central defender had to fill in at right back, where he played for the Under-17s a couple of years ago. Struggled early on, and was partly at fault at the first goal. Yet this tall, athletic and skillful lad did enough to confirm my impression that this is the position he should make his own. Do Celtic want a full-back who can win a header? Yup!
Carlo Monti: Young, slight left back showed plenty of drive but is still adjusting to this level. Has to work hard on the training ground, in the gym and at the dinner table to ge the physique he'll need to compete at the top level.
Laurence Gaughan: Tall, broad centre-half signed from Liverpool showed good leadership qualities but seems a bit raw. This team needs his size and aerial ability, but Laurence has to work extremely hard on his touch, passing and composure.
Danny Lafferty: The Derry lad usually plays at left back, but filled in at central defence and, for most of the game, did a great job. But he almost gave away a crazy goal right on half-time when he attempted to dribble out of his own box. Needs to develop a hard, professional edge to his play.
Graham Carey: Talented Irish winger who started on the right, switched to the left, then ended up at left back. A really cool finish for the third goal. I'd like to see more aggression and self-sacrifice from him, as he often appears to be a bit greedy and even a bit lazy as regards his team commitments.
Ross Hepburn: Still running further and tackling more than anyone else in this team, and this week rewarded by scoring a goal and setting up another. No-one will have to tell this Bhoy to get fit, eat well and work hard in the gym, so my only tip for him is to concentrate on the technical side of the game and continue to show everyone that he is also a very talented lad.
Eric Foley: Young Irish midfielder showed some skill in the first half but picked up an injury and didn't re-appear after the break. Understandably, given his age, he kept things simple but, in time, he will learn that Celtic midfielders have to offer a genuine threat in attack, too.
Michael Tidser: This lad has taken a real stretch. Started on the left of midfield, then tucked inside and made a real impact. Scored a great equaliser. Won the ball well and passed it with aplomb. Sadly, though, I was unfortunate enough in such a small crowd to hear some of the "encouragement" he was dishing out to younger, smaller teammates. Next time, Michael, I hope to hear you being a real leader on the park.
Paul Cahillane: Clever Irish forward who sprinted clear to score a good second goal, then released a fantastic pass for Carey to net the third. Plenty of skill, although perhaps more at home as a left winger. However, I feel he could do with showing more aggression on the pitch and finding an extra yard or two of pace. A lot of hard work lies ahead before he can even get a sniff of top-team football.
Kevin Cawley: The poor lad was cursed by me coming to see him. As with last season's game against Inverness, he missed a barrowload of chances - yet he was still the best player on the park by some distance. Pace, control, aggression, tactical insight, great attitude: this guy's got the lot. Competed well in the air with guys six inches taller than him, leading to the flick for the first goal. And his reverse pass for the fourth goal was a thing of beauty. My tip for Kev: aim for the keeper's ankles!
Craig Connell: Came on at half-time for Eric Foley and did a decent job in the centre of midfield. But he has to do more than that to make an impression. Working hard at strength, fitness, technique and speed is essential.
Declan Bunting: Tall forward who looked about 16. Very eager in his debut at this stage, but I'll need to see him again to make a judgment.