Celtic Reserves 2, Motherwell Reserves 1

FIVE hours after the final whistle blew on this ultimately thrilling, but unconvincing, win for Celtic's second string it was confirmed that they were the Scottish Premier Reserve League champions for the fifth season in a row.
Defeat for Aberdeen at home to Dundee United and a 1-1 draw for Rangers at Livingston handed the title to Kenny McDowall's side after an afternoon in which they had seemed determined to squander their lead at the top of the table.
A last-minute goal by Darren O'Dea finally clinched the points for the Hoops and ensured a hat-trick of SPL titles for the club after the earlier triumphs of the first team and Under-19s.
But amid the celebrations, I feel several of those who took part in this match at the Shyberry Excelsior Stadium in Airdrie will have reason to fear for their futures in the famous green and white jerseys.
Plainly put, some of them don't look up to the task of mounting a challenge for a first team jersey and may have to make way in the near future for some younger and more confident contenders.
This was a disjointed performance, not helped by McDowall's continual tactical tinkering, which appeared to confuse his own team more than the opposition.
It was only when a trio of youth players were added to the fray in the last half hour that the Celts displayed any style, control or fluidity.
Celtic had started with a 4-4-2 formation, with David Marshall in goal behind right back Garry Irvine, left back Ross Wallace and central defenders Scott Cuthbert and Darren O'Dea.
Rocco Quinn started on the right of midfield, with Paul Lawson and Stephen Pearson in the centre and Michael Gardyne on the left flank.
Jim O'Brien and Nicky Riley made up the forward line. Well, at least to begin with they did.
And how things might have changed if the team's first decent move of the game had resulted in a goal. A flurry of quick passes set Quinn through on the right, but his low cross went behind the strikers and feel to Gardyne at the back post. But the effort by "Midge" was sliced wide.
Motherwell then had a golden chance to take the lead on 13 minutes when a sharp turn by the giant striker Abel Thermeus took him past Cuthbert, but Marshall did well to block his fierce shot.
The visitors suffered the first of a string of injuries when, after 27 minutes, striker Steve McGarry was led off with a head cut after an accidental clash with O'Dea. His place was taken by Stephen Maguire, son of Celtic Pools supremo John, who had shone in Well's Under-19 clash with Celtic at Shotts last Friday.
The Bhoys were struggling to find any rhythm. Quinn sliced a shot wide before Rocco's pass sent O'Brien clear on the right, but his cutback was miskicked by Pearson and fell behind Gardyne.
On 32 minutes, Well midfielder Darren Smith cut inside O'Dea at the edge of the box but sliced his left-foot effort well wide.
That was the cue for McDowall to make his first tactical switch, pushing Quinn up front and sending O'Brien out to the right of midfield. But the new front pairing of Rocco and little Nicky was to make no impression on Motherwell's central defenders Bobby Donnelly and William Kinniburgh.
A jinking run by Gardyne ended with the ball falling to Lawson on the edge of the box, but he puled his shot wide.
McDowall then switched to a 3-5-2 formation, putting Gardyne in the "hole" behind the two strikers and pushing Wallace forward to a left wing-back role.
Unfortunately, Ross forgot about the "back" part of that role, and right on half-time he stood watching as a low cross across the Celtic box fell to the man he should have been marking, Smith. It took a brave sliding block by O'Dea to keep the Celts on level terms at the break.
Motherwell started the second half with William Soutar on for right back Paul Quinn. McDowall then shuffled his cards again, pushing Riley out wide on the right, with Quinn and O'Brien now the front pairing.
A fe minutes later, Riley was replaced by Michael McGlinchey, who went into that "hole" behind the forwards, with Gardyne becoming the fourth player to occupy the right midfield spot. He wasn't to be the last.
But first Celtic's title hopes were given a nasty setback when, after a jinking run in the 58th minute, Maguire sclaffed a left-foot effort that wriggled between Marshall's legs before trundling into the corner of the net to put Motherwell 1-0 up. It was a sloppy goal befitting of what had been, up till then, a sloppy performance.
To the rescue came the Under-19 team's natural born winners, Charlie Grant and Simon Ferry. Wee Charie parked himself in front of the Celtic defence, pushing Pearson and McGlinchey forward in the centre. "Si" became the fifth player to try his hand on the right of midfield. And he was by far the most successful.
Almost immediately the change was evident. The passing was quicker and more accurate. At long last there was an urgency and determination about the Hoops.
After 64 minutes, Pearson was hauled down on the edge of the box, but Wallace's free-kick was cleared. A minute later, O'Dea met a Wallace cross but headed straight at Colin Meldrum.
Motherwell used up their third and last sub with 19 minutes to go when Adam Coakley came on for Smith. They were later to play the last 10 minutes with only 10 men after Kiniburgh limped off with what looked like a groin injury.
But by then Celtic were clearly in the ascendancy. After 72 minutes, Ferry broke down the right but his cross was scrambled clear. He then fired in a left-foot shot that went just wide.
Quinn then sent Irvine away, only for his cross to be cleared, before Wallace sent the ball over the bar from a free-kick right on the edge of the penalty box.
With 11 minutes left, Celtic equalised with a goal out of nothing. Irvine's long throw was aimed at O'Dea at the front post, but he was beaten to the header.
The ball, however, floated to Quinn at the corner of the box, who fired in a magnificent volley that rocketed across Meldrum's flailing arms and into the net.
With Celtic pouring forward, there was always the chance of a conter attack. And Thermeus looked to be in with a chance of a surprise winner when he sprinted through with only eight minutes to go.
He was halted, however, by a last-ditch tackle by Cuthbert, who made contact with just enough of the ball to persuade the referee not to award a penalty and flash a red card.
The young Celts were by now throwing everything at Well, with even O'Dea acting as an auxiliary centre forward. They seemed to have blown their last chance when Ferry sent Quinn clear, only for Rocco to shoot wide.
But in the 89th minute the Celts conjured up a bizarre winner that was ultimately to guarantee them the league title.
With the ball at Cuthbert's feet, the makeshift Motherwell defence attempted to play offside, but misjudged badly. Big Scott's long ball sent Quinn racing clear on goal, with O'Dea in support.
Spurning the chance to square the ball to the Irish defender, big Rocco ran in on Meldrum, then sclaffed a right-foot shot that looked to be heading wide.
But Well defender Soutar, running back at pace, slid in to stop the ball, which sat up perfectly, two yards out in the centre of goal, for the astonished O'Dea, who lashed it into the net before running off to celebrate.
It was a crazy winner for a strange game. But one that sealed the title for a club that seemingly can't stop winning.