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CELTIC Academy coach Tommy McIntyre has praised his ruthless young Celts for their attitude and application in their 5-0 hammering of HJK Helsinki in the first-leg of their UEFA Youth League qualifier tonight (Wednesday).

The Bhoys’ Under 19 squad thrashed their Finnish counterparts at the Sonera Stadium in Helsinki with a five minute scoring spree in the first-half establishing their dominance before a further two strikes in the second-half sealed the win.

Regan Hendry’s pin-point volley just after the half-hour mark opened the floodgates and was followed by Aidan Nesbitt’s sensational effort from 20 yards which put the Hoops 2-0 up just minutes later.

Calvin Miller made it 3-0 after winning the ball in HJK territory and supplying a composed finish to his good run before Nesbitt’s second-half brace saw the playmaker walk away with the match ball.

The result put the tie firmly in the Celts’ favour ahead of next month’s second-leg at the Almondvale Stadium in Livingston and McIntyre praised his side for sticking to the game plan and earning the five star victory.

“To be respectful to the opposition, I thought they started at a good tempo for the first 10 to 15 minutes, but without giving us many problems,” he said.

“Once we got into the game and started to take the ball for a period of time we controlled the game and the tempo and after that I felt it was a bit easier for us but we worked hard for it. They made us work really hard so the effort from the players, the way they applied themselves, their belief and energy levels were excellent.

“They deserved it and I thought they played really well. It’s only the first leg but we had a game plan, which they stuck to and got their rewards. I thought the goals we excellent.

“When you want to play in a certain manner and when the players see the reaction you get when it’s successful, it makes it easier. That takes us back to the importance of the education and development gained from these games.

“They stuck to the task well.”

Celtic’s first-half dominance gave the Bhoys the platform to play their unique brand of passing, attacking football against HJK, and despite being so far ahead at the interval they relentlessly sought more goals to add to their 3-0 lead.

Nesbitt’s second-half double, completed with a sumptuous lob over the HJK keeper on the 66th minute, finished the rout of the home side and the Academy coach praised his players’ hunger for more goals.

“Some of the passages of play for the goals were great and we can take a lot from them but as a coach it’s good for us to see that and for the players to get that success,” he added.

“I thought we were ruthless in that period and we could have scored another one. Sometimes it’s easy to take your foot off the pedal a bit but the players were very professional, focused and stuck to their tasks.”

Clearance sale on Celtic kit.

KRIS Commons can sense the European anticipation rising as Celtic’s home UEFA Europa League campaign gets underway when Fenerbahce arrive in the East End of Glasgow.

The first Group A match at Celtic Park will play a crucial role in the outcome of the Hoops’ fortunes in the UEFA Europa League, and Commons hopes that Celtic will emerge from the Paradise tunnel tomorrow night (Thursday), with 12 men in their team thanks to the backing from the stands.

He said: “In Europe the home games are vitally important because at least you can travel away without too much pressure in trying to get results.

“Any European team will tell you how difficult it is to pick up points away from home, so for us it’s about using our strengths, which is obviously the way that we play and the fans that seem to give us that extra gear at home.

“It is important that we get off to a good start here. The fans can play a huge part in how we play and obviously in how the opponents play.

“It can be quite an intimidating atmosphere when it’s noisy but again that can flip on its head if we’re not quite at the races.

“We do all our work in preparation to emphasise our game-plan and then hopefully we can use the supporters as the 12th man.”

Both teams go into the match on the back of contrasting results and performances on matchday one of the Europa League group stages, with Celtic unlucky to come away from Amsterdam with only a single point against Ajax, while eyebrows were raised when the news came through that Fenerbahce had lost 3-1 to Norwegian side, Molde, in Istanbul.

Commons said: “It came as a surprise but it just shows you that if a team puts their mind to it, they can go and get a result away from home.

“We weren’t too far away from getting a really good away result against Ajax but, again, it shows you the difficulty of trying to pick up points away from home, so there’s a big emphasis on ourselves tomorrow night.”

Don’t miss your chance to back the Bhoys in Paradise.

You can be at Paradise to cheer on the Bhoys against Fenerbahce this Thursday, October 1 (KO: 8.05pm). Single match tickets (Click to find tickets) are available to buy on general sale priced as follows:

- Fenerbahce and Ajax: Adults from £32, Under- 16/65+ from £25 and Under-13s from £20
- Molde FK: Adults from £30, Under- 16/65+ from £25 and Under-13s from £20

Single match tickets (Click to find tickets) are available to buy ONLINE*, by calling 0871 226 1888* or at the Ticket Office.

Buy online and you can take advantage of our convenient print-at-home facility –Ticketfast.*

PLEASE NOTE: Only supporters registered with the Ticket Office by August 27 will be permitted to purchase tickets (Click to find tickets) online and via the booking line for the Ajax and Fenerbahce matches.

New customers should visit the Ticket Office to purchase match tickets (Click to find tickets) for these games.

*calls cost 13p per minute, plus your phone company’s access charge. Booking fees apply online and via our sales line.

Why is this happening? Find out more about the shortage of Celtic 3rd kit.

UEFA Youth League qualifier first round, first-leg
Sonera Stadium, Helsinki, Finland
Wednesday, September 30, 2015

HJK HELSINKI U19…0

CELTIC U19…5

(Hendry 32, Nesbitt 35, 53, 66, Miller 37)

A FIRST-HALF scoring spree from Celtic’s attacking players gave the Bhoys’ Under 19 squad a solid victory over HJK Helsinki in the first-leg of their UEFA Youth League first round qualifier in Finland.

A scintillating five minute spell from Tommy McIntyre’s side half an hour into the game saw strikes from Regan Hendry, Aidan Nesbitt and Calvin Miller all find the back of net to assert the Celts’ ’ dominance in the match and the tie overall.

A double from Nesbitt within 20 minutes of the restart then gave the Hoops playmaker a well-earned hat-trick and his side complete control going into next month’s second-leg at the Almondvale Stadium in Livingston.

Celtic started the match with an attack-minded line-up, spearheaded by Miller in the lone strike role, and they took the game to the hosts from (Free bet) Kick-off.

High pressing from the Hoops’ attacking line pinned the home team back inside the first 10 minutes and Theo Archibald forced the first corner of the match with a stinging left-footed shot from distance before Nesbitt also tried his luck from 20 yards.

The Celts were well in control and passed the ball with direction and creativity but HJK looked happy to soak up pressure and hit on the break. 

The Finnish side were forced into an early substitution after Kalle Salmi replaced Joachim Bockerman mid-way through the first-half after the full-back failed to recover from a head knock he took while blocking a cross from Archibald.

As the hosts readjusted Celtic continued to press forward and their attacking efforts finally paid off just after the half-hour mark when they deservedly took the lead through Hendry. The winger’s accurate finish from inside the box after poor defending from HJK was well struck and found the back of the net to open the floodgates for the Bhoys on 32 minutes.

Nesbitt then doubled Celtic’s lead when he controlled a high ball with his right foot 25 yards out and knocked it over his marker with one touch before curling in a sumptuous volley from outside the box with his back partially to goal with his second.

It was a stunning finish from the Hoops playmaker but the pressure didn’t stop there and the Celts went 3-0 up straight from the restart after great pressing from Miller won the ball in midfield and raced in on goal to slot low under the HJK keeper to make it 3-0.

It was a scintillating five minute spell from Tommy McIntyre’s side and gave them a solid lead at the interval.

HJK remerged for the second-half determined to restore their pride but Celtic we clearly a class above the home team and reasserted their dominance quickly. And it wasn’t long before their control of possession reaped more goals with Nesbitt netting his second of the match on 53 minutes.

The winger gathered the ball outside the box and danced his way inside, avoiding a strong challenge before placing a powerful shot into the far corner of the net to make it 4-0 to the Celts.

McIntyre’s Bhoys continued to push forward with Nesbitt proving a constant menace to the home team’s defence and his efforts paid off again when he bagged his third of the match.

High pressing from the Celts once more won the ball deep in HJK territory, allowing Nesbitt to run at the Finnish team’s defence. His pace took him beyond his markers and gave him time to send a well-placed lob over Tomi Mikkelsson to seal his hat-trick.

The home side had a brief rally afterwards, forcing Colin McCabe into a good save from Omar Jama’s shot but it was the first time the keeper was called into action and he pushed the shot wide comfortably.

As the game approached its conclusion Nesbitt was replaced by Innes Murray, with the attacker going off to round of applause from the home fans.

Celtic maintained their superiority as the clock ticked down and defended a pair of late corners from HJK before the referee signalled the end of the game and a truly dominant performance from the Young Hoops.

CELTIC(4-2-3-1) McCabe; Breslin, Kelleher, McCart, McIlduff; Thomson, Hill; Hendry, Nesbitt (Murray 81), Archibald; Miller (Aitchison 86)

Not used: Wardrop, Doohan, Payne, Johnston, Higgins

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