Celtic players get timely boost, says O’Neill

CELTIC manager Martin O’Neill claimed yesterday that his players had been given a timely boost from Tuesday night’s results in Europe.

The Scottish champions enjoyed victories over Juventus, Porto, Ajax, Rosenborg and Valencia during last season’s thrilling campaign. But they have since been reeling from missing out on a return to the Champions League after their amazing collapse against FC Basle.

However, the Celtic boss feels that his players can take confidence from the fact that the Swiss side, Valencia and Rosenborg, all enjoyed good nights as they embark on a UEFA Cup adventure starting with Lithuanians FK Suduva at Parkhead tonight. ‘‘I suppose last night’s results in European football in many ways gave us a bit of a boost,’’ explained O’Neill.