McCourt magic sends Bhoys home happy

A FIRST-HALF masterclass from Paddy McCourt, crowned by a superbly taken goal, lit up this friendly game and gave Celtic the spoils at an admiring Turner’s Cross.

It was the promise of this fixture which helped save Cork City at the 11th hour in the High Court and, on a lovely late summer’s evening, the ground rose to warmly acclaim both the visitors and the home team as they took the pitch in front of a crowd of around 3,500.

The competing attraction of live television coverage of Italy versus Bulgaria, coupled with Celtic’s less than stellar line-up, might have meant that the full house signs were never in danger of going up but there still a smattering of familiar faces in the visiting selection, not least recent stars of the domestic game Graham Carey – back in Parkhead after his impressive loan spell at Bohemians – and the incomparable McCourt.