Celts go another step closer to paradise

Neil Lennon might wish to play it down but he watched his Celtic side take another confident step towards the treble with a 2-0 William Hill Scottish Cup fifth-round win at Inverness yesterday.

A first-half strike from striker Georgios Samaras and a second-half spot kick from Scott Brown, which made it three goals in three games for the rejuvenated Hoops skipper, eased the cup holders into today’s draw at Hampden.

Celtic are already in the final of the Scottish Communities League Cup final where they will play Kilmarnock at Hampden next month, and are one point above Rangers at the top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League with a game in hand.

And having gone 15 domestic games unbeaten, the Parkhead men are in fine fettle ahead of their SPL game against Hearts at Tynecastle in midweek, the scene of their last SPL defeat in October.

Lennon said: “Things can change very quickly but we are really pleased with where we are at the minute.

“It was the toughest tie we probably could have had, apart from being at Ibrox, so I’m thrilled to get through it.

“We wanted to be in all the competitions at the end of yesterday, that was the remit before the game, and we are so it’s good.

“But there is a long way to go yet.”

Once again the Irishman showed he was unafraid to make changes to a winning team.

Defenders Adam Matthews and Kelvin Wilson, midfielder Kris Commons and Samaras came in for Cha Du-ri, Emilio Izaguirre, James Forrest and Anthony Stokes, the latter two starting on the bench.

The former Celtic skipper, though, appeared sensitive to the suggestion that he had changed virtually half his team.

“I didn’t change half the team,” he said. “I made four changes. Is that half the team?

“You keep questioning the selection but I didn’t pick the team until I had a look at the pitch and the conditions.

“I felt it was the best way to go in terms of matching their pace going forward and we needed an ’out ball’ at the top end of the pitch.

“I thought Samaras did that for us and I thought [Kelvin] Wilson and [Adam] Matthews did that at the other end.

“Kris still has a bit to do to get where we want him to be but he is a very important player and he will be in the run-in.”

Angry Caley Thistle boss Terry Butcher described the encounter as a training game for Celtic, who convincingly brought to an end his side’s decent run of seven games unbeaten.

The former Motherwell manager now has to get his players ready for the trip to Parkhead in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League next weekend.

“In the seven-match unbeaten run, we had been a difficult team to beat,” said Butcher.

“We were too easy to beat against Celtic. We made two horrendous mistakes which is unforgivable.”

INVERNESS CT: Tuffey, Graeme Shinnie, Gillet, Proctor, Meekings, Tokely, Hayes (Winnall 74), Tansey, Foran, Ross (Gnakpa 61), Tade (Sutherland 61).

CELTIC: Forster, Kelvin Wilson, Rogne, Mulgrew, Matthews, Brown, Ledley (Twardzik 90), Wanyama, Hooper (Stokes 82), Samaras, Commons (Forrest 62).

Referee: Calum Murray (Scotland).