Caldwell prefers to pitch in on Celtic rather than Fir Park woe

Published on Saturday 21 February 2009 09:30

GARY CALDWELL will disregard the well-documented problems of the Fir Park pitch to help Celtic try and find their form against Motherwell in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League tomorrow.

With only one win in their last five SPL games, the champions' lead over Rangers at the top of the table has been cut to two points.

The heavily-sanded Fir Park surface could lead to another afternoon of struggle for the visitors, but the Celtic defender believes it is simply another test for Gordon Strachan's side.

"It's always tough at Fir Park," said the former Hibs star. "Motherwell like to get the ball forward and put you under pressure physically. We also have to handle the pitch, which has been a problem.

"Sunday is one of the occasions when we need to be professional and do a job on a surface that isn't great."

Caldwell has yet to discover whether the circumstances will dictate a new gameplan.

"I don't know if we'll play a different style," he admitted.

"All I know is that we'll carry out the manager's instructions.

"I think we just need the confidence to know that we can go and win tough away matches like this. We need to string a few results together.

"A season has many ups and downs. Over the last few weeks, we've hit a sticky bit of form – but the first half against Rangers last week was a bit better.

"We want to build on that and hit a bit of form. By doing that, we hope we can win more football matches and have a chance of winning the title."