Anthony Stokes keeps cool after his house comes under attack

Anthony Stokes' week took a turn for the better in Perth on Wednesday night as he helped Celtic into the last four of the Cooperative Insurance Cup with a brace in the 3-2 victory over St Johnstone.

This match-winning contribution came on the back of a booking in the opening minute of Sunday's Old Firm defeat to Rangers. Stokes was later substituted and his day did not get any better when he heard that a wheelie-bin had been hurled at a window in his new rented home in Broxburn.

Police were called after as many as 15 thugs gathered outside in a further incident of unrest after the controversial match at Parkhead. Stokes was not present at the time, but his mother and father were described in one report as being "trapped" inside the house.

The player has only just moved to Broxburn from Edinburgh, following his transfer from Hibernian to Celtic. But he has insisted that he won't be forced into moving again and he showed little signs of stress as he scored twice inside the first 13 minutes on Wednesday at a rain-lashed Perth.

"I'm not going to be intimidated by people coming up to my house," he said yesterday. "It's just one of those things you have to forget about. I had people over (from Dublin] but I just want to forget about it and concentrate on my football. I wasn't there at the time."

"Listen, if people have a few drinks they tend to do stupid things," he added. "I'm sure in a lot of those incidents lads have looked back and regretted what happened. But before I came here I knew plenty of stories about things going on. You just have to forget about it and I'm concentrating on my football. That's the most important thing for me. To be fair, if you're playing for either of the Old Firm you kind of have to expect that. It's just part and parcel of it."

His goals on Wednesday were his first for the club since a brace against Inverness Caledonian Thistle in September, although Stokes has often been played out wide by manager Neil Lennon. He returned to his favoured position of centre-forward in midweek and took his tally to six for the campaign.

"Every striker wants to go out and score goals and we have some great players, but the most important thing is the team and performing for the team," said Stokes. "I'm playing out on the wing sometimes. I'm not going to score so many out there so I just have to work for the team."

Defender Mark Wilson, who had battled back from yet another injury to regain his place in the side, was the only unenforced change from the team which lost to Rangers but does not believe he has been made a scapegoat. "I wanted to play but I wasn't picked," Wilson said after Wednesday's win in Perth. "I wish I could say the manager was being careful with me, but I guess Saturday's SPL game against St Johnstone will be the judge of that.

"I'm feeling fit.I have no problems so I want to play every game, especially with missing so many over the years for Celtic. The manager reads the team out pretty quickly and you are expected to get on with it.

"Alan Thompson had a few word with me and I appreciated that. He had just felt that Cha Du-Ri was better suited to the game. It's up to me just to get on with it."