Mariners dampen Celtic

Whilst pre-season friendlies are almost instantly forgettable affairs, Celtic’s 0-1 defeat to a limited Central Coast Mariners outfit in Sydney yesterday, did little to convince Hoops fans that Lennon’s grim assessment would galvanise his players on their pre-season jaunt Down Under.

Lennon handed new summer signings Kelvin Wilson and Adam Matthews their full debuts and included just three starters from their Scottish Cup final-winning team.

But the match produced few clear chances until unheralded Mariners substitute Troy Hearfield curled in a shot from the edge of the area in the 87th minute after Joe Ledley had failed to clear a cross from the left. Another second-half Mariners substitute, Trent Sainsbury, cleared the ball off the line from Gary Hooper’s goal-bound attempt just before the end of the 90 minutes, as Celtic had an appeal for handball refused.

Lennon omitted Thomas Rogne and Charlie Mulgrew as a precaution after they reported stiff muscles, while Kris Commons remained on the bench with a similar issue. Matthews started at right-back, with Mark Wilson on the left, while Wilson and Glenn Loovens were at the heart of the Celtic defence with Lukasz Zaluska in goal.

Richie Towell started on the right wing with James Forrest on the opposite flank outside skipper Scott Brown and Beram Kayal, with Shaun Maloney and Daryl Murphy up front.

Celtic dominated the first half but neither goalkeeper was significantly tested. Lennon rang the changes at half-time sending on Anthony Stokes, Gary Hooper and Paddy McCourt for Matthews, Daryl Murphy, and Beram Kayal.

Despite the one-way traffic towards the Mariners goal, the home side should have taken the lead in the 60th minute when Adriano Pellegrino headed wide with the goal at his mercy.

Reflecting afterwards, Lennon wasn’t worried by the defeat, considering his team only arrived on Wednesday after an arduous flight from Glasgow to Sydney.

“The players condition and the quality, particularly second half, it was a remarkable performance when you consider the week they’ve been through,” Lennon said.

“They’ve been travelling all the way over on Tuesday and Wednesday and then one day’s training, played very, very well second half and controlled the game.

“I thought they scored with their one shot on target, and we could have had two penalties, but overall I’m delighted with the performance.”

Mariners boss Graeme Arnold, who handed former Celtic player Michael McGlinchey the captain’s armband, believes his side deserved to win despite Celtic enjoying the lion’s share of possession.

“I thought our defensive structure was again good tonight, although we were rusty in our execution in the final third,” said Arnold. “Overall, I thought we played well. It’s the first time the boys have played in this stadium, and to play a powerhouse side like Celtic was fantastic for them.

The attendance of 19,482 at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium was an accurate reflection of the game; respectable but not spectacular.

Celtic defender Daniel Majstorovic, Greek striker Georgios Samaras, and South Korean Ky Sung-Yeung are scheduled to arrive in Perth on Tuesday to boost Lennon’s squad in time for the second match of Celtic’s tour Down Under against Perth Glory next Saturday, where a reunion with former Rangers midfielder Ian Ferguson awaits. Celtic’s final match in Australia is against Melbourne Victory on 13 July.

Central Coast Mariners: Pasfield, McBreen, Rose, Bojic, Zwaanswijk, Hutchinson, Griffiths, Ibini-isei, Pellegrino, Bozanic, McGlinchey (C). Subs: Matic, Porter, Hearfield, Mccdonald, Sainsbury, Baird, Gallagher.

Celtic: Zaluska, Matthews, Brown (C), Wilson, Maloney, Wilson, Loovens, Murphy, Towell, Kayal, Forrest. Subs: Cervi, Stokes, Commons, Ledley, McCourt, Hooper.