Leigh Griffiths: This is a message for the pundits and ex-pros who think my time at Celtic is finished

Leigh Griffiths sidefoots home Celtic's opening goal at Firhill as his team won their 32nd cup tie in a row. Picture: Craig Williamson/SNS

Novel in these times, though, was them being sent on their way by a goal from a sprightly Leigh Griffiths. The performance of the one-man news generator, in his first domestic start since September, brought him a first goal in five months and helped turn the tie in favour of the visitors.

Following a 2019 lost to the player requiring to take time away from the game with personal issues before injury problems derailed a summer comeback, Griffiths was determined to press home that reports of his demise have been greatly exaggerated. They certainly have been voluminous since the  £3.5 million signing this week of striker Patryk Klimala, who replaced him for a debut late on.

The Scotland striker placed fingers in his ears to celebrate a typically opportunistic strike that broke the deadlock in the 12th minute – slamming in from eight yards when Thistle’s James Penrice inadvertently slid the ball towards him when looking to deny Odsonne Edouard.

Griffiths was asked if this celebration was directed to the many who have expressed doubts over his future. “Correct,” came his emphatic reply. “There are a lot of pundits and ex-pros who think my time at Celtic is finished. But that’s a message to them. The only way I can shut them up is by scoring goals and playing well. My time at Celtic is far from finished, believe me. Hopefully this is just the start again.

“I’ve had to bite my tongue, I’m not going to lie. I keep seeing and reading the same stuff on social media – or I get sent the same things.

“It’s not nice to see and I wish people would just let me get on with my game. I just want to play football. But everyone wants to talk about me, saying because Celtic are bringing in another striker I’m finished at the club. Today I’ve shown I’m still around and I can still score goals. It feels like the old Leigh Griffiths is back. In the last couple of weeks at training I’ve felt brilliant, really sharp.

“The more chances I get to play the fitter I’ll become. Game time will be helpful because I want to be back in the Scotland fold come March. That’s a big aim for me as well. The more games I get, the better chance I have of getting into that squad. Physically and mentally this is as good as I’ve felt in a long time.”

Thistle did well to frustrate their visitors after struggling to contain a side that included the quicksilver Tom Rogic for the first time in six weeks. They were fortunate to do so, Neil Lennon putting that down to his team over-elaborating as they utterly dominated. It is a charge that could certainly be levelled at Edouard, despite the Frenchman cracking the bar with one effort.

Yet, aside from on-loan Manchester City winger Daniel Arzani featuring for the first time since sustaining a knee ligament injury on his Celtic debut 14 months ago and Thistle veteran Kenny Miller thumping the post on the stretch from two yards to miss the chance of levelling on the stroke of the interval, two penalty decisions provided the talking points.

Both involved Jeremie Frimpong. The Celtic full-back was left aghast when referee Alan Muir failed to penalise a Penrice elbow that sent him sprawling in the box before the break. The Dutch defender was left even more slack-jawed when, in the closing seconds of the tie, Muir decreed he had been guilty of an illegal challenge after he hared back to go shoulder-to-shoulder in the area with Dario Zanatta.

With almost the last kick, Stuart Bannigan tucked away the resultant penalty, the goal largely irrelevant as a result of Callum McGregor, inset, making it 2-0 in the 77th minute courtesy of a long-range drive that deflected off Steven Saunders to outfox keeper Scott Fox.

The two decisions, that did not stand up to television scrutiny, left Lennon groaning. “The first one was a push on the back, a definite penalty, Jerry is at full pace and he has gone over – he has not dived – so I don’t know how that can’t be a penalty,” said the Celtic manager.

“Second one, I think he [Frimpong] has got his body across Zanatta. His recovery was terrific and he didn’t deserve that.”