youths in cup action at celtic park

Mark Henderson
CELTIC fans are being encouraged to come along and show their support to the Under-19 team as they aim to reach the final of the SFA Youth Cup. 

Tommy McIntyre and Stevie Frail’s side have drawn Livingston in the semi-final and the game is being held at Celtic Park.

The match will go ahead on Wednesday, March 31 with a 7pm kick-off.

In the previous round, the young Hoops dispatched Dundee United in a 5-4 thriller and Frail expects the clash with Livingston to be another difficult tie. He also hopes that fans take the opportunity to come along and give the players some extra backing.

He said: “We were a bit disappointed that the recent league game with Rangers was moved from the Excelsior to Barrowfield, as that would has been a great opportunity for fans to come along and see what we are trying to do here.

“So hopefully the cup game will be like that and we can get a few of them through the door. It would be fantastic to get to the final as that is what all the hard work is for.

“We have a three-pronged aim here and that is development and winning the league as well as the cup.

“It will be a new one for many of the players, so it will be a great experience for them and hopefully we can go to reach the final. But we know it will be a tough game, as Livingston have been going really well.”
 
Last week the younger members of the U19 squad took part in tournament in Dubai, while several players also took part in the reserves’ match with Sunderland on Tuesday.

But the full squad are now back together and preparing for a return to league action on Saturday when they travel to St Andrews to take on St Johnstone.

Celtic currently lead the way in the league, while the Saints find themselves rooted to the bottom. However, Frail knows that the game will not be easy in an extremely competitive division. 

He said: “The guys are back now from Dubai now and we will have the players returning from the reserves as well, so we are looking forward to the match and to try and keep the winning run going.

“I think St Johnstone have strengthened since we last played them and they will be a bit more difficult to play against now.

“And we know how hard it will be as every game in this league is tough, particularly as everyone wants to get a good result against Celtic.”