City of Glasgow Cup
Lennoxtown Training Centre
Tuesday, March 3, 2020

CELTIC… 3
(Welsh 3, McGrath 43, Burt 48)

QUEEN’S PARK… 0

CELTIC produced a strong performance to beat Queen’s Park 3-0 at Lennoxtown in a City of Glasgow group-stage game. Captain Stephen Welsh led the way, opening the scoring after just three minutes when he headed home from a superb Kerr McInroy set-piece delivery into the box.

Queen’s Park immediately tried to respond but Kevin Lleshi’s effort from a right angle went over the bar.

The Hoops were controlling possession, and Karamoko tested the visitors’ keeper just moments after Liam Hughes had saved well in the Celtic goal. And Tommy McIntyre’s side came even closer on 23 minutes but Kieran McGrath’s powerful strike came crashing back off the post.

Celtic continued to push forward in search of a second goal, but both Armstrong Oko-Flex and Leo Hjelde were denied by Jacques Heraghty in the Queen’s Park goal.

But with two minutes of the first-half remaining, the Hoops finally doubled their lead when McGrath pounced on a defensive mistake to slot the ball home.

And three minutes after the break, it was 3-0 when Liam Burt latched on to a superb Daniel Church pass to finish coolly. On 51 minutes, Burt was denied his second of the night when Heraghty produced another good save.

With 15 minutes remaining, Hughes was called upon to prevent Queen’s Park pulling a goal back, showing great bravery to make the save. And the visitors’ almost scored Celtic’s fourth of the night with a poor back-pass, but it scraped the post and went wide.

The Hoops remained in control and saw out the game comfortably, thoroughly deserving the 3-0 win.

CELTIC: Hughes, Savoury, Church (Paterson 80), Hjelde, Welsh, McInroy (Wylie 50), Dembele, Coffey (McKay 85), McGrath (Murray, 80), Burt (Montgomery 85), Oko-Flex.
Subs: Smith, Moffat

Celts in control with City of Glasgow Cup win over Queen's Park