After a goal-less first half, the challenge became greater for the young Celts when Bo’ness United scored the opener in the 74th minute. However, the Hoops reacted well to the setback to score twice.

“We’ve said from the start of the season, at this age group the boys need to learn resilience and find a way to win football matches when they’re on top," said McManus, "and when they’re not, they need to find a way to get the three points.

“Against Bo'ness, they didn’t panic and stuck to their guns and there was some terrific performances. Ben Quinn was terrific again.”

The Celtic B team are back in action this Saturday as they welcome Edinburgh University to the Excelsior Stadium (KO: 3pm). The Hoops recently secured a 4-2 victory over the side in the capital, but McManus expects another test this weekend.

“The games are all different," he said. "Whether you’re home or away, every team we’ve faced this season will through up a different challenge.

“It’s important that we need to stick to the way we’re trying to play. You can see that in how we play, there’s a consistency within the movements and patterns.

“I still think we can get a bit better defensively, at times I think we are naive defending our box and there are small things we need to improve on.

“It was another positive performance on Wednesday night. The games have come thick and fast and you can see the boys are learning, developing and getting better all the time."

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Stephen McManus: B team produced another positive performance