Celtic FC Academy’s U18 side took to McDiarmid Park last Friday (March 3) in the Scottish FA Youth Cup semi-final against St Johnstone.

Having defeated Dundee, Deveronvale FC and Dunfermline Athletic in the previous three rounds, scoring 21 goals, the Bhoys put in another dominant display to secure their place in the final with a convincing 5-0 victory.

Celtic opened the scoring after 25 minutes when Lewis Dobbie’s deflected strike hit the back of the net after a strong opening period. Enjoying much of the first-half possession, the Hoops headed in for the break leading 1-0.

The second half brought more goalmouth action, with Daniel Cummings adding to the score line on 48 minutes to make it 2-0. Less than 10 minutes later, Cummings secured his brace and the Celts’ third of the evening with an impressive long-range strike.

The attacking play didn’t slow down there as Caleb Goldie was at the back post to tap home Benny-Jackson Luyeye’s looping ball into the box with 72 minutes on the clock.

Substitute Alasdair Davidson got Celtic’s fifth in the closing stages of the match, rounding off a brilliant performance and securing the team’s spot in the final.

With the second semi-final being played later this month, Stuart McLaren’s side will play either Hamilton Academical or Rangers at the national stadium.

Match reaction

Speaking after the match, U18s coach Stuart McLaren said: “I was absolutely delighted with the boys and the professionalism that they’ve shown throughout the competition.

“Their performances in each of the rounds have been of a very high standard and Friday’s match was no different.

“Right from the first whistle, they set about getting control of the game. The pitch wasn’t the most conducive to free-flowing football but the boys passed the ball exceptionally well, created a number of chances and limited St Johnstone across the game.”

Looking ahead to the final, he added: “The game at Hampden will be enormous for the boys. With the aspiration of becoming a Celtic first-team player, you have to get used to those occasions and everything they bring.

'To give the boys that experience for their development will be great but also for their memories. No matter what happens within their journey in football, they’ll always have this cup run and final to look back on.'

“Hopefully this is the first of many for a lot of them and they can get the win when the day comes.”

Celtic hold the most victories in the competition having lifted the cup 15 times, most recently in 2017 when the Hoops won 3-0 over Rangers at Hampden Park.

Match reaction

Watch the goals

Young Celts set for Hampden with Scottish FA Youth Cup victory