Having kick-started the year in strong form, Celtic FC B returned to the Excelsior Stadium on Saturday afternoon for the first time since the beginning of January.

The young Hoops side has put in a number of strong performances since the turn of the year, mostly coming on the road in the Premier League International Cup and Lowland League.

However, they were back on home soil this weekend as Bo’ness United travelled to Airdrie.

The last time the two sides met earlier in the campaign, it ended in a disappointing defeat for the Celts. But this young side has come a long way since then.

And that was on show as they ran out 3-1 winners over their opponents, thanks to goals from Corey Thomson, Daniel Cummings and Jude Bonnar.

Speaking to Celtic TV after the match reflecting upon the performance, B Team coach Stephen McManus was left impressed with the nature of his side’s victory.

McManus praised the group for their form in recent weeks as they made it seven games unbeaten in all competitions.

He said: “It was a good performance. The boys thoroughly deserved their victory. We spoke about it before the game, and at half-time about trying to play in a certain way.

“I felt we did that within the game. We’ve played a lot of games recently, and we’ve got a few more coming up.

“So we are very mindful of certain players, getting certain minutes which was important. Everybody got through it okay, which was great.”

“The likes of Cole Crawford came on for his first appearance with the B Team. He’s been doing very well with the under-18s.

“So it was good to get him on the pitch as well and then some of the boys who maybe haven’t played as many minutes as regularly this year as what they would like.

‘When you look at it over since the turn of the year, the players’ performances in the games have been excellent.’

“We can definitely see the progression within the group. So both myself and Darren are delighted with the performance.”

Stephen McManus: The team continue their excellent 2024 form