STEVIE WOODS

It's often said that the mainstay of every good side is the traditionally-lauded spine that runs through the middle of the team formation – the centre-forward up front spearheading a potent attack, the centre-half in the middle of the park controlling all around him, and the safe hands of a confident, alert and agile goalkeeper keeping things clean at the back.

If that’s the tenet of a good team, then it must be doubly true of a side that wins title after title and trophy after trophy, and it’s no coincidence that a run of fantastic Celtic goalkeepers over recent years corresponded with the era of Stevie Woods as the club’s goalkeeping coach.

You only have to look at the names of Celtic’s last line of defence who have worked under the tutelage of the former Motherwell keeper.

Since Stevie Woods took up the role in 2007, Celtic have been blessed with an array of keepers that would star in any side – stoppers such as Artur Boruc, Fraser Forster and Craig Gordon pay testament to that fact.

It’s no coincidence that Celtic’s goals against columns have made good reading over recent years.

While the club's scouting system can also claim undoubted credit for these signings, it is Stevie Woods who has improved these keepers even further and maintained their goal-stopping assets on a game-by-game basis.

Forster may have been dubbed ‘La Gran Muralla’ by the Catalan press after Celtic’s victory over Barcelona in November 2012, but is was Woods who helped build that wall, and another facet of his input is that back-up keepers such as Scott Bain can step into the fray seamlessly – a key ingredient of Celtic’s success.

It’s also no coincidence that Celtic’s goals against columns have made good reading over recent years – another vital component in the trophy-laden recent years.

As a player, he kept goal for Clydebank, Preston North End, the aforementioned Motherwell and St Mirren before coaching with Livingston and Dunfermline prior to being headhunted by Celtic. We can thank the Celtic scouting system for pinpointing Stevie Woods as much as for any of the astounding players they have delivered to the club over recent years.