HARD WORK REAPS REWARDS

John Kennedy was delighted with Celtic’s response against Motherwell – now he wants to extend that form from here on

- TONY CONNELLY

THE level of performance from Celtic in their win over Motherwell is exactly what John Kennedy was looking for from the team. The challenge now will be to consistently hit such heights in the upcoming fixtures and the Hoops’ assistant manager said the players are experienced enough to know hard work is the most efficient fuel for success.

Celtic’s dominant 4-1 win against Motherwell at Fir Park on Sunday (November 8) saw them head into the international break on a high, however recent weeks will serve as a reminder that the lows can immediately follow.

The scoreline was flipped three days earlier when Celtic lost their Europa League home game to Sparta Prague. That result was a disappointing blow given the strong performance in the Scottish Cup semi-final win against Aberdeen in the previous game.

Celtic started on the front foot at Fir Park and quickly set about their opponents to take the lead in the eighth minute through Mohamed Elyounoussi. The Norwegian doubled the lead midway through the first half and then completed his hat-trick in the second period immediately after Motherwell grabbed a goal back. The game was well and truly put to bed when substitute Oliver Ntcham slotted in Celtic’s fourth.

The performance was an accurate reflection of a Celtic side who have won every piece of domestic silverware for the past four seasons and John Kennedy was delighted to see how the players responded to the disappointment earlier in the week.