Celtic win pre-season opener with late goal

Celtic vs Astana
Celtic vs Astana

Whether you believe preseason victories or performances are important, it’s always nice to get victory when you first take the pitch.

Celtic did that on Wednesday, as well as running out a number of new boys, ahead of their Champions League qualifier tie to come in two weeks.

Celtic were made to sweat as they faced Austrian side BW Linz, a second division side. But they would ended up getting the winner through James Forrest with just five minutes left on the clock.

The win will be a nice thing to look back on, but the match won’t be fondly remembered by very many.

What was notable, though, was the debut of new signing Jonny Hayes. Outside of that, it was about building up fitness. Oh, and Brendan Rodger’s son got to play the full second half as he looks to get a club to sign him.

So, there’s that. One down, hopefully many more to go as far as Celtic fans are concerned. Next up will be a much sterner test as they face Rapid Vienna on Saturday.