Martin O’Neill hailed the resilience of his Celtic players after a 2-1 victory over Hibs which he insisted was their best of the season so far.
Celtic were reeling from the Europa League defeat to Celta Vigo last Thursday as they travelled to Easter Road for today’s lunchtime kick-off against a Hibs side who sit bottom of the table.
With Storm Boelo ripping through the country, the high winds made for a scrappy and error-strewn contest in Leith.
After falling behind early, Celtic fought back to claim the three points when Camilo Duran netted what proved to be the winning goal just before half-time.
However, it was a victory which came at a cost as Alistair Johnston limped off with a possible recurrence of the hamstring injury which had kept him out of action for the past two-and-a-half months.
O’Neill was delighted that his players were able to grind it out in such testing conditions – and feels they answered any questions about their character.
Celtic boss Martin O’Neill was delighted that they ground out a 2-1 win in difficult conditions
Celtic defender Alistair Johnston is substituted after a comeback that lasted just 20 minutes
Hibs boss Marink Reedijk insists there are positives to take from their defeat at Easter Road
‘All things considered, especially with the conditions, I thought it was our best win of the season so far,’ said the Celtic boss, whose side maintained their four-point lead over Rangers at the top of the table.
‘Especially after going a goal behind early in the game, I’m delighted with the resilience and perseverance of the side.
‘I think we were still on the bus when Hibs scored. It was well-worked from their point of view, but clearly a setback for us. But I was delighted that we were able to equalise so soon after. That gave us an enormous lift.
‘Camilo is a top-class player and I think he showed that again with his goal to put us 2-1 up.
‘I don’t think we played particularly well in the game but it doesn’t matter. This is a difficult place to come. We’ve won the game and that shows a bit of character.
‘The conditions were clearly a factor with the wind, albeit it was the same for both teams. Hibs had difficulty with it as well.
‘It was a difficult afternoon for us for a number of reasons but I’m delighted we’ve come through it and shown real resilience.’
This was Johnston’s comeback game after over two months out of action, with the Canadian international right-back coming off the bench in the second half.
But his return lasted only 20 minutes before he pulled up and limped off. He is a player who has been plagued by injuries during his time at Celtic, so it was a huge concern.
For his part, O’Neill insisted that further examination would be required before the full extent of the problem is known.
‘He felt something a little bit high up in his hamstring,’ said the 74-year-old. ‘We don’t know yet the full extent of it, so we will have to wait and see.
‘You never know, it might be cramp, it might be a number of things. We just don’t know yet. We need to assess it further.
‘He was settling in brilliantly well in the time he was on the pitch. Let’s wait and see. I don’t want to say too much on it yet without knowing the full extent of it.’
It was another poor day for Kasper Hogh. The club record signing at £11million toiled once again after being restored to the team up front.
Hogh failed to make any impact whatsoever before being subbed off in the second half – and he remains without a goal in over two-and-a-half months.
But O’Neill reaffirmed his faith in the striker, saying: ‘I know I keep saying this, but I do think the goals will come. I’m not just saying this to please myself or anything, I genuinely do believe he will come good.’
Hibs boss Marink Reedijk clung to the positives despite recording a third successive defeat at the start of his Easter Road tenure. His side travel to Paisley to face St Mirren in midweek and are in dire need of a positive result to stop the rot.
‘I have a positive feeling, although I like to win,’ said the Dutchman. ‘What I saw is a team who kept on fighting and made it very difficult for Celtic.
‘Celtic were very clinical. They didn’t create a lot, this is due to us. From there, we can build something.’
