BRENDAN RODGERS raided the transfer market to spend £3million on Rapid Vienna winger Nicolas Kuhn and he also brought in Norwich City striker Adam Idah on loan until the end of the season.
Within two games in February, the new Bhoys had proved their worth.
Kuhn claimed Celtic’s equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Aberdeen at Pittodrie and four days later Idah rifled two penalty-kicks past ex-Hoops No.1 David Marshall in a crucial 2-1 victory over Hibs at Easter Road.
WELCOME TO CELTIC…Nicolas Kuhn sweeps in a debut goal in the 1-1 draw with Aberdeen at Pittodrie.
Both made their debuts against the Dons as the visitors attempted to fight back after going a goal down to a strike from Bojan Miovski.
Kuhn and Idah combined to conjure a 63rd minute leveller just six minutes after their introductions for out-of-sorts Liel Abada and Paulo Bernardo.
The German wide Bhoy lashed the ball win of Kelle Roos, but it was Joe Hart to the rescue for the visitors eight minutes later with a brilliant stop from Graeme Shinnie.
It had been a far from convincing performance from Rodgers’ side and they also toiled to get maximum points from their trip to Leith where they had fired blanks earlier in the season.
JUST CAPITAL…Adam Idah celebrates his second penalty-kick against Hibs with Anthony Ralston and Matt O’Riley joining in after a dramatic evening at Easter Road.
On this occasion, Idah thumped in two penalty-kicks – the second in the fading moments – to make certain of a vital win. Brendan Rodgers’ reaction at full-time told you all you needed to know about this much-needed result.
There was no such drama in the Scottish Cup as goals from Japanese double-act Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda got the job done against St Mirren in Paisley, but the feelgood factor hit the buffers a week later as Celtic wastefully surrendered two points in a 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock at Parkhead.
The Hoops were leading through a strike from Kyogo when David Watson was left unmarked at the far post to head in a last-minute equaliser.
Normal service was resumed in the next two games in the run to the turn of the month with a 3-1 comeback win over Motherwell at Fir Park where second-half substitute Idah netted a double.
JOY RODGERS…the Celtic boss displays his delight after the win over Hibs in Edinburgh.
Rodgers’ men went on the rampage three days later as they dumped Dundee 7-1 at Parkhead where the visitors were hit with a first-half whirlwind.
Idah scored his first goal in Glasgow and was joined on the scoresheet by Cameron Carter-Vickers, with his first of the season, Matt O’Riley, Daizen Maeda, Greg Taylor and Callum McGregor.
Teen midfielder Daniel Kelly, a substitute at the interval for the Hoops skipper, netted his debut Celtic goal before Dundee claimed a late consolation.
RESULTS
February 3: Premiership: Aberdeen 1 CELTIC 1
Kuhn
February 7: Premiership: Hibs 1 CELTIC 2
Idah (2 pens)
February 11: Scottish Cup Fifth Round: St Mirren 0 CELTIC 2
Kyogo, Maeda
February 17: Premiership: CELTIC 1 Kilmarnock 1
Kyogo
February 25: Premiership: Motherwell 1 CELTIC 3
Idah (2), Palma
February 28: Premiership: CELTIC 7 Dundee 1
Carter-Vickers, Idah, O’Riley, Maeda, Taylor, McGregor, Kelly
* TOMORROW: Don’t miss Diary of an Epic Season: March
