Resurrection of defensive bedrock, work done in your name

The bedrock Celtic built their record-breaking league win on last was the defence; we went months without conceding, serious chances for opponents were written up lustily.  A large part of the summer shambles was the contrasting nature of our defensive play; Legia Warsaw scored six but they also missed a hatful.

While our results have improved in recent weeks it’s the defensive record which has shown the most marked up-lift.  We’ve conceded only twice in seven games, a ricochet against Astra and that goal against Hamilton.  By contrast, we kept only a solitary clean sheet in the seven games prior to this run.

On the surface, we looked shaky in defence for the latter parts of the game against Inverness on Saturday, but while there is still work to do, the defence can be encouraged that they are able to withstand sustained pressure – and that they can rely on their keeper, when necessary.

A couple of action points for you:

Magners are donating £18,300 to the Celtic Foundation.  The money will go to the four areas the Foundation work: Health, Equality, Learning and Poverty, in proportion to how fans nominate those areas.  To participate, tweet @MagnersUK with one of the following hashtags: #Health, #Equality, #Learning or #Poverty.

Magners have been a great help to our campaign to build a fourth CQN school kitchen for Mary’s Meals in recent weeks, so I’m keen we support and encourage this initiative.  £18,300 is a huge bonus for the Foundation, they will do great work with it.

The Foundation are full on with their Christmas strategy at the moment.  This year money will be split between those who look after the homeless and vulnerable, and individual families – identified by grassroots organisations, to help them buy gifts for kids and put a Christmas meal on the table.

This work is being done in your name, so make sure you’re aware of it.

The inaugural Foundation ladies’ lunch event, Ghirls for Good, takes place on Saturday 13 December, proceeds towards the Christmas Appeal.  If you qualify……. Book here.

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