With a much-changed first-team Celtic sailed into the semi-finals of the 2019 Betfred League Cup with a 5-0 hammering of Championship strugglers Partick Thistle.
For Celtic it was a 29th consecutive cup victory meanwhile for Thistle’s new manager Ian McCall it was a sobering start to his second reign in charge of the west end club.
There was a debut for 18-year-old new signing Jeremie Frimpong with Elhamed moving into central defence whilst Jonny Hayes, Olivier Ntcham, Mohamed Elyounoussi, Tom Rogic, Lewis Morgan and Vakoun Bayo also got starts.
Big Bayo finally got his first goal for the club – having had two previous strikes struck off as own goals – with a header on 15 mins.
Tom Rogic slammed home a second one minute into the second half, Olivier Ntcham got a double and substitute Scott Sinclair came on to score in the final fifteen minutes.
Indeed things went so swimmingly that even substitute Jack Hendry got a run out with a little over ten minutes to go.
And that sets us up for a League Cup semi-final against Hibs on the first weekend of November.
The struggling Edinburgh side trundled past Kilmarnock with a penalty shoot-out win after a goalless draw at Rugby Park last night.
Their besieged manager Paul Heckningbottom rather desperately claims that they have ‘turned a corner’ which seems fanciful at best considering the nature of their progression plus their previous form this season.
Indeed we play them in the early kick-off this Saturday at Easter Road. There we will find out if they really have turned a corner or if Heckingbottom is just grasping at straws.
We’ll have big Chris Jullien, Boli-Bolingoli, James Forrest and Odsonne Edouard back involved and all fresh and raring to go after their rests last night.
This summer Hibs embarked on a transfer policy that saw Heckingbotom bring in a slew of lower league English players including Adam Jackson, Tom James, Christian Doidge, Joe Newell and Josh Vela clearly thinking that would be more than enough to have Hibs challenging for points and prizes.
However, four defeats, one draw and a solitary win in the league sees them one point off the bottom and would suggest otherwise.
They also threw away a lead and capitulated late to fellow strugglers Hearts on Sunday in the Edinburgh derby a defeat which prompted some fans to protest at their managers’ stewardship outside the ground and demand his sacking.
Last nights League Cup progression may allow him some breathing space but the reality is a heavy defeat against us on Saturday could see him get his jotters.
The fact we sauntered to a win with several players rested whilst his full-strength team had to endure extra time and penalties won’t help him.
I’ve done quite well with predications recently as I called the score draw in Rennes and us winning by a two-goal margin against Kilmarnock.
So I’ll try and keep it going by predicting a 3-0 win on Saturday with the potential for it to be one or two more.
Elsewhere Rangers staggered past Livingston 1-0 at The Tony Macaroni Arena in a game in which they should have been down to ten men and they’ll meet Hearts in the other semi after the Tynecastle side eliminated Aberdeen 3-0 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in normal time.
So barring a huge upset in one or both semis it’s all set-up for a first national cup final against Rangers for a very long time.
Watch this space.
....Always A Tim! 