Stephen McManus: You can see the progression of the squad after all their hard work | OneFootball

It was a positive start to 2024 for the Celtic FC B team squad, who kicked off the New Year with a victory over Broomhill.

Following on from the Bhoys’ impressive 7-0 win against Gretna last week, the young Celtic side were quickly back in action in Airdrie.

And they appeared to have carried over momentum from that result, putting in another strong performance under the lights to seal all three points.

Daniel Cummings' first-half strike was followed up by a well-earned goal from Rocco Vata in the closing stages of the match as the Celts made it two league wins from their last two.

Speaking to Celtic TV after the match, B Team coach Stephen McManus admitted he was impressed with particular aspects of his squad’s performance which helped them to victory.

He said: “It was another good performance from the boys. We knew it was going to be a difficult game – Broomhill is a well-coached side.

“They are always well organised, but the boys performed well in and out of possession. We knew that Broomhill would be aggressive in their press. So it was important to try to play through them.

“We were maybe a wee bit wasteful at the top end of the pitch. But overall as a whole, it was a really good performance.”

The end of 2023 proved to be a busy time of year for the young Hoops, playing in several competitions such as the UEFA Youth League and Premier League International Cup.

In amongst those matches was also a busy Lowland League schedule, and although Friday’s match was the first of 2024, it was the B Team’s 30 competitive match of the season so far.

That schedule may throw its challenges the way of Stephen McManus and Darren O’Dea’s squad, however, they have been pleased to see the progress on display across the last few months.

McManus is hopeful that can continue as the season progresses, with the hard work on the training ground being clear to see in the performances on the pitch.

“Our main focus is about trying to balance everything throughout the season. We have played a lot of games so far, which is great.

“We have tried to vary it up with the team, utilising the squad over the last couple of months, which has been great.

“Now we are looking to get into a wee bit more of a rhythm in the Lowland League.  So we will just keep being positive, and keep working hard on the training pitch. That is ultimately where our hard work is.

“Daniel Kelly is looking very good, Mackenzie Carse has been excellent, and Lenny Agbaire has been terrific since the start of the season.

“It was great to see Colby Donovan coming in for his second start tonight too. He was unlucky in his first game against Cowdenbeath coming off with a knock.

“We want the games to come thick and fast. That is how the boys keep momentum. We’ve got a brilliant bunch who are desperate to play.

“There is a bench there full of boys who are wanting to play and they’ve made a real impact this season as well.

“So we just need to keep it going, keep pushing and see where it takes us. It’s a tough schedule, but it’s one they will enjoy. Every week is a different challenge, and that is important.”