Paddy McCourt hopes to be fit to face Utrecht in the Europa League tomorrow and has laughed off the whiplash injury he sustained after celebrating his superb solo goal against Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Saturday.
The Derry Pelé collided with Shaun Maloney after scoring the only goal of the match and had to be replaced by James Forrest – a player who may benefit if McCourt does not prove his fitness ahead of the European clash. Following the disappointment of being knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers, the second-tier tournament offers Celtic a chance to restore some pride.
Given McCourt’s fitness problems since joining Celtic in June 2008, combined with his obvious skill, the news that he should be able to play a part in the Utrecht match comes as a boost, as well as perhaps a reminder of how signing an extra player or two to cover for freak injuries may be no bad thing before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.
McCourt told the Celtic View: “It’s the first clean sheet we have had for while, which is a big positive. We will be going into tomorrow’s game full of confidence. I was lucky enough to divert my shot into the corner, and stupid enough to run straight into Shaun.
“As I got up to celebrate, he came running at me and we just collided. I had a bit of whiplash, but thankfully it is settling down quickly so I am hoping to be available for the Utrecht game. It was just a freak accident. We had a laugh and a joke about it and luckily enough there’s no serious damage.”
Neil Lennon is likely to hand a debut to new-signing Daniel Majstorovic tomorrow in the place of the suspended Jos Hooiveld. Majstorovic signed a two-year deal earlier in the week and looked intimidating enough during his unveiling to suggest he will frighten strikers both domestically and across the continent once he gets on the pitch.
The Europa League is not given much credit and lacks anything like the reputation of the Champions League, and domestic success is clearly the priority for Celtic. But with some decent signings made during the transfer window so far, and perhaps a couple more to come, there’s no reason why Celtic can’t put on a good show tomorrow and then progress further as the players start to gel together.
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