Sport

Lennon has work cut out to convince Bellamy to return

Inverness CT 0, Celtic1: CELTIC HAVE safely negotiated their first tricky task of the domestic season as they seek to challenge…

EWAN MURRAY at Caledonian Stadium
Mon Aug 16 2010 - 01:00

Inverness CT 0, Celtic1:CELTIC HAVE safely negotiated their first tricky task of the domestic season as they seek to challenge Rangers' domination, but the coming days will reveal whether the club can meet an even bigger challenge away from the field of play.

Neil Lennon’s attempt to convince Craig Bellamy to return to the Scottish Premier League on a loan deal from Manchester City is regarded as a hopeless cause by many, the Welshman’s salary being a key motivator in that train of thought. Lennon, though, is optimistic a deal can be completed.

The Celtic midfielder Joe Ledley, a Wales team-mate of Bellamy, is similarly confident. “It would be a massive boost if we could get Craig,” Ledley said. “I think last season he was one of the best players for Manchester City and I think it would be great for the club and for us as players to have him at Parkhead. I just hope behind the scenes they can sort it out.”

Ledley added that Bellamy has only ever spoken warmly about his last sojourn in Scottish football, also a loan deal at Celtic when the striker was at Newcastle, five years ago. “He has only had positive things to say about Celtic, he loved his time at Parkhead,” the former Cardiff City midfielder added.

READ MORE

Lennon was gushing about one of the attacking forces he already has at his disposal after Saturday’s lunchtime win in Inverness. Shaun Maloney, who has endured a wretched injury run since returning to Celtic from Aston Villa, put in an impressive display.

“I think he’s a great kid and it’s like having a new player,” the manager said of Maloney. “People forget he was Scotland’s player of the year not so long ago. We know if we can keep Shaun fit we’ve got a very, very good player.”

But for wastefulness in front of goal – and some fine goalkeeping from Ryan Esson – Celtic would have opened the season with an emphatic victory. As it transpired, a fine individual effort from Paddy McCourt was sufficient to seal all three points for Lennon’s side.

The visitors’ manager, clearly fired up by the occasion, knew there was a deeper meaning attached to his side’s victory. “In the context of things, this is a big result,” Lennon said. “The doom-and-gloom merchants would have been right into us had we lost the game. We would maybe have been chasing our tales to start off with. Personally I wouldn’t have been too unhappy had we drawn the game because we played so well. I would have looked at the overall performance and taken a lot from it.”

  • Guardian Service

INVERNESS CT:Esson, McCann, Tokely, Munro, Gillet, Ross (Blumenshtein 61), Cox, Duncan, Hayes (Sutherland 86), Odhiambo, Rooney, Blumenshtein (Proctor 78). Subs not used: Tuffey, Golabek, McBain, Sanchez.

CELTIC:Zaluska, Cha, Hooiveld, Loovens, Mulgrew, Maloney, Ledley, Brown, McCourt (Forrest 62), Samaras, Fortune (Juarez 89). Subs not used: Cervi, Misun, Ki, Murphy, Kayal.

Referee:C Murray (Scotland).