West Brom loanee Oli Burke scored twice on his Scottish Premiership debut for Celtic, including an easy first as St Mirren’s defence fell apart.
Celtic have been busy in the transfer market as they look to re-establish themselves at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
And two of their new signings had the desired effect as Brendan Rodgers’ side returned from the winter break in style, hammering St Mirren 4-0 at Parkhead.
Oliver Burke shone in an unfamiliar centre-forward role on his league debut in green and white, the West Brom loanee suggesting that he could be the answer to Celtic’s striker problems with two goals, while PSG youngster Timothy Weah came off the bench to put the finishing touches on a comfortable win.
But, speaking to St Mirren’s official website, manager Oran Kearney has hit out at his side’s defending as they conceded an opener just 11 minutes in, suggesting they gifted Burke his first Celtic goal with a free-header from a Ryan Christie free-kick.
“It’s frustrating. If they put five or six passes together in a combination and fire it into the top corner from 20 yards in open play, sometimes you have to hold your hands up cause there’s nothing you can do,” Kearney said.
“But it is more the fact that it’s probably a gift of a first goal and that’s the thing that hurts more than anything else.”
St Mirren were poor on the night but this was one of Celtic’s better performances in what has been a rather underwhelming season, Burke and Weah providing pace, thrust and unpredictability in an attack that has been rather toothless at times in recent months.
On this sort of form, Burke will remind everyone why West Brom paid £15 million for him two years ago (Express and Star).
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