‘He did fine’: Celtic coach reacts to new signing’s first start

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Celtic beat Clyde 3-0 in the Scottish Cup on Sunday afternoon.

Celtic assistant John Kennedy has told the Daily Record that he thought new signing Patryk Klimala ‘did fine’ against Clyde on Sunday afternoon.

The Bhoys made the trip to North Lanarkshire for a last 16 clash with Clyde in the Scottish Cup, and they unsurprisingly found it fairly comfortable against the League One side.

Midfielder Olivier Ntcham got the ball rolling, cutting in from the left flank before smashing a strike into the bottom corner, and Celtic were 2-0 up before the break as Scott Brown turned the ball home from close range.

Celtic had to wait until the dying embers for a third, with Vakoun Issouf Bayo tucking Moritz Bauer’s cutback into the net, securing a last eight spot for the Bhoys.

Neil Lennon will be delighted to have come through the game unscathed, and he had a chance to see forward Klimala starting for the first time since his January move from Jagiellonia Bialystok.

The Polish attacker endured a mixed day; his name being misspelt on the back of his shirt wasn’t ideal, and he missed a golden chance to open his Celtic account when played in on goal.

However, he got 75 minutes under his belt and landed an assist for Brown’s goal, flicking the ball nonchalantly into Brown’s path to score, with the Bhoys no doubt encouraged.

After the game, assistant boss Kennedy was asked about Klimala’s performance, and he suggested that it will of course take Klimala time to settle in at Celtic and in Scottish football, but he needs to not put pressure on himself.

Kennedy felt Klimala ‘did fine’, and believes that he has the size, physicality and speed to become a good player for Celtic moving forward, but fans may have to be patient with him.

“Patryk is obviously still settling in but it was an opportunity to get him out playing. He’s a good size and has good speed, it just takes time,” said Kennedy. “He did fine. He had a good chance and probably on another day he would score, but he just needs to settle in and not put too much pressure on himself. We just need to give him time. The intensity of training and the way we work is something he’ll need to get used to but as time progresses he’ll get up to speed.”

“It’s a step up in level from Poland and there are the demands, the physicality and speed, which takes some adjustment. He’s someone we’ll work really hard with but he’s certainly got the profile to become a good player for us,” he added.