Source: Team_Talk
Lennon delighted despite defeat
Celtic manager Neil Lennon hailed his team's "remarkable" performance despite their 1-0 defeat by Central Coast Mariners.[LNB] Celtic struggled to create clear chances in the opening encounter of their pre-season tour of Australia before falling to an 86th-minute goal from Troy Hearfield after Joe Ledley failed to clear.[LNB]The closest Celtic came was in injury time when substitute Gary Hooper had a shot cleared off the line, before a strong penalty claim for handball was dismissed.[LNB]However, Lennon was satisfied with the way his side dominated possession in the ANZ Stadium in Sydney following their long journey earlier in the week.[LNB]Lennon left out Thomas Rogne, Kris Commons and Charlie Mulgrew as a precaution after they reported muscle fatigue and he was happy with the response of those who played.[LNB]Lennon, who handed debuts to Adam Matthews and Kelvin Wilson in defence, said on smh.com.au: "The players' condition and the quality, particularly second half, it was a remarkable performance when you consider the week they've been through.[LNB]"They've been travelling all the way over on Tuesday and Wednesday and then one day's training, played very, very well second half and controlled the game.[LNB]"I thought they scored with their one shot on target but overall I'm delighted with the performance."[LNB]Lennon praised Mariners left-back Josh Rose and centre-back Patrick Zwaanswijk for their displays, but he was denied the chance to see potential transfer target Mustafa Amini after the teenage midfielder missed out with a groin injury.[LNB]Central Coast head coach Graham Arnold was overjoyed with claiming the scalp of the Scottish Cup winners.[LNB]"I thought our defensive structure was again good, although we were rusty in our execution in the final third," Arnold told his club's official website.[LNB]"Overall I thought we played well. It's the first time the boys have played in this stadium, and to play a powerhouse side like Celtic was fantastic for them.[LNB]"They don't have their history for no reason. They're a top side, with some outstanding players. It's their first game, so we played them at the best time in their tour.[LNB]"It was a great chance to see Australian players test themselves against that type of opposition."[LNB]Meanwhile, police expressed disappointment with the behaviour of a minority of the crowd of more than 17,000.[LNB]New South Wales Police said that nine men and two women had been arrested after "jumping the fence in an attempt to invade the pitch".[LNB]Police added that 47 people had been refused entry because of drunkenness and 27 people had been ejected for the same reason. One man was charged with assaulting police while another man was charged with assault.
