Source: Team_Talk
Luck turns for striker Fortune
With Saturday's SPL game at Fir Park tied at 2-2, the £3.8million summer signing from French club Nancy, recently recovered from a knee injury which kept him out for over two months, replaced Danny Fox.[LNB]Within seconds he fired high past Well goalkeeper John Ruddy with his first goal since a double against St Johnstone in August, stretching the visitors' winning run to four games for the first time this season.[LNB]Fortune, who scored for Nancy in a UEFA Cup win at Fir Park in October 2008, said: "I am happy because I have been waiting for this goal for a long time.[LNB]"When you go to a new club you want to show what you can do but the injury came and it has been difficult.[LNB]"But I kept going and today is maybe the start of the season for me."[LNB]In a thrilling encounter played in the freezing fog, Georgios Samaras' 14th-minute opener was cancelled out before the interval by goals by Lukas Jutkiewicz and Well skipper Mark Reynolds.[LNB]Aiden McGeady levelled in the 51st minute then Parkhead midfielder Barry Robson had a penalty saved by Ruddy, before Fortune came to the rescue.[LNB]Tony Mowbray, who had Fortune at West Brom, was glad to see the striker get back on the goal trail.[LNB]"It has been a tough period for him," the Celtic boss said.[LNB]"I don't want to shout from the rooftops, but that's why he is here.[LNB]"In my opinion he is a quality football player who can score goals.[LNB]"I've seen the evidence of it in six months at West Brom and I am delighted for him and I hope it gives him a lift.[LNB]"As a human being it is difficult to stay top of the game and injuries affect players in lots of different ways.[LNB]"Marco was getting up and running and his injury came at a bad time for him and to spend two and half months out has been a disappointment for him."[LNB]Mowbray, however, admitted that the penalty situation at Parkhead is now causing concern.[LNB]"That's three or four we have missed and now it is an issue in my mind," he said.[LNB]"We need to nominate a penalty taker now and I want to see him practising in training every day so there is a confidence about it.[LNB]"It will be a joint discussion. So far I have allowed the players on the field to decide who is feeling good about themselves, to take it.[LNB]"But you can't keep missing penalties because one of these days in a big, big game it is going to hurt us.[LNB]"So we have to make sure that when the opportunities come along we have someone we all have faith in to stick it in the top corner."[LNB]The prelude to the game from Motherwell's point of view was manager Jim Gannon's recent criticism of refereeing standards and his on-going and public spat with the Scottish Football Association's head of referee development Hugh Dallas.[LNB]However, the former Stockport boss refused to stoke the fires further.[LNB]"When you see a fantastic advert for the SPL like that, it is a shame that you want to talk about referees," he said.[LNB]"I'm proud of my team and the way they played and I don't want to be distracted by the refereeing issue."[LNB]Asked if Jim O'Brien had been left out the squad after an argument at training earlier in the week, Gannon replied: "That's nonsense."[LNB]Ruddy, on loan from Everton until January 4, gave the Motherwell fans a boost when he claimed he would be prepared to see out the rest of the season at Fir Park.[LNB]"I know conversations have gone on between Motherwell and Everton but I haven't heard anything so we will wait and see," he said.[LNB]"If I'm playing football then I would love to stay and staying here until the end of the season is probably the best option for everybody."[LNB][LNB]
