Speaking after his weekend double against Celtic, Connor Goldson explained he and a few of his team-mates did see the leaked Celtic team before the game but didn’t believe it.
Celtic and Neil Lennon are furious the team keeps being leaked, equipping rivals with more time to prepare. However, the team was so bereft of Celtic’s usual stars, our rivals thought it was a red herring.
Asked if they believed the leak, Goldson explained to SunSport.
“No truthfully we never.”
“We went into the game – even in our pre-match meeting – thinking [Christopher] Jullien and [Odsonne] Edouard would play.
“I think a few of us saw that team but we didn’t really believe it.
“We obviously know in an Old Firm you can never trust anything that comes out.
“One day someone is injured and the next day they are playing.
“Listen, every player wants to play in an Old Firm whether you are injured or not. You try to get through it. So we actually went into the game thinking Jullien and Edouard would play.”
The talk before the game was would Edouard start or play some part in the game just 11 days after being diagnosed with COVID-19. Then the curve ball came less than 24 hours before the tie, Christopher Jullien had not trained on the eve of the derby.
Having both players out was a major blow to the side. Missing Christie, Forrest, Bitton and Elhamed to boot, it was hardly a full strength Celtic side.
The performance was in acceptable regardless.
This should be a warning to Celtic that our rivals do see these leaked team sheets and it could have a detrimental affect on the team.
