Celtic travelled to the southside and took on Premier side, Crumlin Utd. The continuing improvement in Celtic's Premier-aspirants was obvious and they hit the ground running after the Christmas break. Owen Akpiama put Celtic ahead after 29 seconds, and they did not rest on their laurels. Nomah Eredianu doubled Celtic's advantage on 26 mins, though Crumlin reduced the arrears before the break.

Owen hit his second after the interval, and Alan Elliott got his first of the New Year on 56 mins to give Celtic a very encouraging 4-1 away victory. It sets them up nicely for their assault on the 14-Major championship, boosted by being top of the table as they resume their league fixtures next Saturday, 24th Jan.