THURSDAY DECEMBER 4th
League Cup

Partick Thistle 0

Celtic 2

0:1 Beattie 31
0:2 Smith 75

Att: 5,700

MIB: Mike McCurry

Celtic
Marshall
Gray Kennedy Mjallby Crainey
Sylla Lambert McNamara Smith
Beattie Maloney

subs
Guppy for Lambert 71
Laursen for McNamara 76

Back to the West-End banter and another encounter with the chattering classes of G11 and G12. Despite not being offered a ticket by the club, even though the ground was only half full and the Celtic end was littered with empty seats, like many others I had to plump for a ticket in the Portacabin that passes for the Jackie Husband Stand, then drift into our own end at half time.

The Maryhill bourgeoisie, still clamouring about the loss of Gerry Collins after Saturday's defeat were coming to terms with a team led by Gerry Britton and Derek Whyte. The Thistle fans might have hoped for a Dynamic Duo but unfortunately for them, their team played like cartoon characters and looked as if they couldn't hit a wall with a ball, let alone find one to ride through.

The Celtic posse - a virtual reserve side - played out a comfortable 90 minutes, that saw Lambert , Mjallby and Laursen get a run out. The goals - one in each half, courtesy of Beattie and Smith - were scarcely a reflection of Celtic's dominance against a Thistle XI that looked a shadow of the team that had played at Parkhead the previous week-end.

Beattie's performance on the night was excellent and he was unlucky not to get a second when his effort cannoned of the bar. Like Kennedy in the defence, Beattie is maturing into a promising player, who doesn't seem short on confidence or ability. This must be qualified, however, by recognising that the Thistle defence contained Anis, possibly the worst defender I have seen at any level.

Anyhow, an easy win, a good look at the second XI and confirmation that the Thistle support contains within it an element that is as bigoted as another club in Glasgow, judging by the constant comment s made about Maloney and priests from those sitting around me.