Manager on Thursday

02/05/13: JJ - " It has been a fantastic effort going into the last game with your fate in our own hands

Jim Jefferies felt that his U 20 squad certainly turned up on Wednesday night in the SFA Youth Cup Final. Speaking on Thursday lunchtime he reviewed the previous night's game:-

"There were opportunities in the game. We were unlucky not to take an early lead and at 1-0 we had two great chances. Chris Kane with a header from a corner and probably the best move of the game when Scott Mercer decided to go for the near post instead of the far post.

"The disappointment was losing the third goal because at 2-1 if they were a little but edgy in the final five or six minutes it would have given us a chance to go gung ho. We never got that opportunity because we lost a bad third goal. "

The gaffer felt that Celtic benefitted from the lesser intensity of games in comparison to his young squad who have been fulfilling first team fixtures as well.

"They did the Club proud last night and if you compare budgets they have over a million pounds more for their youths. It was a sterling effort and the fans stayed behind to show that they appreciated it."

Looking ahead to Saturday he feels that he is better off than last weekend with Ryan Wallace and Andy Geggan back in line to start. Chris Kane returns after suspension so there are more options available. Alex Whittle picked up a knock at Hampden but if he recovers, with Craig Dargo improving all the time, there could be a full squad to choose from to play Airdrie United.

Against an opposition that has won only four league matches in 35 Jim Jefferies still has warnings for his men:-

"You can never take anything for granted. It has been a fantastic effort going into the last game with your fate in our own hands. At one stage of the game last week it might not have been. Cowdenbeath were winning 1-0 and we were losing 1-0. We were all disappointed by how it ended up last week but that might be a valuable point and probably would have taken that before the game.

"We are at home and I am sure that the fans, as they have been ever since administration started, will be like a twelfth man. We need them on Saturday and if we can get the result then it doesn't matter what happens elsewhere. That is a better position to be in than having to rely on somebody doing us a turn."

The Youth Cup final has made the preparation a little unusual and it is really only on Friday that he will have his full squad re- united. Airdrie are already relegated but cannot be taken for granted. The Diamonds won the first time they visited this season and also drew at the Excelsior back in March. JJ recalled that these had been two hard games and Saturday might not be any different.

As far as future plans are concerned the Manager explained that he is in a difficult situation. The squad whatever it maybe be will return for pre season training on 3rd July, exactly a month before the season starts and a friendly has already been arranged at home to Hearts on the second Saturday in July. Jim continued:-

"We have players out of contract. If the administrator commits anybody to any lengthy contract and anything happens to this club then he is committed to that contract as a company.

"They cannot offer the two or three year contracts that we should be doing to some of these young boys. We are hoping that all this gets sorted out fairly quickly so that we can get these boys tied up and we know what we are working with for the next two or three seasons because they will get better.

"Our older players now are still young - Falkingham, Wallace, Thomson and Geggan. For them to be your most experienced players it augurs well but the bottom line is that we cannot sign anybody over 21.

"Any existing player on our books over 21 we can keep, it is new players that we cannot sign."