CIRCUMSTANCES beyond our control meant we had to turn out a patched-up side with inexperienced players asked to fill unfamiliar roles.

Having said that I thought the players we were drafted in at short notice put in a big effort. But I have to say that there was a period in the first half that really disappointed me. We got disheartened by not getting a score or two but we’ve got to be mentally tougher than that and recognise that we’ve got to be more patient when in good field position. We let Celtic off the hook in that period. It was really in the second half that the makeshift nature of our team found us out. Take nothing away from Celtic they are a quality side. They are obviously well coached and work very hard on what they do. At 14-10 down early in the second half I thought we still had a chance but it’s about recognizing what we’d done well previously and putting those elements back into action. We didn’t do that and suffered as a consequence. Their big name players stood up in the second half and once they’d got the momentum going it was very hard for us to stop.