MARTIN O'Neill has again urged Scottish football's governing bodies to avoid a repeat of the fixture pile-up which threatens to undermine Celtic's preparation for their Champions League decider against Lyon next Wednesday.
The manager will field a weakened side in tonight's third-round tie against Partick Thistle to avoid injuries to key players and is still smarting from the decision to allow the club to play three games in six days.
The problem arose when five secured the rights to broadcast the cup tie live from Firhill. The original date of October 30 was unsuitable since Celtic had a league match with Kilmarnock at 12.30pm two days later.
Tonight was the next available slot and while Livingston offered to switch their forthcoming Premierleague fixture to the Sunday from its original Saturday lunchtime slot, O'Neill reluctantly accepted that the build-up to Lyon would be compromised regardless.
''You would have thought the governing bodies could have got together to give teams competing in UEFA competition the best possible chance to do well,'' he said yesterday. ''With respect, while it is great that five would take an interest in the competition, all they have done is postpone the problem. It is disappointing because in France they moved Lyon's game against Bordeaux to the Friday night to give them the best opportunity. In future, people should look at the situation.''
O'Neill may be disappointed, but the congestion is good news for Celtic's younger players. Ross Wallace, Shaun Maloney, David Marshall, John Kennedy, Liam Miller, and Craig Beattie are all expected to feature at some stage tonight.
With a place in the quarter-finals at stake, and the memory of losing out to Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the quarter-final of last season's Tennent's Scottish Cup still fresh in the memory, there is plentiful motivation for the latest batch of budding stars.
''They are the future of this club,'' said O'Neill, mindful of the financial constraints. ''Miller, Wallace and Kennedy are all coming through at the same time and will benefit from these tests. It will enable them to stand on their own two feet.''
Wallace endorsed that view: ''The money situation these days means the younger players might have a better chance to make it. We are getting a wee taste at the moment and are thriving on it,'' he said.
Veteran players Derek Whyte and Gerry Britton have overseen Thistle's preparations for tonight's game after Gerry Collins' dismissal, and yesterday they declared their interest in taking on the role permanently, in a joint capacity.
With the board aiming to have a shortlist drawn up by Monday, the pair have the home games tonight and against Motherwell on Sunday to enhance their application, which has yet to be written.
''We've been that busy that we haven't had a chance,'' admitted Whyte, whose boots Britton used to clean at Celtic nearly two decades ago. ''We realise we're in with a shout [of getting the job], but we just want to get this game out the way then sit down on Friday and decide if we're going to apply. Obviously we both fancy it, because we want to stay in football.''
A large part of this week's work has involved restoring the confidence drained as the team sank to the bottom of the league, Whyte said: ''The players are obviously low and we've just tried to lift them as much as possible. The response has been good; I don't know if they think we're going to get [the job], but they've been trying to impress us like mad.''
Indeed, it seems the sergeant-major's court-martial has dispelled a Collins-shaped cloud. ''Training's been a bit different from what we were getting with Gerry,'' said Britton. ''We've just been working on short, sharp routines and getting the guys enjoying it again. The reaction has been great, and hopefully they'll take that on to the field.''
With no league points at stake, tonight's tie provides the pair with a less stressful introduction to management than usual. ''Games against the teams around us in the league are our cup finals,'' added Britton. ''No-one expects us to progress tonight, so we're just looking for a good performance.''
Whyte will direct on the field while the injured Britton takes charge from the bench, armed with advice from John Lambie: ''John's always available if we need any help so that's reassuring . . . if you don't know where to get cigars late at night.''
Partick Thistle v Celtic
Today, 7.45pm, Firhill. TV: five, 7.15pm
Herald prediction Partick Thistle 0 Celtic 2
Arthur
Milne
Whyte
Murray
Lilley
Fleming
Ross
Taylor
Howie
Grady
Mitchell
Subs Anis, Madaschi, Mikkelsen, Gemmill, McBride
Update Utility man David Lilley is back from suspension, but joint caretaker manager Gerry Britton (calf), David Rowson and Andy Thomson (both knee), Eddie Forrest (foot) and Stephane Bonnes (knee) are all out
Marshall
Kennedy
Mjallby
Valgaeren
Guppy
Sylla
Miller
Lambert
Wallace
Maloney
Larsson
Subs Hedman, McNamara, Beattie, Sutton, Petta
Update Club captain Paul Lambert could make a timely return after injury. With next week's crucial Champions League game against Lyon in mind, Martin O'Neill is expected to rest most of his first team
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