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Page last updated at 18:01 GMT, Saturday, 15 January 2011

No halt to Celtic striker search

Beram Kayal congratulates goalscorer Anthony Stokes
Kayal (left) was singled out for praise by Celtic manager Neil Lennon

Celtic manager Neil Lennon will continue his search for a new striker despite the goals from Anthony Stokes and Gary Hooper that beat Hibernian.

"We've got a few options and hopefully we may have someone, maybe not this week but the week after," Lennon told BBC Scotland after the 3-0 win.

"But getting Gary back is a huge boost for us, but we do want to add to the striking roster."

Lennon admitted that strikers Hooper and Stokes had worked well together.

But he said: "You would not have known that in the first 25 minutes. They were second to the ball, but after that they worked very well together.

I think we could have had even more goals

Celtic striker Anthony Stokes

"It was good to get more than two goals today and that will give them a real shot in the arm.

"You can see what Gary brings to the team. He will probably be disappointed that he did not score the one when Beram Kayal put him through early on.

"He did not let it affect him and took his goal brilliantly.

"Stokesy getting his goals will have done him the world of good."

Hooper opened the scoring and Stokes added the two others, but Lennon picked out Kayal as the man who sparked Celtic into life at Easter Road.

"I thought we were excellent, particularly in the second half," said the Celtic manager.

"I felt we were poor in the first 20-25 minutes and then Kayal got a grip of the game for us and lifted the team by the scruff of the neck.

"I thought the second half was as good as we've played away from home for some time."

Stokes was delighted with his double but more so the three points that keep Celtic five points clear of holders Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premier League.

"I think we could have had even more goals," he said of the win over his former club.

"Overall, we are just delighted and the three points are the main thing as we knew it would be a difficult game coming here.

"Obviously Gary has been out for a while and he needs a bit of sharpness, but looking at him today you would not have thought he had been out for a while."



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see also
Hibernian 0-3 Celtic
15 Jan 11 |  Scottish Premier


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