Did he play last night? If so Any use?

Daryl Murphy has tipped Celtic to put the abject disappointment of their Champions League exit behind them to hit the ground running when the SPL kicks off.

The Irishman’s dreams of strutting his stuff in Europe’s premier club competition this season were shattered when Neil Lennon’s side were eliminated in the qualifying rounds by Portuguese side SC Braga.

Despite winning 2-1 at Park-head thanks to goals from Gary Hooper and Efrain Juarez, Celtic paid the price from sloppy defending in the first leg when they were put to the sword 3-0.

It means an extended run in the Europa League is as much as Celtic can hope for in Continental competition this season, but Murphy has already turned his attention to the start of the domestic campaign next weekend.

After losing out to Old Firm rivals Rangers in the cham-pionship race over the last two years, Lennon will be expected to cross the finishing line in first place this season and Murphy believes a positive start is crucial.

He said: “The domestic season hasn’t even started yet so we are now looking forward to that and focusing on hopefully getting our league campaign off to a winning start as that is important.

“It doesn’t matter whether you are a team expected to compete for the league title, or a European spot or even battling against relegation, you always want to come flying out of the traps.

“So we are all looking forward to our first game of the season. I’m sure it will be difficult with us playing away at Inverness Caley Thistle as the boys already here have already mentioned it is a tough venue.

“But we’ve just got to go out there and get winning. We believe we are good enough to win the championship but we’ve got to work hard and make sure we win enough games.”

Murphy came on as a second-half substitute on Wednesday evening as Celtic defeated Braga 2-1 and he admitted the away goal the Portuguese outfit netted after 20 minutes killed the tie.

“We knew exactly what we were up against going into the game,” said Murphy. “We knew if we conceded a goal then it would make it extremely difficult for us to progress in the competition.

“After losing 3-0 in Portugal, that was the situation we found ourselves in going into the game and it was always a big danger.

“And, unfortunately, that is exactly what happened when we lost the opening goal of the game. It knocked the stuffing out of us because, realistically, we knew it was going to take some going to score the five goals needed to go through.

“The fact we also lost the goal after making a bright start to the game made it tougher to take but we eventually got the heads back up and battled back to win the game 2-1, which was at least something.

“On another night, we might have scored more because we pushed Braga back and had a lot of possession in the final third, but it wasn’t to be.”

Murphy, though, believes Celtic are making strides as the start of the SPL season draws ever closer.

And he is confident improvements will continue as the new signings settle in and as further new faces are added to the squad.

He said: “I think you can see the progress which is being made. I thought we played well at times against Braga and the biggest positive is that we are dangerous going forward and always look like scoring and creating chances.

“It can take time for everyone to get to know each other and settle into a pattern of play, but I’m sure everything will click into place sooner rather than later.”

Match-winner Daryl Murphy revealed how Celtic’s players were forced to watch a video nasty of their Europa League agony in Utrecht before sealing a 1-0 victory over Motherwell.

Murphy, who could be joined at Parkhead soon by fellow Republic of Ireland striker Anthony Stokes — despite Hibs’ denials last night that the clubs were close to agreeing a fee — held his nerve to slot home a 73rd minute spot-kick after Well defender Steven Saunders was red-carded for fouling Shaun Maloney.

And Murphy, whose first competitive goal for the club kept Neil Lennon’s men joint-top  of the SPL on maximum points alongside Rangers, said watching the footage of the
team’s disaster in Holland had helped pump them up ahead of yesterday’s SPL clash.

He said: ‘We watched the Utrecht game again on Friday and had a clear-the-air meeting. It fired us up for the Motherwell game and we had to atone for such a bad performance.

Lifting the gloom: Murphy is mobbed by relieved Parkhead team-mates after his winner

‘There was no question of me not taking the penalty. I said to Scott Brown before the game that, if we got one, I was taking it. I was practising them during the week.

‘Shaun asked if I wanted it and I said: “Yes”. He didn’t really want a fight about it and just let me get on with it. When you come to a big club, you have to accept responsibility. I was glad I took it at the Celtic end because the fans were great.’

Celtic, for whom goalkeeper Fraser Forster and left-back Emilio Izaguirre made their debuts yesterday, remain in talks with Hibs to sign Stokes, one of Murphy’s old Sunderland team-mates.

They are also still pursuing Nottingham Forest defender Kelvin Wilson. 

‘I know Stokesy from my time at Sunderland and the Irish team,’ said Murphy. ‘If he does come in, then it’s more competition for places and everyone gets revved up a bit more.’

No mistake: Murphy silences Fir Park

Parkhead coach Alan Thompson agreed with Murphy that making the team sit through a re-run of their horror show in Holland had gained positive results.

‘Everyone got things off their chest,’ said Thompson. ‘The coaching staff watched the Utrecht game on our own at first, then with everyone. It was beneficial.

‘We’re bitterly disappointed we’re not in Europe but now we will focus on the league and the two cups in Scotland.

‘Fir Park was a test of character and the new players coped well.’

Thompson was impressed with Murphy’s willingness to take the pressure penalty.

‘It was pleasing to see Daryl take responsibility,’ he said. ‘He’s a scorer and we were confident he would convert.

‘I was also pleased with Izaguirre. For a lad who only arrived on Friday morning after a long flight from South America, I thought he was excellent.’

Boss Lennon was equally pleased with the contribution of Maloney, particularly after he was moved up front. ‘Shaun was fantastic once he went through the middle,’ the Irishman told ESPN.

‘We were pretty resolute at the back, the midfield were strong and athletic, while the front men did great.’

Chasing Paradise: the Daryl Murphy story

Daryl Murphy Image 2

He already has Scott McDonald's mantelpiece. That was the easy bit.

Now Daryl Murphy is about to become engaged in a five-way shootout to grab the little Aussie's mantle as a Celtic match-winner into the bargain.

The Irish striker moved into McDonald's house in leafy Thortonhall on the south side of Glasgow earlier this summer after clinching £1.5million move from Sunderland.

And ever since then he's been waiting patiently for the chance to prove he can make himself feel equally at home as the spearhead of Neil Lennon's freshly-assembled side.

Murphy finally got the nod at Motherwell a fortnight ago and slammed home the spot-kick which preserved Lennon's 100-per-cent winning record in the SPL.

Two weeks on and he's ready to go again. Except this time he has yet another new arrival hungrily eyeing his starting place.

Anthony Stokes - the last of Lennon's summer recruitment drive - joined Murphy at Parkhead yesterday to help the club announce its latest commercial tie-up, a partnership with a bus firm.

Fitting really. You wait half a year for a goalscorer and two of them come along at once.

Not since Skippy's sale to Middlesbrough was sanctioned back in January have Celtic owned their own out-and-out predator, even if they loaned Robbie Keane as a hired gun from Spurs for a little while.

Now Murphy, Stokes, Garry Hooper, Georgios Samaras and Shaun Maloney are all set to slug it out for a regular starting place as poacher-in-chief.

And Murphy is determined to follow in the footsteps of his free scoring landlord by making himself the one man Celtic cannot afford to do without.

He said: "It'll be cut-throat between us all but thankfully I scored against Motherwell and hopefully now I've given the manager a bit of a headache.

"I believe in myself. I said when I first signed I knew I wasn't going to get into the team straight away and I'd have to wait for my chance but my first opportunity came against Motherwell and I scored.

"It doesn't matter who is coming in we're going to be battling it out for places in the team but hopefully I'll be the one who plays.

"You know if you do start a game then you have to score because there's going to be good strikers on the bench."

With Keane now back in London, there remains a lingering suspicion that McDonald's goals will still be missed by Celtic this season. Two 1-0 wins on the road at Inverness and Fir Park would appear to add weight to the theory.

And the irony isn't lost on Murphy. He said: "I'm living in Scott's house but I haven't had the chance to speak to him about life at Celtic. He was away down the road when I moved in and the one time he was coming back up to the house I was away so I didn't get the chance to meet him.

"But I'm aware of the job he did for this team. I used to watch the games and he was a very good player and scored a lot of goals."

Now the race to replace him is well and truly on and Murphy believes the first striker to emerge as the front runner could stay there for the season.

He said: "It's good because you can see everyone is working really hard to impress the manager and hopefully get picked for the game.

"You're cursing the others if they're banging them in in training but if they are doing that you've just got to make sure you are doing it as well. That's the challenge in training every single day.

"But there is definitely a chance of staying in the side if you make an impact early. We've signed a lot of players and it would always take a while to find a starting 11.

"Now with Anthony signing as well there is still 11 places up for grabs and it's up to us to claim them."

Stokes and Murphy were team-mates at Sunderland in a previous life.

Tomorrow they may be paired up again and charged with the task of gunning down Hearts together at Parkhead. And it cannot come quickly enough for Stokes who has been in a hurry to get his Celtic career started ever since switching from Hibs on the final day of the transfer window.

He said: "I was looking forward to getting into it as quickly as possible but the international week got in the way. But it worked out well because I got a game in Switzerland with the Under-21s so that was good for my fitness. Hopefully it'll help me be a bit sharper for Saturday.

"I'm feeling ready for it. I have a good pre-season behind me and I scored in the first game of the season so I'm coming into this full of confidence. Hopefully I'll get a run o u t at some stage or, fingers crossed, get a starting place.

"I've had two or three chats with the manager and I've been getting good vibes. I think I have a good chance of playing in his team, though I'll have to do well and take my chance when it comes."

Stokes gave off the impression of a kiddie in a sweetie shop as he settled into his new surrounds.

The 22-year-old, a life-long Celtic fan, added: "When you come here on days like this and look around the stadium you get a feel for the size of the club and the fan base. But it's been spot-on so far.

"As far as I can see all the players love training and are excited about what they are doing. It's a good place to be and I have really enjoyed it.

"I have always loved playing here. But it's a better feeling to know you're part of the home side and you have a chance of getting out there and scoring.

"It's going to be different playing for Celtic. I'll have to change my style. A lot of teams just sit back and put 10 or 11 men behind the ball and I'll have to get used to that. But the gaffer has told me to get into the box and get on the end of things.

"I scored a few last year with Hibs and if I get more chances here then hopefully I can score as many if not more."

Anthony Stokes and Daryl Murphy yesterday unveiled Celtic's latest business tie-up.

The Parkhead club have joined forces with coach company Citylink for another season.

Stephanie Docherty, operations manager for Citylink, said: "As a sponsor, we are delighted to have been given the opportunity to highlight what is on offer for keen football fans who want to follow their team across the country."