Tom Boyd: Celebrations after Iheanacho's late winner can be 'light that shines across Celtic' amid fan unrest

Celtic legend Tom Boyd says Kelechi Iheanacho’s last-minute winner at Kilmarnock, and the celebrations that followed, can be a light that shines across the club amid fan unrest and protests.

Supporters boycotted the first 12 minutes of the game at Rugby Park on Sunday, over how the club is being run and disappointment at business done in the recent transfer window.

But the former Hoops skipper says the champions are in a good place on the pitch and believes the team winning more games can only help bring back a feel-good factor.

Boyd, who captained Celtic to a historic title win in 1998 that ended Rangers’ 10-in-a-row dreams, said: “It was outstanding, as is any good result, especially considering previous performances. I think we deserved to take the three points, in terms of how they played over the piece.

“But, for Iheanacho to step up on his debut and take a penalty to win the game in the last minute says a lot about his character.

“In previous games our penalties haven’t been too great, so hopefully it can be a light to spread through the club at this moment in time.

“At this moment, we are not in a bad position. We had a bad result in the Champions League, and I think that did affect everybody, because that is where we want to be, and we had a decent run last year.

“So, bring on the games, last-minute victories don’t do a lot for your nerves right enough, but we’ll take them when they come.”

Boyd was joined by former Rangers player John Brown in Blantyre as construction got under way on a new £1m 3g pitch that will serve the local community.

As a local to the area, Boyd hopes the new pitch can bring new life to Blantyre.

He said: “I’m from not too far up the road from here, and we managed to produce two players from just a couple of streets, in myself and Mark Wilson.

“We were all out playing football all the time, but now it has to be a bit more organised, I think you need to do that, and Blantyre Soccer Academy are certainly up there with the best in terms of what they can do for the kids and giving the community a chance.

“There has been a lot of neglect over the years, but hopefully this can be the change needed to help a lot of people within the community.

“It’s not just about the football, it’s about the entire community coming together and they will have a fantastic facility here.”

Jimmy Whelan, chairperson of Blantyre Soccer Academy, said: “This is an absolutely fantastic day for this club.

“For me personally, it is fantastic because I come from Blantyre, born and bred here, so to have this pitch being transformed into a 3g pitch for the use of the whole community and our 32 teams is absolutely fantastic.

“Not just for the Blantyre Soccer Academy, but for the whole community, because it brings such a cohesion with parents and children coming together from all walks of life.

“It’s taken a lot of hard work from myself, and our board who have worked really hard to get the funding. This is our second community asset transferred from the council, and this is the biggest we have had.”