Sandman's Definitive Ratings - Flippinheck v Celtic

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Martin O’Neill: “I’m sure of it, yeah. I probably wasn’t really surprised about it. But there were a couple of things about it. One, I wanted to change the side around because there were a couple of players that had not played under me at this time that I’d like to have seen, and I did do. And I think making changes like that there does disrupt the flow of things. So we saw that one through, and it was good. And, obviously, the preparation at the start of the week ahead.”

Johnny Kenny of Celtic celebrates scoring the opening goal during the Scottish Cup Fourth Round match between Auchinleck Talbot and Celtic at Rugby Park on January 18, 2026. (Photo by WM Sport Media/Getty Images)

Q: You may be looking for a bit more from the guys who came in and played under you for the first time today?

Martin O’Neill:“Well, I think players, when they feel this is an opportunity for them to play, can get a little bit nervous about things. So, I probably wasn’t surprised by what I’d seen. And we, as a team, could do a lot better. But we saw it through. Well, we saw it through in the sense that we had a lot of possession in the game. And the second goal obviously finishes it.”

Michel-Ange Balikwisha of Celtic warms up during the Scottish Cup Fourth Round match between Auchinleck Talbot and Celtic at Rugby Park on January 18, 2026. (Photo by WM Sport Media/Getty Images)

Q: Michel-Ange Balikwisha made his first start since September. How do you reflect on his performance?

Martin O’Neill: “He did okay. He did alright in the game, yes. He was striving for a start for quite some considerable time, so he got it. And I know Paulo Bernardo played under Wilfried Nancy a couple of times. It was his first start under me as well. So, at least Paulo got the 90 minutes, and Balikwisha got most of the game.”

Luke Main of Auckinleck Talbot has a shot at goal during the Scottish Cup Fourth Round match between Auchinleck Talbot and Celtic at Rugby Park on January 18, 2026. (Photo by WM Sport Media/Getty Images)

Q: Martin, what was your view on your opponents today?

Martin O’Neill: “I thought they did great. They did really, really great. We’d watched them before. It’s the lovely thing about modernity now, you are able to see opposition. And they play with a lot of spirit. A lot of spirit. The manager’s done wonderfully well. He’s been here since my first spell, apparently, way back! So, they played with a lot of spirit. I think they acquitted themselves really, really well, considering they’re a junior side.”