Ross Grant influence begins to show as Celtic address major weakness from last season

The coach joined Martin O’Neill’s backroom staff this summer with responsibility for set-pieces, an area where there was considerable room for improvement following last season.

One of the first visible examples came during Saturday’s 4-0 Premier Sports Cup victory over Dundee United at Tannadice.

Benjamin Nygren delivered the corner and Auston Trusty attacked the near-post area to open the scoring, with the defender subsequently revealing some of Grant’s preparation can take place as late as the day before a game.

Speaking about Grant’s influence at Celtic, Trusty told The Celtic Way: “Ross has come in and done a great job, he’s made it clear for us about how to score goals and get into positions to score goals,” Trusty said.

“It’s been at a certain point in the week or the day before a game.”

“Whether it’s video or putting it out on the pitch and getting little bits out – he’s done well since he came in.”

“If you can get a good ball in, then you need to get those spots. Scoring from set-pieces would be another good addition to the team.”

It is an encouraging early sign given Celtic’s struggles to make the most of corners last season.

The Hoops scored just six goals from 252 corners in the Premiership, while Grant’s Hearts side managed 16 league goals from corners over the same campaign.