Towell urges Lennon to give him another taste of action

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Irish youngster Richie Towell has told Celtic manager Neil Lennon that he has plenty more to offer after the player made his competitive debut for the club at the weekend. And the 19-year-old has urged Lennon to have faith in him as he bids to cement his place in the team in the weeks and months ahead.

Towell has been on the bench for 12 of Celtic's 15 Scottish Premier League games this season and finally made the breakthrough as a second-half substitute in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Inverness.

He said: "I haven't played in the SPL before so I'm not sure how I will fare in the team but hopefully I can get a few more games under my belt and do well.

"I'm a good passer of the ball and I feel I can bring a lot to the team if I get my chance, so hopefully the gaffer can put a bit of faith in me and I can show what I can do.

"I hope the fans take a liking to me too because I work hard and I work hard for the team."

He added: "I like to play in central midfield the most but it doesn't really matter where I play because once I'm on the pitch, I don't care."

Towell, who came through Celtic's youth academy, was handed his debut when he replaced Jos Hooiveld with just over half an hour to go and said he relished every moment.

He said: "It was brilliant hearing the crowd's reaction and being in the middle of it all. It's what I've always dreamed of.

"It's been frustrating sitting on the bench all season and that's why I was so delighted to come on.

"I just want to show that I can compete at this level and hopefully the gaffer will give me another chance because I don't like sitting on the bench – I want to play every week.

"I thought the fans reacted well to me and I was pleased with how I did when I came on. I kept the ball and then I won the tackle for Paddy [McCourt's] goal so they were all cheering for that."

Meanwhile, Daniel Majstorovic has accepted the blame for Celtic's failure to win on Saturday. It was the second week in succession Celtic fans had left the ground after watching a late equaliser from the visitors and many pointed the finger of blame at 33-year-old Majstorovic for his part in both Inverness goals.

"As a defender, I really hated it and felt really bad that we dropped points and I take all the responsibility for this," said the Sweden international.