JOHN KENNEDY has asked the Celtic supporters to be patient with January signing Patryk Klimala after the striker turned in a low key performance on his first start for the club.

The 21-year-old got the nod to lead the line in the Scottish Cup tie at Clyde as Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths were rested, but he struggled to make an impression and missed the one clear chance that came his way.

Kennedy has backed the Polish frontman to come good though as he gets more and more used to the demands being placed on him as a Celtic player.

“He is obviously still settling in, but it was an opportunity to get him out playing,” Kennedy said. “He’s a good size and has good speed, it just takes time.

“He did fine. He had a good chance and probably on another day he would score, but he just needs to settle in and not put too much pressure on himself.

“(Odsonne) Edouard and (Leigh) Griffiths have been terrific of late, and himself and Bayo have been fighting it out for the third and fourth position.

“We just need to give him time. The intensity of training and the way we work is something he’ll need to get used to, but as time progresses, he’ll get up to speed.

“It’s a step up in level from Poland and there are the demands, the physicality and speed, which takes some adjustment.

“He’s someone we’ll work really hard with, but he’s certainly got the profile to become a good player for us.”

Kennedy praised the professionalism and will to win of the Scottish Cup holders as they racked up their 33rd consecutive domestic cup win in the 3-0 triumph at Broadwood.

Goals from Olivier Ntcham, Scott Brown and Vakoun Issouf Bayo sent Celtic into quarter finals of the Scottish Cup, where they will take on St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park.

Returning to the stadium where they were shocked in this competition back in 2006 for the first time, and with Storm Ciara making playing conditions difficult, the assignment could have been a tricky one for Celtic at Broadwood.

But Kennedy was delighted by the way their players made light work of the task at hand against the League One outfit, and kept their long winning run in cup competitions intact.

“It’s terrific, in terms of professionalism and how they treat these ties, because they are dangerous, and anything can happen,” he said.

“You can have players sent off, things going against you, or just a bad day. But they keep churning out the results. The quality and the mentality of this squad is so strong.

“There is a real will to win every single game in every competition. Long may that continue.

“It was difficult conditions and you ever take any game lightly, so it was good to get through the game comfortably.

“A lot of players got the minutes they needed. and it gave us the chance to rest a few. It was a professional performance.

“It wasn’t easy. The ball was swirling around but the boys were professional. We respected Clyde and still had a strong enough team to win the game convincingly.”