ON THE subject of supporters travelling, it does seem strange that Celtic returned 500 tickets for tonight's Uefa Champions League qualifying tie against Cliftonville at Solitude. Perhaps safety concerns were an issue for some of the Scottish Bhoys, but Cliftonville and their fans won't complain as the tickets were quickly snapped up back in Belfast yesterday. Given the money that the Reds will accrue from various sources due to this pairing, they'll be well-placed to defend their Irish League title, despite Linfield's recent transfer acquisitions.
Presumably, Crusaders' reported decision to accept a settlement over the financial terms of the redevelopment of Windsor Park also means that we should see the continuation of genuine competition at the top of the Irish League for the forseeable future.