FOR a striker, it is crucial for them when at a new club to get off and running with their first goal as soon as possible.

On Saturday, Nadir Ciftci finally managed to grab just that for Celtic with a late poacher’s effort against Dundee in the 6-0 rout at Parkhead.

It has been a long time coming for the Turkish forward since his move from Dundee United.

Seven games came and went for him without him finding himself on the scoresheet, so it will be a weight off his mind he has finally managed to get going.

Ciftci needed his first goal, but he also requires a run in the team now, it is important that he is allowed to build on getting his first strike for the club.

I know he played on Wednesday night against Raith Rovers in the League Cup, but whether he is going to get that just now and be picked ahead of Leigh Griffiths, well I doubt it.

So although the goal takes a slight burden off of him, it’s a case of trying to build on it in some way, shape or form.

How does he do that? Well he needs to show it in training and prove to Ronny Deila that he is on a roll and improving.

But I firmly believe that in some games him and Griffiths can be a potent force together on domestic duty, particularly at Parkhead.

Right now the Celtic manager’s system is to go with a lone striker.

I would see that as a possibility of helping Ciftci get to what to his potential and look more like the player he was at United. That’s why the club signed him.

Although he has finally got a goal, due to his suspension the Celtic fans have yet to really see what they were expecting from him.

That’s due to inactivity and his ban has played a part in that, of course it has.

The boy has to persevere through that. Whether Ronny does it or not I don’t know, but I would try the twin strikers in some games and see what happens. Like I said, it will take the pressure off Ciftci and that may allow him to express himself and show the support what he’s got to offer.

Celtic are in a fortunate position with the strength of squad they have that they can afford to experiment in the Premiership and the cups. We are also talking about guys who are proven at this level.

At the end of the day Ronnie has his tried and tested formula that served him well in the league last year.

But I would suggest he could try alternating from one up top. You never know, he may try it in training then perhaps in a game.

While there are two strikers vying for a place in the starting team, there very soon could be a third in the form of Carlton Cole, the former West Ham striker.

Despite just one place currently up for grabs in the starting XI, I do think Celtic need another forward.

His match fitness and is willingness to come to Scotland are the two main factors that need to be considered.

It’s a two way street, though, the club are looking at him and he’s having a look back.

On the basis of the level the 32-year-old has already played at – he’s played almost 300 games for the Hammers as well as scoring 68 goals – I don’t doubt Carlton could turn out to be a good acquisition.

Obviously he won’t be eligible to play in the Europa League group stages as the squad has already been registered.

But his arrival could pave the way for Ronny to go with two men in attack domestically, knowing one can be rested for European duty.

The fact Celtic are looking at their attacking options casts further doubt on Anthony Stokes’ future at Parkhead.

He’s only played twice this term and didn’t get off the bench against Raith Rovers on Wednesday night.

I don’t know if it spells the end of his time at the club but he certainly seems to be out of the frame.

If it carries on like this I think we could realistically see Anthony moving on somewhere in January.

The alternative is that he goes out on loan and that may be an option for him to try and get some games under his belt. I think it would maybe benefit him if someone was willing to take him.

He still has some time left on his contract and it could be the best thing for Anthony to look elsewhere if there’s not a path back into the starting line-up with more reinforcements potentially on the way.

Performance against Ajax puts Commons back in the frame

KRIS Commons is a man who has found himself in the thick of things over the last week.

The ex-Scotland international has not featured in Ronny Deila’s thoughts as much as he would have liked recently, spending time on the bench.

But in the last few games, including the win against Ajax, he has shown his worth. That was typified again on Saturday when he helped the team record an emphatic win, then got himself on the scoresheet against Dundee

Of course this is nothing we didn’t know already.However, he has done his chances of getting selected in the starting line-up no harm at all.

He has proven his worth and is now back in the frame, and I believe from now on we will see more of him.

There is an opportunity for Kris to relieve the pressure on Stefan Johansen, who perhaps hasn’t reached the heights of last season.

Johansen set such high standards for himself, but people are now aware of him and know where he plays and how he performs. That may be a factor.

He has been playing more of a central midfielder in the last couple of games, and that may be where we see his form come back.

The manager will keep believing in him, though. He will show it in training and that is obviously what Kris has done as well. The competition is healthy for the team.

It’s crucial kids get a taste for winning

I said in my column last week after Celtic’s great result in Amsterdam that I would like to see them kick on and build some consistency and momentum.

They have certainly done that.

After coming home from the Netherlands Ronny Deila’s team turned in a brilliant performance during the 6-0 win over Dundee and managed to grind out a result against Raith Rovers on Wednesday in the League Cup.

It’s all about building on the Ajax game. The victory over Paul Hartley’s team was extremely convincing and it could have been a sticky game. And in the game against Raith they got the job done.

It’s now about focusing and moving on to Hearts tomorrow and keeping things going ahead of Fenerbahce on Thursday.

I was also pleased to see the likes of Tyler Blackett and Kieran Tierney given starts. It is important these boys get a taste of first-team football, but more importantly that they get a taste of a winning side when they are thrown in. It will whet their appetite.

Giving them an opportunity tells the likes of Chris McCart and the kids playing for him that there is a pathway into Ronny’s side.

It justifies Celtic’s youth policy and their academy, which really is second to none.

Things are going well on the park at the moment, it’s important that feel-good factor trickles down through the club.