SCOTTISH LEAGUE CUP/Celtic 4 Raith Rovers 1:GARY HOOPER helped himself to four goals as Celtic eased their way past Raith Rovers at Parkhead and into the quarter-finals of the Scottish Communities League Cup.

The Hoops striker opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a trademark poacher’s goal before Raith skipper Allan Walker levelled in the 27th minute with a deflected shot from 20 yards.

However, Hooper minimised any chances of a cup upset when he restored Celtic’s lead before the break before completing his scoring spree in the second half against the Irn-Bru First Division side.

With bigger tasks ahead in the coming weeks, especially in the Champions League, Celtic manager Neil Lennon would have been glad to see midfielders Beram Kayal and Joe Ledley get some game time following their lengthy absences out with ankle and groin complaints respectively.

Kayal recovered from the injury sustained in the 2-0 Champions League play-off win away to Helsingborg in August and his inclusion was one of six changes to the side which beat Dundee 2-0 in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League on Saturday.

The fixture did not capture the imagination of the home fans and the top tier of Celtic Park was closed, with most of the noise in the low-key early stages coming from the travelling supporters, encouraged by their side’s efforts to pass the ball. However, it was their desire to play football which saw the underdogs come unstuck.