ANGE POSTECOGLOU may not be a fan of plastic pitches, but the Celtic manager will not accept the surface as an excuse for his players to abandon the identity he is trying to create in their playing style.

With the artificial surface and Livingston’s famously aggressive pressing at home, the Tony Macaroni Stadium has hardly been a happy hunting ground for Celtic of late, with the team struggling to adapt to the rather unique conditions in West Lothian.

But Postecoglou is standing firm on the type of football he wants his team to play, no matter the circumstances they have before them.

“Thursday was a classic example of that,” Postecoglou said. “We had plenty of excuses not to try and play football but we didn’t do that and that’s the type of team we’re going to be.

“That’s how you build resilience, by coming through tests like Thursday. People will look at the result and say we lost but at 4-2 down we could’ve folded but we were trying to score a thirds and fourth. “It’ll be the same on Sunday, not thinking about the limitations of what we can do but making sure we try and play our football.

“[There wasn’t] really [any artificial pitches] in Australia and no teams in Japan had artificial pitches. With the national team we had to play on them a couple of times in Asia but that’s really all. They all vary depending on what generation they are. It is what it is.

“I’m not sure [if it gives Livingston an advantage]. I assume the team that plays on it regularly might. There’s a natural advantage in playing at home, regardless of the surface. It’s not just the surface it’s the dimensions of the ground, the crowd, a whole range of things.

“I’m not a fan of them, but I understand why they’ve been brought in. But a game played on natural turf is more of a natural game, for sure.

“We’ve just got to get through it. We weren’t far off on Thursday and if we persist with what we’re trying to do the results will come.”

With some winnable games ahead – at least on paper – Postecoglou is hoping the next few weeks can help his team build up a head of steam once more.

“It’s important on Sunday we keep some momentum going,” he said. “We got that back against Ross County.

“We want to string results together to keep in touch with the leading teams, then we’ve got the cup competition in midweek and the next two Europa games are at home, so there’s a chance to build some momentum there as well.”