MATCH 1613 - Wednesday 29 July 2015

SEASON:  2015/16
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUALIFYING ROUND 1st Leg
Venue:  CELTIC PARK (902)

CELTIC    1    QARABAG    0

Scorer:  Boyata

Over 43,000 Celtic fans in attendance as the UEFA Champions League qualifying process steps up a level and the Champions of Azerbaijan prove to be touch opponents.  It takes Celtic until the last 10 minutes to find the breakthrough.

The hand shakes

The huddle

Sorted for kick off

Personal note:  136th UEFA tie of which 115 involve Celtic

Qarabag become the 196th club that I've seen but the 1st from Azerbaijan

MATCH 1612 - Saturday, 25 July 2015

Season:  2015/16
FRIENDLY
Venue:  CELTIC PARK (901)

CELTIC    2    RENNES    0

Scorers: Griffiths, Mackay-Steven

Low key pre-season friendly with only around 15,000 turning up.

Personal note: Stade Rennes 2nd visit to Celtic Park bringing the total number of matches I've seen involving French teams to 12.   

9 club & 3  national matches

Pre-match huddle

View from section 440

The Great North Stand - 20 years old!

Venue from the Emirates Arena after the match

MATCH 1611 - Wednesday, 15 July 2015

Season: 2015/16
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Qualifying Round 1st Leg
Venue:  CELTIC PARK (900)

CELTIC    2    STJARNAN    0

Scorers:  Boyata, Griffiths

Just like last season the new season starts with Icelandic opponents in UEFA Champions League Qualifying Round.

http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=2016/matches/round=2000631/match=2015591/index.html

Personel note:  Landmark game for me, my 900th match at Celtic Park.

Line ups

New season kicks off

First goal of season

Personal note:
My 114th Celtic UEFA tie - only 2 involving Icelandic clubs.

Overall only my 3rd match involving an Icelandic side - the first one was the national side under 21 team v Scotland at Fir Park in 1984 when over aged player Roy Aitken scored the only goal.
FC Stjarnan become the 195th club side I've seen.

MATCH 1610 - Friday, 10 July 2015

Season:  2015/16
Friendly
Venue: New St Mirren Park (4)

CELTIC    1    REAL SOCIEDAD    0

Scorer: Mackay-Steven

Celtic end their three game pre-season stint at New St Mirren Park with a narrow win over Real Sociedad. Gary Mackay-Steven was once again on the scoresheet.
Crowd: 7150 one of the biggest attendances in the new ground.

3rd Pre-season match at St Mirren FC

Add caption

Kick off

Subs warming up

MATCH 42 - 3 November 1982 FLASHBACK

SEASON: 1982/83
UEFA EUROPEAN CUP 2nd Round 2nd Leg
Venue:  CELTIC PARK

33 YEARS AGO

CELTIC    2    REAL SOCIEDAD    1

From a memorable season of all out attacking football from Billy McNeill's side.  

Only my 2nd European match.  Watched from the Front Stand across from a packed "Jungle" with the Sociedad fans in the Upper Stand behind me and 54,000 Celtic fans hoping to see Celtic turn around a 2-0 deficit.  However as soon as Real scored an early away goal the task was too great.  Murdo McLeod did score twice to at least win the tie on the night.

Celtic team:  Bonner, McGrain, Reid (Burns), Aitken, McAdam, Sinclair, Provan (McCluskey), McStay, McGarvey, McLeod, Nicholas

MATCH 1609 - Tuesday, 7 July 2015

Season: 2015/16
UEFA CHAMPION LEAGUE Qualifying Round 2nd Leg
Venue:  Park Hall Stadium

Match ticket

The New Saints (Wales)  4  B36 Tórshavn (Faroe Islands)   1

Scorers: Wilde(3), Williams; Cieślewicz

My most random match ever, still a new ground visited and two new clubs to add to the list.  The champions of Wales v the champions of the Faroe Islands played in Oswestry, England!

The basic end of UEFA Champions League football

http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=2016/matches/round=2000630/match=2016703/index.html

UEFA flags

B36 bus

The stadium turnstyles & VIP area

Our view from the "Gazebo" stand

Kick off

New Stand

Near the end of the match

MATCH 1608 - Saturday, 4 July 2015

Season:  2015/16
Pre-Season Friendly
Venue:  NEW ST MIRREN PARK (3)

CELTIC    3    DUKLA PRAGUE    5

Scorers: Griffiths, Mackay-Steven; Marek Hanousek(3), 

Entertaining pre-season match between the 1967 European Cup Semi Finalists.  In which Celtic were totally outplayed from start to finish by their impressive Czech opponents.


Personal note: First time seeing Dukla Prague and indeed a Czech club side. 

New St Mirren Park

Kick Off

Dukla die-hard fans

Dukla corner

Dukla celebrate another goal

Visitors from Prague

Star man Marek Hanousek leads the celebations

MATCH 1607 - Wednesday, 1 July 2015

SEASON:  2015/16
PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY
Venue:  NEW ST MIRREN PARK (2)

Season No. 36

1st game

CELTIC    2    DEN BOSCH    0

Scorers: Mackay-Steven; O.G.

Celtic hire St Mirren's ground for 3 pre season matches beginning with this one against Dutch lower league side FC Den Bosch. 

Gary Mackay-Steven had the honour of scoring the first goal of the season and played a major part in the second.

Crowd around 5000.

Personal note:  Earliest ever start to season.  Celtic match 1380;  1st Den Bosch match & 5th Dutch side.

Den Bosch coach arrives in Paisley

Welcome

Teams take to the field

Kick off 

Den Bosch corner

Full Time

Season 2014/15 Summary

MATCHES  46

CELTIC       33

Non Celtic   13