MATCH 1497 - Saturday, 5th January 2013

Season:  2012/13
FA Cup 3rd ROUND
Venue:  REEBOK STADIUM

                        

BOLTON WANDERERS    2    SUNDERLAND    2

Scorers: Chung-Yong Lee, Sordell;  Wickham, Gardiner

My first FA Cup match since January 2000 - when Carlisle took on Arsenal - and due to some dire defending by Sunderland it turned into a pretty good match.  Just after half time Bolton went two nil up which spurred the Black Cats into action.  However Bolton's stand in keeper, Lonergan had a stand out performance and denied Sunderland several times before substitute, Conor Wickham give them a lifeline.  

Eventually Sunderland's pressure was rewarded with an equaliser - a cracking effort from the edge of the box from Gardiner - with 15 minutes to go. 

Although there were only 12,000 at the match Sunderland took up their full allocation filling one end of the Reebok. 

Our seats were excellent - middle of the top tier behind the goal in which three of the goals went in.

Bolton Wanderers

• 24 Lonergan 03 Alonso 12 Knight 18 Ricketts 23 Riley (Mears) 08 Andrews 10 Petrov 21 Pratley 27 Lee 09 Ngog (Eagles) 19 Sordell (K Davies)

Sunderland

• 22 Mignolet,  02 Bardsley,  19 Bramble,  24 Cuellar (Wickham),  Rose (Colback),  07 Larsson,    08 Gardner,  15 Vaughan,  21 Johnson,  23 McClean,  26 Fletcher

Attendance:
12,204

Football Focus - 100 CELTIC-MOTHERWELL Matches

CELTIC v MOTHEREWELL

Matches:  100

Breakdown

Celtic wins:   59
Motherwell wins:  17
Draws:           24

Competitions:
Scottish Premier League:  90
Scottish Cup:                        7
Scottish League Cup:          3

Venues:
Celtic Park:      54 (SPL 53; LC 1)
Fir Park:           37 (SPL 35; SC 2)
Hampden Park:  9 (SPL 2; SC 5; LC 2)

First meeting:
20 Nov 1982 - Celtic Park
CELTIC  3  MOTHERWELL  1

Finals (1):
2010 Scottish Cup - Celtic 3  Motherwell 0
Scorers: Ki, O.G., Mulgrew

MATCH 1496 - Wednesday, 2nd January 2013

Season:  2012/13
SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue:  CELTIC PARK

*** MY 100th MATCH BETWEEN THESE SIDES ***

                       

CELTIC    1    MOTHERWELL    0

Scorer:  Hooper

Classic match in which both teams play to their strengths.  Celtic started strongly but were unable to take any of their early changes.  However it wasn't until late in the match that the main drama unfolded.  Motherwell were awarded a penalty with under 15 minutes to go.  Jamie Murphy who was playing his last for Well impressed throughout the match and when he went down in the box referee McLean very willingly gave the spot kick.  Not for the first time Fraser Forster was a hero for Celtic pulling off a great save with the score all square. 

The save inspired Celtic and minutes later Hooper slotted home a cross to give them victory. 




Forster saves penalty

Celtic: Forster; Matthews, Ambrose (Rogne), Wilson, Izaguirre, Commons (McGeouch), Kayal (Watt), Wanyama, Mulgrew, Samaras, Hooper.

Motherwell: Randolph, Hateley, Kerr, Ramsden, Hammell, Humphrey, Law, Lasley, Francis-Angol (Daley), Ojamaa (McHugh), Murphy.

Attendance 48,000



 

FLASH BACK - MATCH 50 - 2nd January 1983

Season:  1982/83
SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue:  IBROX STADIUM (1st visit)

RANGERS    1    CELTIC    2

Scorers: Dalziel;  McStay, Nicholas

My first visit to Ibrox Stadium and Celtic's young guns Paul McStay and Charlie Nicholas insure it is a memorable day.  The highlight is a truely wonderful strike from Nicholas.  He glided past the Rangers defence then curled a great shot out of the reach of Stewart in the Rangers goal, before running to the Celtic support and doing a little slow motion run.

This was my third Old Firm match and the third win for Celtic.  The Celtic fans occupied two thirds of the ground in the Main Stand, Main Stand enclosure, Broomloan Road Stand and a few sections of the Govan Stand.

Match 1495 - Saturday, 29th December 2012

Season:  2012/13
SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue:  EASTER ROAD STADIUM

***  SHOCK WIN FOR HIBS  ***

              

HIBERNIAN    1     CELTIC     0

Scorer:  Griffiths

What a difference a Saturday afternoon 3pm kick off time and no television coverage makes to a game of football.  Easter Road was almost fill in contrast to last years corresponding fixtures that I attended.

I've said before that Leigh Griffiths is the best player in Scotland outside of Celtic Park and he continued his terrific season by scoring the only goal of this encounter to the delight of the big Hibs support.

It was a wet miserable afternoon and Celtic's play mirrored the weather.

Easter Road is my favourite ground in Scotland (bar one exception) since the completion of the steep single tier East Stand therefore it was great to witness it almost full and the atmosphere it and a memorable win created even if it was at the expense of Celtic.
 

Hibernian:

01 Williams;  02 Clancy (Maybury);  04 Hanlon;  06 McPake;  07 Deegan;  08 Claros;  11 Cairney;

16 Stevenson;  20 Taiwo (Handling );  09 Griffiths (Wotherspoon); 10 Doyle

Celtic:

01 Forster;  03 Izaguirre;  04 Ambrose (McGeouch);  06 Wilson;  23 Lustig;  25 Rogne (Kayal)

08 Brown;  67 Wanyama;  09 Samaras;  11 Nouioui (McCourt); 88 Hooper

Attendance:

16,800

 

Match 1494 - Saturday, 22nd December 2012

Season: 2012/13
SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue:  CELTIC PARK

CELTIC    4    ROSS COUNTY    0

Scorers:  Brown, Hooper(2), Forrest

 

Two sides of Celtic on view today, bad first half like many of their home SPL matches this calender year followed by a very good second half display.

FLASH BACK - Match 1365 - 10th April 2010

Season:  2009/10
SCOTTISH CUP Semi Final
Venue:  HAMPDEN PARK
 PARK

                    

 

 

 

CELTIC    2 - 0    ROSS COUNTY

Scorers:  Craig, Scott

 

First Division Ross County cause a huge upset in the semi final of the Scottish Cup to compound an awful season for Celtic.  Celtic had high hopes that Neil Lennon would salvage some from a poor season under Tony Mowbray but truth be told Ross County didn't need to play exceptionally well to knock out this sorry Celtic side with no fight or quality.

Celtic:

Zaluska,  Hinkel (Rasmussen 84),   Naylor,   Thompson,  O'Dea,  N'Guemo (Crosas),  Brown,  McGeady,  Keane,  Samaras,  Fortune (McCourt 67)

Ross County:

McGovern,   Miller,  Morrison,  Boyd,  Keddie,  Scott,  Brittain,  Vigurs,  Gardyne (Lawson 90+1),  Barrowman,  Craig
 

Att: 24,535

 

FLASH BACK - Match 1095 - 10th January 2004

Season:  2003/04
SCOTTISH CUP 3rd ROUND
Venue:  CELTIC PARK

                         

 CELTIC    2 - 0    ROSS COUNTY 

Scorers:  Hartson, Lambert

Att:  30,565 

Took the whole family to this one in what was the first ever meeting between the sides in a competitive match.  My youngest son, Paul who was 3 fell asleep during a pretty uneventful Scottish Cup tie.  Despite fielding a strong starting XI Celtic struggled to make the breakthrough.  John Hartson eventually woke the crowd late on when he used his strength and a little nudge to engineer the vital opening goal.

 

CELTIC team:

Rab Douglas,   Bobo Balde,   Jackie McNamara,   Ross Wallace (Beattie 80),  Paul Lambert,  Neil Lennon,   Henrik Larsson,   Chris Sutton,  Didier Agathe (Pearson 80),   Shaun Maloney (Petrov 66), John Hartson

 

 

ROSS COUNTY team:

Graeme Smith,   John Rankin,   Jim Lauchlan,  Hugh Robertson,   Jamie McCunnie,  Sean Webb,  David Winters (Gethins 76),  Stephen O'Donnell (Higgins 82),  David Hannah,  Mark McCulloch  ,  Graham Bayne (Cowie 81)

Match 1493 - Saturday, 15th December 2012

Season:  2012/13
SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue:  CELTIC PARK

                      

CELTIC    2    ST. MIRREN    0

Scorers:  Wanyama, Hooper

A straightforward victory for Celtic as St Mirren rarely attempted to leave their own half however it took them until the final 10 minutes to secure the victory with a second goal. 

Celtic team:

Forster,  Matthews,  Lustig,  Ambrose (Izaguirre),  Wilson,  Mulgrew,  Wanyama,  Brown,  Samaras (Lassad),  Kayal (McCourt),  Hooper

St Mirren team:
Samson,  van Zanten,  Dummett,  McAusland,  Goodwin,  Robertson (Guy),  McLean,  Teale,  Imrie,  Thompson (Parkin),  McGinn

Personal note:

Celtic v St Mirren  - match no. 58 dating back to 8th Auguest 1981

Celtic Park - 38:  St Mirren - 18;  Hampden Park - 2

SPL - 52; League Cup - 2;  Scottish Cup - 4

Celtic wins:  45;  Draws:   9;  St Mirren wins:  4

FLASH BACK - Match 448 - 7th April 1990

Season:  1989/90
SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: CELTIC PARK

                              

CELTIC     0    ST. MIRREN    3
Scorers: Torfason, Shaw, Lambert

A pitiful day in the history of Celtic.  Not so much for the score but for the team line up on the park.  Probably the worst Celtic team that I have ever witnessed.  With the exception of Wdowczyk a steady left back none were worthy of sharing a dressing room with Paul McStay and Pat Bonner.  Still even although football pundit Andy Walker, little more than a one season wonder, played in one of the worst Celtic teams in history he feels he is qualified to comment on far superior Celtic teams.  Maybe before he gives his expert opinion he should remember this match, this team.
The best memory of the match was the emergence of Paul Lambert who scored a terrific third goal for Saints.

Celtic team:
Bonner, Morris, Wdowczyk, Galloway, McCahill, Whyte, Grant, McStay, Walker, Coyne, Miller

Personal note: Next day I attended the FA Cup semi Final between Manchester United and Oldham at Maine Road.