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

MATCH 1606 - Sunday, 24 May 2015

SEASON:  2014/15
SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue:  CELTIC PARK

CELTIC    5    INVERNESS CT    0

Scorers: Scepovic(2), Johansen, Griffiths, Commons

My last game of the season and Celtic sign off in style with a five star performance as they are presented with the league trophy after the match. 

Personal note:  13th seasons now without missing a home Celtic match! (Last home match missed - Celtic 4 Juventus 3 Nov 2001)

Early action

Big crowd

Celts on Fire

MATCH 1605 - Monday, 18 May 2015

SEASON:  2014/15
ENGLISH FA PREMIERSHIP
Venue:  The Hawthorns

WEST BROMWICH ALBION   3   CHELSEA   0

Scorers: Berahino (2); Brunt

Our first visit to The Hawthorns!  Travelled down on Virgin Trains to Birmingham New Street from Glasgow for a tenner thanks to offer on Megabus.  The stadium is only 10 minutes from Birmingham city centre by train or metro.  We got the connection to The Hawthorns station from Moor Street on London Midland trains, four an hour up to six o'clock but note this goes down to two later on.  The Hawthorns station is only five minutes from the ground.

A McDonalds is conveniently placed across from the north-east corner of the stadium - ideal for families.  It's very busy but service is swift.

Away side arrive at the West Stand side (Halfords Lane).

Halfords Lane

We were in the East Stand near to the away fans section.  

East Stand

The ground is pretty smart with navy seats in all four sides with three big imposing one tier stands and the West Stand which is much smaller in size to the rests of the ground.  The stadium is enclosed and all stands are tight to the pitch making for a terrific atmosphere particularly when the home side are on form.

West Stand

Smethwick End Stand

Birmingham Road End Stand

As for the football Chelsea arrived as champions but it was West Brom who took all the honours on the night.  Gaining an early lead and once Febregas was sent off during a heated first half they never looked back.

Line ups

Kick off

Early action

WBA corner

WBA on the offensive

Second half

Fans divide

Home fans celebrate No. 3

On pitch celebrations

The great divide

All in all West Brom's Hawthorns is a great matchday experience.

Personal note:  91st ground.  2nd WBA game.  7th Chelsea game.

MATCH 1604 - Friday, 1 May 2015

Season: 2014/15
SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: CELTIC PARK

Celtic move to within touching distance of another title triumph

CELTIC    5   DUNDEE    0

Scorers: Griffiths, Brown, Commons, Forrest, Bitton

Friday night football came to Celtic Park and over 44,000 fans turned up to see Celtic turning on the style with a five star performance against top six opponents, Dundee.

Brown finished off a great passing move to give Celtic a 2-0 half time lead but the pick of the goals came just before the end of the match as Bitton scored his first Celtic Park goal with a majestic long range passing shot into the postage stamp corner. The ball clipped the post on it's way in to add to the quality of the strike which left the fans gasping in awe.

Personal note:  58th Celtic-Dundee match - 42 at Celtic Park & 16 at Dens Park

MATCH 1603 - Wednesday, 22 April 2015

SEASON: 2014/15
SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: DENS PARK (17)

DUNDEE    1    CELTIC    2

Scorers: McAlister; Mackay-Steven, Van Dijk

Gary Mackay-Steven was born to play for Celtic - another terrific goal, another terrific performance from the ex-Dundee United player.

My first visit to Dens Park in over 20 years.  Ticket in the Main Stand which hasn't changed since my first visit there way back in 1983.

My view - one of many columns in the main stand

The unusual Main Stand

Celtic End behind the goal

The home Stand

MATCH 1602 - Sunday, 19 April 2015

SEASON: 2014/15
SCOTTISH CUP SEMI FINAL
Venue:  HAMPDEN PARK

CELTIC    2    INVERNESS CT    3

after extra time

Scorers: Van Dijk, Guidetti;  Tansey, Ofere, Raven

Celtic are knocked out of the Scottish Cup by a very good Inverness side and by the help of an incompetent SFA referee, McLean who joins a long list of SFA referees dating way back to Valentine in 1984 finals v Rangers & Aberdeen & Syme 1986 League Cup Final to name two others who have for some reason failed to fairly apply the rules of the game.  However the decision not to award a penalty on the stroke of half time ranks this as one the poorest refereeing performance in the history of Scottish Football.


Fans pay a lot of money to go to football matches.  They are entitled to see the rules applied fairly in the spirit of Fair Play. 

Personal note:  This was the first tie between the sides at Hampden & only my second Scottish Cup tie v Inverness (the other 2000 1-3);

MATCH 1601 - Wednrdsday, 15 April 2015

Season: 2014/15
SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue:  CELTIC PARK

CELTIC    4    KILMARNOCK    1

Scorers: Commons, Brown(3);  Westlake

Dull, boring, awful & lazy first half but after the break the game came alive when Kilmarnock took a surprise lead early in the second half.
Second half sub Leigh Griffiths produced a match winning performance bt scoring a quality hat-trick.

Personnel note: 2nd Celtic-Kilmarnock fixture of the season taking my overall total to 68, with 61 in SPL.
41st match of the season - 29 Celtic games.