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Trivia
- Celtic got a long-awaited win that keeps them within a point of the top of the league.
- Provan and MacLeod were back in the team but Bonner was missing from the line-up as he was in Ireland for his father’s funeral.
- Peter Latchford played his first league game sinceMay 1980.
- There were some shock results in the other matches. St Mirren 3-0 Rangers and Motherwell 2-2 Dundee Utd.
- Gordon Rae was sent off and John Blackley was sent to the stand in the second half by the referee.
Review
Davie Hay’s strong words last week, and his action in dropping top players certainly seemed to pay off as Celtic swept to a tremendous 5-1 league victory over Hibernian. Provan and MacLeod showed how they can play and why each of them has become a favourite with the regulars at Celtic Park.
MacLeod gave power to the midfield as Celtic pushed forward in wave after wave of attack. He capped a great afternoon by being on hand to score Celtic’s fourth goal from inside the box after a McClair header rebounded off the bar.
Provan not only scored one himself and set up chances for others to have shots at goal, his general play seemed to make all around him lift their game too.
There were other heroes too. Tow of Celtic’s new boys, McClair and Whittaker also got their names on the scoresheet.
McClair scored twice, the first and the last, and was always there to have a go at goal.
Whittaker scored with an incredible overhead kick and seemed anxious to take the applause of the crowd. The big left-back has always looked comfortable going forward, but the step up from part-time football takes time adjusting to. The Celtic support obviously warmed to him on Saturday and with that knowledge his confidence should rise no end.
Those were just some of the men who contributed to Celtic’s only win in October in the last match of the month, but Celtic looked to be getting back to their winning form and it takes a complete team to do that.
Teams
Celtic:-
Latchford, McGrain (Sinclair), Brian Whittaker, Aitken, McAdam, MacLeod, Provan, P McStay, McGarvey (Melrose), Burns, McClair.
Goals:- McClair 8, Provan 48, Whittaker 60, MacLeod 80, McClair 86.
Hibernian:-
Rough, Sneddon, Rae, Jamieson, Schaedler, Brazil, turnbull, Duncan, Rice (McKee), Thomson, Irvine
Subs:- Murray
Goal:- Thomson 77.
Booked:- Schaedler.
Sent Off:- Rae.
Ref:-
Att:- 13,777.
Articles
- Match Report (See Below)
Pictures
Articles
Match Report
After the goal-less League Cup meeting in midweek, this Premier League match at Celtic Park provided exactly what the Celtic fans wanted, plenty of goals, backed up with exciting football.
Davie Provan, dropped in midweek, certainly took a lesson from the managers’ action and turned in a magnificent performance.
With only one goal in the first half and four in the second, it would still be unfair to say Celtic played better in any half. Football lowed for the full 90 minutes.
Brian McClair, always on hand to meet the ball in front of goal, had already headed against bar before he scored in the eighth minute.
McGarvey worked well on the right to cut the ball inside to Provan whose cross from inside the box was headed home by McClair.
The second half saw Celtic scoring four times. Provan the total to two only three minutes after the restart when he forced the ball over the line as he and Alan Rough, the Hibs ‘keeper, fell to the ground.
Twelve minutes later, Brian Whittaker made himself popular with the Celtic fans when his overhead kick from the edge of the box caught the Hibs ‘keeper off his line, and by the time he reached the ball it was in the goal.
Fully realising how much the fans had enjoyed the score, Whittaker ran towards the ‘Jungle’, stopped, took the applause and made a sweeping theatrical bow.
Bobby Thomson pulled one back for the visitors in the 77th minute, but straight from the kick-off, Celtic moved upfield and as McClair’s header came back off the bar, MacLeod was there to shoot home.
One of the more unpleasant incidents in the match which saw Gordon Rae ordered off and John Blackley being removed from the Hibs dugout by the referee, was the stretchering off of McStay. He had picked up a forehead wound from a clash with Schaedler. This resulted in McStay receiving stitches in his forehead and the Hibs defender being booked.
Celtic’s fifth goal was scored in magnificent fashion by McClair, as he chested it down and shot into the roof of the net.
