| Match Pictures | Matches: 1988 – 1989 | 1988-1989 Pictures |
Trivia
- Celtic and Sheffield Wednesday are in a race to sign Dundee striker Tommy Coyne. Celtic look favourites to get their man after matching the English club's £500,000 bid. Coyne plays on this day but has a poor game.
- Celtic fail in a bid to sign Siggi Jonsson from Sheffield Wednesday.
- Steve McCahill makes his Celtic debut as a sub after signing from Dumbarton.
- Dugald McCarrison scores his only goal for Celtic.
- Mike Tyson defeated Frank Bruno in Las Vegas, when the referee stopped the fight in the fifth round to stop Bruno taking any further punishment.
Review
Teams
DUNDEE — Geddes, Shannon. Holt, Forsyth, Chisholm. Rafferty, Frail, Angus, Lawrence (Campbell), Coyne. McBride (Craib).
CELTIC — Bonner, Morris, Rogan, Aitken, McCarthy, Grant, Stark (McCahill), McStay, Walker (McCarrison), McGhee, Burns.
Scorers: Walker 20 McStay 49 McCarrison 80
Referee: — J R S Renton (Cowdenbeath)
Attendance: 14,599
Articles
- Match Report (see end of page below)
Pictures
Articles
Glasgow Herald, Monday 27th Feb 1989
Responsibility is key to Paul's performance.
By Ian Paul
Dundee 0, Celtic 3
ONE of the problems facing those involved in the selection process in sport is coping with the prima donna mentality, very often prevalent among those who are some distance short of the full prima. You know the type: those who sign the autograph books with an air of exasperation; who offer a nod as proof of their humanity: whose eyeballs flicker dollar signs at the mention of an interview.
Some of them, thankfully, disappear into the obscurity from whence they came, but with others the natural, precocious talent sustains them against the ill-will waiting to surface. Often their very arrogance and self- indulgence is what transforms their presence on the sports Held to that of leader. In Paul McStay's case the opposite is the truth.
This personable, modest young man happens to be brilliant at his chosen sport, but nothing will ever convince him that the headlines he has made all his life should be believed. His is the rare, if not unique, situation of a sports star who could do with a touch of arrogance.
Yet his club manager, Billy McNeill, believes that handing him responsibility is a key to his performance. After another of McStay's magnificent displays at Dens Park. McNeill, stressing that he was not attempting to do Andy Roxburgh's job, said that he felt Scotland should do as Celtic do and give Paul the major mid field role.
Be that as it may. the fact that he suggests as much is confirmation that there is no prima donna lurking beneath the self-effacing McStay front, but at international level especially, however it is achieved, it would be of immense profit to Scotland if the real Paul could turn up every time.
Oddly enough, he began at Dens Park with a couple of misplaced passes and with many another player we could safely have forecast that he could be dismissed as a force from that point. With McStay the opposite (yes. again) is the position. He merely tries harder.
The consequence was a superb mastery of the midfield role,backtracking when necessary, tackling with spirit, but most of all directing attack operations with a skill and awareness granted to few of his peers. He also happened to throw in one of the finest goals we will see this season.
By the time that arrived. McStay and/or Celtic had full control of the game, even although only ahead by the goal scored by Andy Walker after 20 minutes. Dundee had some spirited efforts and a few chances, of course, but in terms of general superiority the Parkhead team were well in front.
It was then, five minutes after the interval, that McStay raised the standards even higher. As ever, he spotted the place to run as Chris Morris looked for a colleague. Morris then intelligently lofted the ball over the halfway line ahead of McStay, who, as Rab Shannon arrived at the same time, steered the ball round the defender and slipped inside him.
So far so good, but the really tricky bit had yet to be done. Allowing the ball to bounce once, he met it on the second drop with his left foot, placing it with pace and accuracy out of the reach of Bobby Geddes.
There was not much point in playing out the time. After that, anything had to be second best, although Dugald McCarrison and Steve McCahill might be aggrieved at such a suggestion.
The 19-year-old McCarrison, who played one previous game last season for the top team, came on as a replacement for Andy Walker, and scored his first goal for the team. That made it a specially memorable debut for him, as it was for McCahill. The defender bought from Dumbarton for £100,000, who came on for the last few minutes in place of Billy Stark, making his first appearance in the Parkhead first team.
There were no big memories for new Dundee manager Gordon Wallace, other than that it was his first game in charge. He said afterwards that he could see now what a job lies before him, but perhaps other managers would console him by pointing out that starting from a lowly point can be less traumatic than the other.
His team was not a complete flop. Geddes did well in goal and in the first half Joe McBride's crosses from the left threatened danger. Many of the others worked very hard without achieving much. It was also notable that the front line badly missed the services of suspended Keith Wright.
Wallace, I am sure, was already aware of it, but he now knows for certain that from Tannadice to Dens is a small step for some, but a giant leap for him.
DUNDEE — Geddes, Shannon. Holt, Forsyth, Chisholm. Rafferty, Frail, Angus, Lawrence. Coyne. McBride. Substitutes — Craib. Campbell.
CELTIC — Bonner, Morris, Rogan, Aitken, McCarthy, Grant, Stark, McStay, Walker, McGhee, Burns. Substitutes – McCahill, McCarrison.
Referee — J R S Renton (Cowdenbeath)