| Match Pictures | Matches: 1996 – 1997 | 1996-1997 Pictures |
Trivia
- The Bhoys could have gone top of the table had they won this game.
- Tommy Burns had just been fined £3000 by the SFA Disciplinary Committee following a verbal attack against referee Stuart Dougal at the game against Kilmarnock on 10/4/96, which ended in a draw and and put paid to catching Rangers in the title race the previous season. Burns had been furious with Dougal for adding no extra time when Celtic were drawing and Rangers losing.
- Celtic had re-opened negotiations with Van Hooijdonk and his agent Rob Jansen.
- Celtic Youth Barry Elliot had just played and scored for Scotland Youths in the European Youth Championship finals
- Stewart Kerr continued in goal having taken over from Marshall when he was red-carded in the previous game against Motherwell
- Celtic were giving a trial to a mate of Jorge Cadete’s – Jorge Amaral, alleged to have played for Sporting Lisbon and Benfica and to have 34 Portugese caps. This all turned out to be a little fictitious or rather a distortion of the truth.
- Cadete (hamstring), John Hughes (injured and about to leave the club), Gordon Marshall and Tosh McKinlay (both suspended), Phil O’Donnell (hamstring) and Paul McStay (ankle) were all out of the game.
- On the same day Celtic lost 6-0 to Hearts in a Reserve League match at Barrowfield. The Celtic team was McCondichie, Potter, Boyle, Morrison, Kelly, O'Brien, Lyttle (Duggan 68), Queen (Fitzpatrick 46), Vaugh, Hay (Dow 61), Crossley. The Hearts team was Hogarth, Barr (McNichol 79), Horne, Murray, Murie, Rafferty (Milne 79), Fulton (Severin 61), Bradley, Burns, Thomas, Holmes. The Hearts scorers were Holmes 7 & 85, Fulton 22, Thomas 38 & 55, Bradley 40.
Review
Two points dropped in a game which should have been important enough to force the win; another two goals for Van Hooijdonk; having gone two goals up we allowed Hearts back into the game to equalize in extra time;
Teams
Hearts:
Rousset, McManus, Pointon, Weir, McPherson, Mackay (Beckford 73), Paille, Salvatori (Bruno 64), Robertson, Cameron, Callaghan.
Sub (not used): Ritchie.
Scorers: Cameron (52); McPherson (90)
Celtic:
Kerr, Boyd, Gray, McNamara, Stubbs, Grant, Di Canio, Wieghorst (McLaughlin 80), Van Hooijdonk, O'Neil, Donnelly (Thom 75).
Sub (not used): MacKay.
Scorers: Van Hooijdonk (38, 51)
Referee: J McCluskey (Stewarton).
Attendance: 13,352.
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Articles
Hearts do level best
The Scotsman 21/10/1996
Hearts 2 Cameron (52); McPherson (90)
Celtic 2 Van Hooijdonk (38, 51)
THE last time Celtic were at Tynecastle, manager Tommy Burns had occasion to apologise for his players' greed. Yesterday he had cause to question his side's hunger.
The team who last month caused a dispute before their Coca-Cola Cup tie in Edinburgh when they demanded more bonus money had the chance to go top of the Premier Division because of Rangers' draw with Aberdeen 24 hours earlier. However, Burns' side squandered the opportunity amid a series of defensive mistakes which culminated in an injury-time equaliser for Hearts.
"We simply did not believe that we deserved to be two goals down and the way in which we fought back contributed towards what I thought was a great game and a terrific advertisement for Scottish football," said Hearts manager Jim Jefferies afterwards.
Jefferies will today meet with Stephane Paille's agent and try to convince him that a long-term contract at Tynecastle would be a good idea for the Frenchman. Paille had an outstanding home debut and Stefan Salvatori was named Man of the Match.
Pierre van Hooijdonk scored both of Celtic's goals and Burns later confirmed that the club wanted to offer him a new, four-year contract. However, even the Dutchman couldn't find the net often enough to compensate for a negligent defence which attracted the manager's wrath.
"We were sleeping when Hearts scored immediately after our second goal and were caught defending too deeply when we lost the equaliser," said Burns. "If this club is going to win the league title, we will obviously have to go through the emotional wringer in the first place."
With eight continental players on the field at one stage or another, it was inevitable that the goals would have an import label on them.
Celtic took the lead eight minutes before half-time when Paolo di Canio, their Italian forward, found enough time and space to deliver the ball into the penalty area where Van Hooijdonk applied the finishing touch.
Simon Donnelly, a Scot, provided the dummy in between so to speak. Celtic extended their lead in the 51st minute when Denmark and the Netherlands combined, Morten Wieghorst heading down to Van Hooijdonk who volleyed beyond Gilles Rousset.
Celtic's defence comprised only UK citizens and throughout the game looked liable to make mistakes. Indeed, Celtics lead had only been established after Hearts had missed a succession of opportunities. It was therefore entirely understandable when Colin Cameron got a goal back for Hearts while some Celtic supporters were still pogo-ing in celebration after Van Hooijdonk's effort at the other end.
Cameron was all on his own when he collected the ball from Paille and beat Stewart Kerr with a shot which went in off the goalkeeper's right-hand post.
Celtic's limitless generosity extended to the first minute of injury time, when their chance to lead the Premier Division table was snatched from them by Davie McPherson.
Pasquale Bruno, who had replaced the injured Salvatori midway through the second half, threw over a cross which found the defender better at attacking Celtic's goal than the visitors were at guarding it.
"It was a travesty that we were behind in the first place and I told my players that their attitude was magnificent," Jefferies said afterwards.
Salvatori was replaced because of a damaged hamstring but retains a chance of being involved in Wednesday's semi-final tie against Dundee at Easter Road.
Injury deprived Burns of half-a-dozen players but the manager did not permit himself to use their absence as an excuse.
"It is a big disappointment not to go top of the table but we did not have the composure when it mattered and being short of players makes it no less easy to bear."
Burns also refuted weekend speculation that Celtic were on the verge of alleviating their problems by paying 2 million to buy Amaral, the Portuguese midfield player who is now out of contract with Benfica and training with Celtic.