| Match Pictures | Matches: 1996 – 1997 | 1996-1997 Pictures | |
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Trivia
- This was the night when Celtic's league hopes were shattered with a below par display.
- The media were going into feeding frenzy on Celtic. Alan Davidson had just published that he had CONCLUSIVE proof that Tommy Burns would be sacked and that Johna Cruyff would be appointed.
- Pierre van Hooijdonk had just been sold following numerous fall-outs with Tommy Burns and Fergus McCann over his contract – he went to Nottingham Forest for £3.00 million.
- Billy McNeill went into hospital for a triple heart bypass surgery. The surgery was successful and he was released from hospital on 18/3/97
Quick Review
Tom Boyd was suspended and Paolo di Canio was injured. Morten Wieghorst was recovering from knee surgery
Teams
Kilmarnock: Meldrum, MacPherson, Kerr, Montgomerie, McGowne, Reilly, Bagen (McKee, 86), Henry, Wright (Brown, 73), McIntyre, Burke.
Non-Used Subs: Hamilton.
Scorers: Wright (24), Burke (74)
Celtic: Kerr, Annoni, McKinlay, McNamara, Mackay (McLaughlin, 62), Grant (Donnelly, 62), O'Donnell, McStay, Stubbs, Thom, Cadete.
Non-Used Subs: Hannah
Yellow Cards: Celtic: O'Donnell. Kilmarnock: Montgomerie
Attendance: 15,087
Referee: G Clyde (Bearsden).
Articles
- Match Report
THE sound of a team returning to earth with a resounding thump could be heard at Rugby Park, and probably in Govan as well, as Kilmarnock inflicted what could be a fatal blow to Celtic's championship aspirations last night. Tommy Burns, the losing manager, later conceded nothing where the league title was concerned but was fulsome in his praise of Kilmarnock's performance and condemnatory when it came to assessing his side's display.
A first-half goal from Paul Wright, who, with the heavy irony that is frequently part of such melodramatic moments, would once have been among the crowd in a green and white scarf, and another from Alex Burke, left Celtic five points behind Rangers.
The Ibrox side have played one game fewer and, if they beat Dundee United this evening, the defending champions' lead could be stretched to the point where Sunday's Old Firm game will be a title decider only if the home team should lose.
Putting Rangers out of the Scottish Cup last week did not have the invigorating effect that Celtic had hoped for in the Premier Division.
It is one of the game's unsolved mysteries why confidence and consistency do not have sufficient durability to last the matter of days which separate one match from the next.
Celtic will ponder the question until they put their league season on the line against Rangers.
Kilmarnock did not, for all of their tireless endeavours, gain that much beyond moving to within two points of Hibs, the third-bottom club in the league table. It could be said that they will take heart from having won so convincingly against Celtic, but that, if Rangers' challengers experience at Rugby Park was any indication, is a dubious reward.
Simon Donnelly and Brian McLaughlin were pitched into the game to replace Malky Mackay and Peter Grant midway through the second half but it was absent friends who lingered longest in the mind.
Paolo di Canio's invention was sorely missed and the fact that defeat came 24 hours after the sale of Pierre van Hooijdonk will not have gone without being remarked upon by a disconsolate Celtic support on their miserable journey home.
Di Canio's injury meant that Andreas Thom took his place and was the only alteration from the side who had eliminated Rangers from the Scottish Cup six days earlier. The game started in an identical fashion to that one, with Kerr being required to make a save from Dylan Kerr which was reminiscent off the one that denied Brian Laudrup an early goal in the Old Firm game.
There was to be no early retort at the other end, though, because the crossbar got in the way of Peter Grant's audacious chip over Colin Meldrum's head. Even Jorge Cadete was denied finishing off Celtic's smartest move of the first half. A long, searching pass from Enrico Annoni to Thom saw his cut-back from the byeline swept over the bar by the Portuguese.
Cadete would later strike the bar with a header at a time when he was helping his side to look for an equaliser rather than the opening goal.
Ironically, the night that saw van Hooijdonk make his debut for Nottingham Forest following his move from Celtic brought a goal from a free kick which the Dutchman would have been proud of.
Alan Stubbs was adjudged to have fouled Wright and the Kilmarnock forward elected to take the direct free kick himself. A curling shot from 20 yards went over Celtic's defensive wall and beyond Kerr's despairing hands.
Kilmarnock were then turned into opponents with seemingly demonic energy and Kerr's goal came under siege as shots from Jim McIntyre and Wright threatened to extend the lead Kilmarnock had taken after 24 minutes.
In the second half, after Jackie McNamara had wasted their best chance, Celtic owed Annoni a debt of gratitude for keeping them in the remorseless end-to-end match. A cross from David Bagen was headed past Kerr by Burke but the Italian got back to execute an athletic goal-line clearance.
But with 15 minutes left, Burke scored Kilmarnock's second, and hardly undeserved, goal. Kerr, who had been asked to perform more than one match-saving stop, prevented a shot from John Henry crossing the line by use of his legs. Burke, who was following up on the edge of the penalty area, lashed the ball into an unguarded net. Joy was unconfined among the Kilmarnock players and supporters. Celtic and their contingent looked suitably demoralised.
- Manager Interview
"All of the praise must go to Kilmarnock and their young players in particular. They were fantastic,"
"But it is difficult to understand why our performance should have been as bad as it was. Most of our players seemed to forget that the match which was sandwiched in between two Old Firm games was just as important as playing Rangers."
"The only success we had was Stewart Kerr, our goalkeeper, and I am deeply disappointed about that. The rest never played at all." Burns said.
"It was a desperately disappointing result, especially for our supporters. They were up for it and gave us every encouragementbut there was simply no response."
"We have to live with what has happened, though, and dust ourselves down for Sunday. It is the perfect game to come back in after a result like this one."
Pictures
- Match Pictures
- Fans
Stats
| Kilmarnock | Celtic | |
| Bookings | 1 | 1 |
| Fouls | 10 | 8 |
| Shots on Target | 8 | 9 |
| Corners | 6 | 10 |
| Offside | 4 | 1 |