| Match Pictures | Matches: 1997 – 1998 | 1997-1998 Pictures |
Trivia
- McNamara and Stubbs passed late fitness tests to make the game. Johnson was out with what turned out to be a cruciate ligament problem, Annoni came into the squad and Hann ah and MacKay dropped out.
- Jim Duffy had been sacked as Hibernian manager on 2/2/98 and Alex McLeish appointed. His idea was to attempt to salvage Hibs season and keep them up for the new Premier League the following season. To do this he appeared to be applying a ‘kick-anything-in-sight’ tactical game which he had refined at Motherwell.
- Hibs captain and ex-Celt John Hughes ended up with a four game ban following comments made to the linesman at the end of the game. His complaint was about why Stubbs challenge on the goalkeeper was not called as a foul which would have negated the goal.
Review
A tight game where we started well but let Hibs back into it. This kept us at the top and ahead on points after Rangers and Hearts drew against each other.
Teams
Hibernian:
Gunn, Miller, Boco, Brebner, Hughes, Welsh, Harper (Jackson ,64 ), Dow, Crawford, Lavety, Rougier
Subs not used: Dods, Walker,
Celtic:
Gould , Boyd , Mahe, McNamara (O'Donnell ,86 ), Rieper , Stubbs , Larsson , Burley , Brattbakk (Donnelly ,73 ), Lambert, Wieghorst
Subs not used: Annoni
Scorer: Rieper (25)
Bookings: Lavety (Hibernian)
Referee: J McCluskey (Stewarton).
Attendance: 15,137
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Stats
| Hibernian | Celtic | |
| Bookings | 1 | 0 |
| Fouls | 6 | 7 |
| Shots on Target | 4 | 3 |
| Corners | 3 | 3 |
| Offside | 0 | 1 |
RACE FOR THE PREMIER TITLE: Men from Parkhead show they will battle all the way.
No sparkle as Celtic learn how to dig deep for victory
The Herald 02/03/1998
Hibernian ……………. 0
Celtic …………………. 1
MAYBE it was the strain showing in a team that was discovering for the first time what it is like when there is no-one above you in the premier division, but Celtic were nothing like the side whose sparkling form took them to the pole position.
On the other hand, it might just have been the admirable, gutsy determination of the team at the bottom of the same table that
prevented them from getting into their usual rhythm.
Either way, the news is not good for their rivals in the big race because the Parkhead lot did illustrate that they have learned the trick which is a pre-requisite of champions – to win without playing well.
They matched the grit of Hibs, which is saying plenty, and defended with tremendous
resolution.
A draw might well have been a fairer result but, as Hibs have found out on a few occasions already this season, the old Ref in the Sky works in mysterious ways.
The Edinburgh team faces a massive task to avoid relegation, but if they approach every game with this diligence they might yet find an escape hatch.
Celtic, on the other hand, cannot afford to rely on battling qualities to secure the title for the first time in 10 years.
They will need more than that in the nine games left to go. Still, they have a lead, a handy lead, at a crucial stage of the race and both manager Wim Jansen and defender Alan Stubbs acknowledged the scary truth that they can only lose the champion-ship themselves now.
"We have always wanted to to be in this position," said Stubbs," because, until now, we have had to play catch-up. Now it is down to us alone.
"That was one of the hardest games we have had. It was not one of our best performances, but we had to grind out a result. It is all right winning by four or five goals, but it is a game like this which shows what you are made of."
Stubbs and his team-mates knew that something was happening in their favour at Ibrox in the first half when the Celtic cheers rang out for no apparent reason.
"We knew Rangers were either losing or drawing, but it was a great bonus for us when we came in to hear that they and Hearts drew.
" But we know how easy it is to drop points and one win for Hearts and a defeat for us would turn the whole thing round."
The Englishman, who has been consistently good all season, looked as if he had just gone a couple of rounds with Rocky Bilbao, but anybody who bangs his head on John Hughes' cranium might prefer to take his chance with Stallone.
"I head-butted him as I tried to get the ball" said Stubbs, "and if there's one head you don't want to butt it is Yogi's."
Stubbs, tongue in cheek, suggested that eight wins and a draw in the nine games would be acceptable.
His manager would not dare even to joke about it, insisting as ever that each game coming up is the one he thinks about.
Jansen does not necessarily agree that a break from the league grind for the next two weeks – the cup takes over next week – is psychologically beneficial for his team. "Sometimes when you are on a good run it is better to keep the momentum going."
Stubbs was involved in the melee that brought about the goal that separated the teams, but shed no light on whether Bryan Gunn's claim that he was fouled by the Celtic man was justified.
Stubbs did say it was one of those situations where the referee's decision goes in favour of the keeper nine times out of 10.
From the stands, it was impossible to say if Gunn dropped the ball as a result of contact or not, but it was cleared before Marc Rieper shot it through the crowded penalty area into the net.
Jim McCluskey was indeed very close to the action and Hibs manager Alex McLeish, although he himself felt Gunn was fouled, accepted that a man of McCluskey's experience was 'probably right.'
In any case, it was one of the few occasions either side looked like scoring and, in terms of entertainment, Cell Block H would have won hands down.
Hibs are not in the position to concern themselves about such niceties, of course, because any kind of result is their priority.
They had a team of real workers for the cause, particularly Hughes and Brian Welsh in defence, new boy Grant Brebner, on loan from Manchester United, in midfield and Barry Lavety up front.
- Manager Interview
Wim Jansen post match
"We used to lose that kind of game.
"Now we don't. Our defence played deeper than I would have liked, particularly in the second half, but that was due in part to how Hibs played. We fell into their style .
"It's in our own hands now. It's going to be very hard, but we mustn't look to others. We've set ourselves up with a good week and it's up to us to finish the job."