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Trivia
- There was a minute’s silence before the game to honour the memory of those killed in the Omagh bombing the previous Saturday. At least four fans were lifted for breaking the silence and were banned from Celtic Park. During the week Marc Rieper, Willie McStay and Kevin Kelly had travelled to Omagh to attend the funerals of some of the victims on behalf of the club and players.
- Celtic failed in a bid to sign Dorinel Munteanu from FC Koln who turned down a £1.5million offer. As the transfer deadline for the Champions League closed no new players had been signed. This fact alone was causing ripples of discontent throughout the support. The club was said to be doing financially very well, the money was available so where were the new players?
- Ex-Head Coach Wim Jansen ruled himself out of the Holland manager’s job saying that he wanted to return to club coaching.
- In the wake of two defeats the players ‘work-to-rule’ looked like crumbling and was in fact called off on the day of this match – and yet the dispute still rumbled on with grudges being held against McCann and the SPFA being called in to mediate a solution.
- Rieper and Stubbs returned after injuries to the middle of the defense, Larsson and Brattbakk were back from international duty, McNamara was out with a knee injury, Jackson was suspended following his red at Aberdeen, Blinker had a chest infection and MacKay was dropped.
Review
A pretty woeful performance only enlivened by a goal from Burchill and a performance from him that looked like he wa a definite for the future.
Teams
Celtic: Gould, Boyd , Mahe, Rieper, Stubbs , Larsson, Burley , Brattbakk (Burchill ,63), Donnelly, Lambert, McKinlay
Subs not used: O'Donnell, Annoni, Kerr, McBride
Scorers: Burley (80), Burchill (83)
Dundee Utd: Dykstra, Pascual, Malpas, McNally, Patterson, Skoldmark, Olofsson, Zetterlund (Duffy ,23), Winters (Thompson ,64), Mols, Easton
Subs not used Combe, Boli, Gray,
Scorer: Winters (31)
Bookings: Brattbakk, Lambert, Mahe, Stubbs (Celtic) Easton, Patterson, Zetterlund (Dundee Utd)
Referee: Alan Freeland (Scotland)
Attendance: 59738
Articles
- Match Report
Burchill renews faith in future
Scotland on Sunday 23/08/1998
Celtic 2 Dundee United 1
IT started with the repugnant disregard for a young life taken so callously, and ended with the celebration of another so tender in years.
Mark Burchill put the smiles back at Celtic Park and took away the sour taste a few morons had threatened to leave permanently. Life, as Sean McLoughlin tragically found out, is more precious than football or politics.
Celtic's attempt to give the 12-year-old Irish boy, who was buried in the green and white of the club he loved, and all the other Omagh bomb victims, a minute's silence before the game was tarnished by a few who should be ostracised by any human being.
Most of the 59,738 inside Parkhead stood heads bowed, but a few could not be trusted. One yelled "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and, even though he and the others were rounded upon by sickened fans, even a single voice in 60,000 is one too many, given the tears shed for such innocent and youthful victims.
Almost at once, a dark cloud hung over Parkhead and the mood threatened to grow uglier as the home fans jeered their militant players, who looked unlikely to claim one of those controversial Celtic win bonuses after Robbie Winters had given Dundee United a seemingly impregnable lead.
However, Celtic outdid even their tradition of escapology with two late goals inside five minutes to turn the game, and the crowd, around.
First, Craig Burley levelled in the 80th minute and removed the spectre of a third successive loss after the results at Aberdeen and Airdrie in the last week. Then Burchill restored sanity to Paradise.
The boy who had turned just 18 only last Tuesday, had replaced the hapless Harald Brattbakk midway through the second half and chose the ideal moment to score his first goal for the club by putting away an 85th minute winner with the coolness of one much older. The future may yet rest in the hands of the young.
Whether Burchill retains Jozef Venglos's faith for the crucial Champions League tie against Croatia Zagreb on Wednesday remains to be seen, but certainly the Celtic coach's faith in Brattbakk looks to be as misplaced as the striker's efforts on goal.
Here, the Norwegian refused to shake of the profligacy which has clouded his brief career at Celtic, missing several chances before Venglos took him off in the 65th minute and brought the teenage Burchill on. Brattbakk trudged disconsolately up the tunnel and Burchill emerged to signal a brave new world.
Suddenly the movement in Celtic's front line gained a variation and purpose. And once keeper Jonathan Gould had stopped United substitute Stephen Thompson from sealing the game with a fine 73rd minute save, Celtic set about recovering their lost Bhoys.
The crowd had grown angry with the stream of sloppy attacks and seemed to sense another defeat was in the air. Then, Burley, as he has done so often for this team, struck with a crucial goal.
Yet again, the provider was the clever Henrik Larsson who clipped a ball over the top of the United defence and Burley ghosted into the space behind. A mirror image of the World Cup match against Norway presented itself with Burley getting to the ball first and stabbing it past keeper Sieb Dykstra for an equaliser which made the fans breathe a collective sigh of relief.
Three minutes later, Burchill grabbed centre stage. United could not complain they had been given no warning about his talent as Dykstra had been forced to paw over a fierce drive from the player just minutes before Burley's goal.
This time, there was no reprieve. The chance was carved out by the patience of the much-criticised Simon Donnelly, who cut inside and thought about shooting as he ran across the edge of the area but sensibly kept the ball until a better option materialised.
Suddenly, it did in the shape of Burchill, who had made a well-timed run behind the defence. Donnelly fed a fine reverse pass and Burchill pounced showing remarkable poise to squeeze his shot between Dykstra and the post.
That was in marked contrast to the way Brattbakk had handled a golden chance in the third minute when he had rounded Dykstra but then took so long before placing his right foot shot that Mark McNally, back at his old club, scampered back into position to divert the ball over the bar.
Kjell Olofsson then forced a wonderful save out of Gould with a great volley and came even closer in the 25th minute before he carved out United's opener five minutes later.
Marc Rieper missed a pass down the left from Neil Duffy and Olofsson made clear before delivering a low cross for Winters to sweep the ball beyond the reach of Gould.
Burchill confirmed that the art of the striker is all about timing, saying later: "I thought the boss was not going to put me on for Harald but then he changed his mind. I've been dreaming about a moment like this ever since I can remember and now its happened; it is brilliant”
- Manager Interview
Pictures
Stats
| Celtic | Dundee Utd | |
| Bookings | 4 | 3 |
| Fouls | 11 | 10 |
| Shots on Target | 9 | 4 |
| Corners | ||
| Offside | 3 | 2 |