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Trivia
- Between this game and the previous against Motherwell there was a break for international matches. The team reported back after internationals relatively unscathed. Larsson had picked up a minor knee injury but was fit for the game.
- Mahe was suspended for this game. Lambert was carrying a hamstring problem and was thought doubtful for this game but made the team.
- Newcastle Utd. were said to be planning a bid for Paul Lambert. The club and player said nothing and their appeared to be very little basis for the report other than chipwrapper tittle-tattle.
- Celtic were lining up a new contract for Mark Burchill to fend off interest from other clubs south of the border. Stewart Kerr was told that he was free to leave if a suitable offer came in for him.
- On 10/10 it was alleged by the Record that the club were “…on the verge” of signing Viduka from Croatia Zagreb. Celtic did bid £3.5million which was again rejected by the Croatian club.
- Gerry Creaney signed a short term deal with St. Mirren.
- Eric Black, Dr Jo’s assistant was in hospital for surgery on a back problem.
Review
A game of four goals, five bookings and a penalty in the first half followed by a second half where Butler (who had been at Aston Villa as a youth keeper when Dr Jo was manager there) in the Dunfermiline goal had a blinder .
Teams
Dunfermline: Butler, Shields, McCulloch, Ireland, French, Huxford, Britton (Millar 87), Petrie, Johnson, Shaw (Faulconbridge 15), Squires (Tod 25).
Subs Not Used: Hay, Nish.
Goals: Britton 13 pen, French 27.
Celtic: Gould, Boyd , Rieper, Stubbs (McKinlay 24), Larsson, Burley , Brattbakk, Donnelly, Lambert, Hannah, Riseth.
Subs Not Used: O'Donnell, Jackson, McCondichie, Burchill.
Goals: Larsson 16, Brattbakk 37.
Bookings: Britton, McCulloch, Squires, Huxford, Petrie (Dunfermiline) Burley (Celtic).
Ref: H Dallas (Motherwell).
Att: 10,968
Articles
- Match Report
Brattbakk high on list of suspects but Butler did it
Scotland on Sunday 18/10/1998
Dunfermline Athletic 2 Celtic 2
THE energy expended would have been sufficient to fire a small power plant but too often it was channelled in all the wrong ways in a scatty sort of match yesterday.
The surroundings of Dunfermline's home may have moved into the modern age with tidy new stands behind either goal but what was played in front of them yesterday harked back to a bygone age when football was a man's game and snotters sufficed for hair gel.
Dunfermline tend to play with bare teeth and often as not elicit a similar style from opponents they face in their own backyard. A blink-and-you'd-have-missed-something first half was followed by a second period where you could have nodded off for long spells without feeling short changed.
Within a chaotic first 45 minutes, we were treated to four goals, five bookings and the departure of three players who succumbed to the physical rigours such a contest placed on limbs.
But, by the end of 90, we were left to reflect a second period notable only for the goalkeeping heroics of Lee Butler which earned his side a precious point and delivered Celtic's championship hopes in what's been a stabilised-stutter season for them a further dunt. Indeed, 'dunt' was the word of this afternoon, with players haring around as if trying to catch their last bus after a grim knees-up on the town.
The 11th minute brought first blood in more ways than one with an aimless ball into the box leading to Jonathan Gould and George Shaw tussling that led to the Dunfermline forward being clattered to the ground and out of the contest, his replacement, Craig Faulconbridge, appearing minutes after the magic sponge had failed to work any wonders.
The Celtic goalkeeper was apoplectic at the award of a penalty, but, in reality, he perhaps should have been grateful to referee Hugh Dallas, who had an erratic match, for copping out of further sanction. Gould made windmills on his goal-line as Gerry Britton stepped up to take the kick, but the tigerish front man was not distracted from slotting it in the corner.
Britton was one of the real successes of the day for a home side robbed of main goal threat Andy Smith and playmaker Derek Ferguson, the lanky forward's head-down-and-run-like-the-clappers approach was well judged for a frenetic opening spell. There was no sign of a let-up and, within six minutes of going behind, Celtic were level thanks to the balletic grace of Henrik Larsson, who, in mid air, touched a flighted free-kick from David Hannah beyond Butler from 12 yards.
The visitors were forced to reshuffle in defence after Alan Stubbs was left bent double after over-stretching in a challenge in the 21st minute with a stretcher required to hasten his exit.
Tosh McKinlay was slotted in at left-back with Tom Boyd taking over in central defence, but exactly where any of the green-and-white hoops backline were when Hamish French made it 2-1 in the 27th minute is unclear.
There was more craft than graft about the goal from Dunfermline, with Faulconbridge neatly jinking down the left-hand edge of the box before squaring it to the white-haired captain to squeeze it home.
Within seconds, injury No3 had robbed Dunfermline of James Squires, Harald Brattbakk's boot leaving him with a cut shin and resulting in the bizarre spectacle of the defender hop-scotching off the field with left leg in the air as if looking to pick up an imaginary peever on the touchline.
His absence may have been a factor in Celtic's 35th-minute equaliser which saw Dr Jozef Venglos's side don the clothes of their opponents with a McKinlay ball over the top latched on to by the enigma that is Brattbakk, who found the net despite appearing to do almost everything but.
He effectively rounded Butler twice before seeming to run rings round himself by continually stopping, and checking. Team-mates expected a cutback before a weak shot bounced off several black- and-white shirts on the line, bagatelle-like and over.
Ten minutes later, normal service was resumed when Brattbakk amazingly failed to turn home a Vidar Riseth cross, which ended up nestling in the valley between his thighs from which Butler gleefully plucked it.
The second half was all about Butler whose positioning was exemplary as he twice blocked low drives from Craig Burley that had real oomph and then, in the dying minutes, got his leg in the way of a diagonal shot from Larsson.
For his part, Gould, with a reflex save from Andy Tod just before half-time and then a diving block from a Scott McCulloch drive shortly after the break, also impressed. Sadly, too few of his outfield team-mates, did likewise, save, of course, from the ever-inventive Larsson.
Celtic head coach Venglos wittered on about "good combinations" in the second half but the pregnant pause that followed an inquiry about a possible addition told its own story.
- Manager Interview
Pictures
Stats
| Dunfermiline | Celtic | |
| Bookings | 5 | 1 |
| Fouls | 12 | 14 |
| Shots on Target | 2 | 10 |
| Corners | 3 | 7 |
| Offside | 2 | 1 |