| Match Pictures | Matches: 2008 – 2009 | 2008-2009 Pictures |
Trivia
- Rangers lose 1-0 to Inv Caley at home, so Celtic go back 3pts in front but 2 behind now on Goal difference. long way to go.
- One of our strikers finally scored!!!! took around 4 games…
- O’Dea at left-back with Naylor out injured.
Review
Well, what a night.
First thirty minutes we were un playable and if we were carrying a little more luck would have been four to the good.
Their goal is what you get when you play a defender out of position – round holes and square pegs only work for a while.
Felt when we were playing well Sammy was showing signs of his old self but when he was really needing to step up to the plate he seemed to bottle it.
Skippy showed tremendous character to finish both the moves that led to his goals but I felt that everyone played well and special mentions to Caldwell, hinkel Crosas Naka and Brown.
Delighted ICT got a result – who knows mibbe Killie could go down this season.
As an aside, I thought the treatment dished out by the Killie hammer throwers was a disgrace. Late, heavy tackles and the incident McGeady got booked was almost a replica of a tackle on him a minute beforehand. I was very disappointed in the ref – I’m normally a fan of his but he let way too much go tonight.
Still a happy evening was had by all.
(by PDGM of KStreet)
Teams
Kilmarnock:
Combe, Clancy, Hay, Ford, Lilley, Bryson, Pascali, Hamill, Invincibile (Taouil 86), Fernandez (Sammon 57), Kyle.
Subs Not Used: Rascle, Skelton, O’Leary, Flannigan, Anson.
Booked: Hamill, Ford.
Goals: Invincibile 36.
Celtic:
Boruc, Hinkel, O’Dea, Caldwell, McManus, Scott Brown, Crosas, Nakamura, McGeady, Samaras (Hutchinson 78), McDonald.
Subs Not Used: Fox, Loovens, Hartley, Flood, Conroy, Millar.
Booked: McGeady, O’Dea.
Goals: McDonald 27, 81.
Att: 6,712
Ref: C Thomson
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
KStreet
- Pre-match
- Match
- MOTM
- Result – Scott McDonald – (Link to MOTM Winners 2008/09)
- Post Match
Stats
KILMARNOCK v CELTIC
Possession
| 49% | 51% |
Shots on target
| 5 | 8 |
Shots off target
| 2 | 12 |
Corners
| 6 | 8 |
Fouls
| 9 | 12 |
Celtic on top after Rangers slip up.
Provided by: Irish Times
Kilmarnock 1 Celtic 2:SCOTT McDONALD, apparently the only Celtic striker who knows where the goal is these days, hit a magnificent winner with nine minutes left last night to prevent an unlucky 13 for his side at Rugby Park and send them back to the top of the table.
Celtic, who had won their last dozen visits to this venue, are three points clear after the bottom club Inverness gained a dramatic 1-0 victory over Rangers at Ibrox with a 90th-minute penalty from Ian Black.
McDonald, who danced inside three defenders before firing home the winner, supplied genuine class exactly when Celtic needed it.
Gordan Strachan’s side had been dominant in the first half but two instances of brilliance within 60 seconds from the home goalkeeper, Alan Combe, kept the champions at bay. Combe denied Scott Brown and Aiden McGeady from close range, reacting superbly on both occasions. McDonald had, by that time, put Celtic in front with a low finish. The clinical Australian striker was afforded far too much space by David Lilley, 12 yards from goal, and duly made the Kilmarnock defender pay.
The hosts’ first meaningful attack had seen Danny Invincibile head fresh air rather than the ball when handed a glorious chance but the Australian soon atoned. In the second act of woeful defending of the evening, Celtic’s backline missed a Craig Bryson corner and Invincibile was on hand to prod home at the back post.
David Fernandez lobbed narrowly over within five minutes of the restart as Kilmarnock sensed their opponents’ anxiety. Kevin Kyle and, shockingly, Connor Sammon also missed chances. Gary Caldwell did his best to ease Celtic’s tension, but Combe made a reflex stop. McDonald, though, would not be denied.
GuardianService
KILMARNOCK: Combe, Clancy, Hay, Ford, Lilley, Bryson, Pascali, Hamill, Invincibile (Taouil 86), Fernandez (Sammon 57), Kyle. Subs Not Used: Rascle, Skelton, O’Leary, Flannigan, Anson. Booked: Hamill, Ford. Goal: Invincibile 36.
CELTIC: Boruc, Hinkel, O’Dea, Caldwell, McManus, Scott Brown, Crosas, Nakamura, McGeady, Samaras (Hutchinson 78), McDonald. Subs Not Used: Fox, Loovens, Hartley, Flood, Conroy, Millar. Booked: McGeady, O’Dea. Goals: McDonald 27, 81. Att: 6,712.
Referee: C Thomson (Scotland).
(c) 2009, The Irish Times.
Irish Times
Kilmarnock 1-2 Celtic
By David McDaid
Celtic striker Scott McDonald
McDonald was left unmarked before he opened the scoring
Scott McDonald scored twice as Celtic moved back to the top of the SPL with victory away to Kilmarnock.
McDonald was left unmarked in the Kilmarnock area and he steered the ball beyond Alan Combe on 27 minutes.
Danny Invincible levelled from close-range with his side’s first shot on goal nine minutes later.
Both teams had spurned good chances to score further before McDonald displayed sublime skill and prodded the ball into the net on 81 minutes.
The visitors had enough opportunities in the opening 45 minutes to put the game beyond Kilmarnock.
But a combination of poor finishing and excellent goalkeeping from Combe meant Kilmarnock were still in the match at half-time.
With just three minutes on the clock McDonald passed up a gilt-edged chance to open the scoring.
The Australian beat Derek Lilley to Darren O’Dea’s long ball, cut across the defender into the box, but blasted his shot past the post.
Shunsuke Nakamura has tormented Kilmarnock during his four seasons in Scotland, scoring eight goals against the Ayrshire club.
And the Japanese almost added to that tally with a drive from the edge of the box that flew inches past the post.
As Kilmarnock struggled to make headway towards the Celtic goal the best they could muster was a wayward Jamie Hamill free-kick, and a skewed cross that almost caught out goalkeeper Artur Boruc.
But with 27 minutes on the clock McDonald made up for his earlier miss as he curled the ball beyond Combe and inside the far post.
MY SPORT: DEBATE
Give your reaction to Celtic’s victory
The striker’s finish was inch-perfect, but Killie boss Jim Jefferies will be unhappy that McDonald was completely unmarked as he received Crosas’ pass in the penalty area.
Within minutes Combe came to his team’s rescue twice as Celtic exploited gaping holes in the right side of Killie’s defence.
First the keeper blocked Scott Brown’s close-range effort, then he deflected Aiden McGeady’s low shot on to the crossbar.
Celtic were made to rue their wastefulness in front of goal on 36 minutes when Invincible side-footed past Boruc, with the visitors failing to deal with Craig Bryson’s corner.
Five minutes after the restart Celtic’s defence were almost punished a second time for failing to attack a high ball.
David Fernandez should perhaps have done better than lob over the bar with Boruc advancing, but the early chance seemed to lift the home side.
Kilmarnock began to find more space in attack and could have taken the lead on two further occasions before the hour mark through Kevin Kyle and Connor Sammon, who badly miscued a free header from 12 yards out.
At the other end Combe produced another fantastic save to deny Gary Caldwell’s bullet header at point-blank range.
But with nine minutes remaining McDonald showed wonderful skill to turn Lilley on the edge of the box before toe-poking the ball in from 12 yards to give Celtic a vital victory.
Kilmarnock manager Jim Jefferies:
“I thought we were terrific, but I was disappointed at their first goal because McDonald is their main striker and he was on his own.
“We had two great chances, from David Fernandez and Connor Sammon.
“David should have stuck it away, and Connor should have chested it down, but in the end it was a complete fresh-air header.
“But how could you fault our team tonight?
“Normally we like to get the ball down and pass it, but I said to the players to knock it in behind them, and when we did that we always gave them problems.
“I can fault my players for the first goal, but the second was piece of magic from McDonald – it took a class goal like that to beat us tonight.”
Celtic manager Gordon Strachan:
“We said a couple of weeks ago there would be twists and turns and I’m sure that’s not it finished yet.
“I thought we were absolutely fantastic, we couldn’t have started any game better than we did tonight.
“The players were terrific, they could have panicked after Kilmarnock got the goal back, but they kept playing the right game.
“Kilmarnock hung in there, showed good determination, and the guys up front were always a threat with the longer ball they were playing.
“For his second goal Scott was twisting and turning and we were thinking ‘lay it off’, and then we thought ‘no – keep going’.
“But I think it’s going to be an exciting run-in for the title.”