2010-11-14: St Mirren 0-1 Celtic, SPL

Match Pictures | Matches: 2010 – 2011 | 2010-2011 Pictures

Trivia

  • Celtic leave it late late late, 92nd minute winner!
  • Poppy day; day overshadowed by antagonism from critics after GB's provocative banner last week v Aberdeen. Minute Silence was met respectfully. Green Brigade boycotted the game…..
  • Rangers remain 1pt ahead in league.
  • Neil Lennon: "I'd just like to add that I thought the referee had a fine game today!"

Review

(steviefromBelfast of KDS)
A title winning three points in a game that nails the lie that Lennon doens't have a clue how to change the game. We did get very, very lucky with the goal but imo we did overall deserve to win the game in which we had a good opening fifteen minutes and a great closing eighteen minutes.

That we were pish poor in the middle of the game can't be denied though but imo that was because we were pish poor in the middle of the park for that period – or rather Juarez was. As bad a performance as I've seen in a Celtic shirt and all the worse because a few months ago it looked like this guy would be a star for us. To control a game you have to control the middle of the park and Ki was never going to do that with Juarez on his back. I thought the back four did ok defensively during the game (Higdon was lucky to hit the bar rather then be unlucky to not score). Although the central midfield was the main problem I also thought we suffered by Maloney and Izzy too often preferring to play 1-2's to each other rather than get in the quick cross. We were worse on the right where Cha had a stinker and was closely followed by Wilson who kicked the ball like a rugby player today. With the middle out for the count and the wide areas either crap or invisible it was no great surprise the front two were poor.

However fair play to the manager for changing it by his substitutions. Bring on Murphy at least give us some shape and McGinn at least did what Cha wasn't doing and was a player on the right.(However I still think his poor finishing means he will not make that position on his own). With those two players we gained control of the game however it was still obvious that with Juarez we were still a bit short. IMO it was a very brave decision by the manager to take off a 'ball-winner' like Juarez is supposed to be and bring on a light-weight like Paddy McCourt. Thank God our manager had the balls to do it.

Maloney and Ki started driving the team forward and btw Malooney was every inch the Celtic captain at the last fifteen minutes. And what a pass from Ki for McGinn? If you don't appreciate the beauty of that you don't appreciate football.

So we were lucky to get the win we deserved but we deserve it. A great day.

As for the referee I think we need to write the SFA to clarify what is a fair tackle in the SPL. IMO several times our players held back today rather than suffer the fate Ledley did whilst St Mirren were able to get 'stuck in' with no censure. Obviously getting his arse and his ego kicked out of CP by Dalglish still rankles with Burley – how else can you explain him codemning Juarez for not making the sort of tackle he condemned Ledley for making the other night.

Teams

St Mirren

  • 12Samson
  • 02van Zanten
  • 06Potter; yellow card
  • 14McGregor
  • 16Travner
  • 17McAusland
  • 20Lynch (Thomson 70)
  • 27Cregg; yellow card
  • 45Mclean
  • 10Higdon
  • 18Wardlaw (Barron 81)

Substitutes

  • 30Mathers,
  • 03Barron,
  • 08Thomson,
  • 22McCluskey,
  • 33Mooy ,
  • 43McKernon,
  • 40Lamont

Celtic

  • 26Forster
  • 03Izaguirre
  • 04Juarez (McCourt 75)
  • 05Majstorovic
  • 11Cha Du-Ri (McGinn 61)
  • 12Wilson
  • 25Rogne
  • 18Ki Sung-Yeung
  • 10Stokes (Murphy 57)
  • 13Maloney
  • 88Hooper; yellow card

Substitutes

  • 24Zaluska,
  • 06Hooiveld,
  • 31Towell,
  • 14McGinn,
  • 17Crosas,
  • 20McCourt,
  • 27Murphy

Goal

  • Hooper 90+2

Ref: Brines
Att: 6,073

Articles

Pictures

KStreet

MOTM

Stats

Possession

  • St Mirren 45%
  • Celtic 55%

Attempts on target

  • St Mirren 2
  • Celtic 10

Attempts off target

  • St Mirren 4
  • Celtic 12

Corners

  • St Mirren 4
  • Celtic 8

Fouls

  • St Mirren 9
  • Celtic 13

Articles

BBC

St Mirren 0-1 Celtic

By Thomas McGuigan
Gary Hooper's injury-time strike saw Celtic scramble an unlikely winner against a spirited St Mirren side.
Chances were few and far between in a drab first half but the game came to life when Saints striker Michael Higdon hit the crossbar after the break.
Celtic captain Shaun Maloney missed a sitter and both goalkeepers dealt comfortably with some poor finishing.
Hooper snatched the late winner when he forced home Paddy McCourt's cross at the second attempt.

Stung by their midweek defeat by Hearts, Celtic were looking to improve on a series of poor displays away from home.
And in the sixth minute Cha Du-Ri, playing in a more advanced role on the right of midfield, failed to connect with a superb Emilio Izaguirre cross from the left.
Scoring opportunities were few and far between in a drab opening half-hour as St Mirren appeared content to sit deep and hit Celtic on the break.
Neil Lennon's side struggled to breach the Saints rearguard and the hosts were compact throughout the first half.
Anthony Stokes headed over the bar when he rose unchallenged to meet Maloney's cross in the 31st minute.
Moments later the game sparked to life when Saints captain John Potter pulled down Maloney as the nippy midfielder bore down on goal but, with McAusland close by, referee Iain Brines chose a yellow rather than red card.
St Mirren were the first to threaten early in the second half, Higdon seeing his 30-yard effort come back off the crossbar with Fraser Forster stranded.
Higdon's effort seemed to breathe much-needed life into the game and Celtic responded by bringing on Daryl Murphy for the ineffective Stokes.
Murphy almost made in instant impact as he fed Hooper but his header was easily gathered by Samson.
Celtic then brought on Niall McGinn for Cha, and Maloney missed a sitter moments later when the Northern Ireland international whipped in a great cross but the out-of-form Celtic captain ballooned it wide.
St Mirren immediately broke up the pitch and Gareth Wardlaw forced Forster into a great save, as the keeper clawed his effort away for a corner.
Murphy then headed into the side-netting after good work from McGinn when it appeared better to direct the ball back across goal.
With 20 minutes remaining Murphy found fellow substitute McGinn and the winger's shot was saved by Samson as the visitors desperately searched for a goal.
Ki threaded a superb ball through to McGinn but again his finish was poor as he fired straight at the alert Samson.
The visitors were frustrated in their laboured efforts to find a winner, but they snatched victory right at the death when Hooper stabbed home McCourt's cross at the second attempt.
The striker was booked for his celebrations with the fans behind Samson's goal as Celtic narrowed the gap on league leaders Rangers to a single point.

Story from BBC SPORT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport1/hi/football/scot_prem/9182198.stm

Published: 2010/11/14 16:03:15 GMT

© BBC MMX

  • Final Result
  • Full Time
  • 90:00+3:45 The referee blows for the end of the match.
  • 90:00+3:18 Booking Gary Hooper receives a yellow card for unsporting behaviour.
  • 90:00+2:41 Outswinging corner taken by Kenneth McLean, clearance by Sung-Yong Ki.
  • 90:00+1:31 Assist on the goal came from Patrick McCourt.
  • 90:00+1:31 GOAL – Gary Hooper:St Mirren 0 – 1 Celtic Gary Hooper finds the back of the net with a goal from close in to the bottom left corner of the goal. St Mirren 0-1 Celtic.
  • 90:00+1:28 Patrick McCourt delivers the ball,
  • 89:34 Michael Higdon challenges Patrick McCourt unfairly and gives away a free kick. Free kick taken by Daniel Majstorovic.
  • 89:03 Michael Higdon has an effort at goal from outside the area which misses left.
  • 87:54 Emilio Izaguirre sends in a cross.
  • 85:46 Unfair challenge on David van Zanten by Daryl Murphy results in a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Craig Samson.
  • 84:20 Inswinging corner taken by Shaun Maloney from the left by-line, Effort on goal by Thomas Rogne from inside the box misses to the right of the target.
  • 84:12 Emilio Izaguirre produces a cross, David van Zanten gets a block in.
  • 83:20 The ball is delivered by Emilio Izaguirre, Shot from 18 yards by Niall McGinn. Blocked by Darren McGregor.
  • 82:04 The ball is crossed by Mark Wilson, Patrick McCourt takes a shot from a long way out clearing the bar.
  • 81:29 The referee blows for offside against Darren McGregor. Daniel Majstorovic takes the indirect free kick.
  • 80:51 Thomas Rogne challenges Michael Higdon unfairly and gives away a free kick. Free kick taken by John Potter.
  • 80:06 Substitution David Barron on for Gareth Wardlaw.
  • 79:56 Long range shot from Michael Higdon misses to the left of the goal.
  • 77:12 Sung-Yong Ki has an effort at goal from just outside the box which goes wide of the left-hand post.
  • 76:50 Patrick McCourt takes a shot. Blocked by David van Zanten.
  • 76:09 Niall McGinn takes a shot. Save by Craig Samson.
  • 74:46 Substitution (Celtic) makes a substitution, with Patrick McCourt coming on for Efrain Juarez.
  • 74:28 Centre by Daryl Murphy, Gary Hooper has an effort at goal from close range which goes wide left of the target.
  • 73:57 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Gary Hooper by Kenneth McLean. Gary Hooper restarts play with the free kick.
  • 73:18 Unfair challenge on Michael Higdon by Mark Wilson results in a free kick. The free kick is swung in right-footed by Patrick Cregg, clearance by Gareth Wardlaw.
  • 72:36 Shot from just outside the penalty area by Niall McGinn misses to the left of the target.
  • 71:09 Outswinging corner taken right-footed by Shaun Maloney from the right by-line to the near post, Jure Travner manages to make a clearance.
  • 70:51 Shaun Maloney has an effort at goal from 20 yards. John Potter gets a block in.
  • 70:38 John Potter concedes a free kick for a foul on Shaun Maloney. Free kick taken by Shaun Maloney.
  • 70:29 The offside flag is raised against Gareth Wardlaw. Fraser Forster takes the indirect free kick.
  • 70:07 Free kick awarded for a foul by Shaun Maloney on John Potter. Craig Samson takes the direct free kick.
  • 69:30 Substitution Steven Thomson replaces Sean Lynch.
  • 69:16 Niall McGinn has an effort at goal from 18 yards. Save made by Craig Samson.
  • 66:21 Unfair challenge on Sean Lynch by Sung-Yong Ki results in a free kick. Free kick taken by Craig Samson.
  • 64:57 Niall McGinn delivers the ball, Close range header by Daryl Murphy goes wide of the left-hand post.
  • 63:47 A cross is delivered by Jure Travner.
  • 62:33 Inswinging corner taken left-footed by Kenneth McLean.
  • 62:18 Gareth Wardlaw takes a shot. Save by Fraser Forster.
  • 61:43 A cross is delivered by Niall McGinn, Shot from close range by Shaun Maloney misses to the right of the goal.
  • 60:43 Indirect free kick taken by Craig Samson.
  • 60:43 Substitution Niall McGinn on for Du-Ri Cha.
  • 60:43 Daryl Murphy is flagged offside by the assistant referee.
  • 59:33 Gary Hooper takes a shot. Save by Craig Samson.
  • 59:02 Gareth Wardlaw gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Daniel Majstorovic. Direct free kick taken by Daniel Majstorovic.
  • 57:37 The ball is sent over by Kenneth McLean.
  • 57:12 Centre by Emilio Izaguirre, save by Craig Samson.
  • 56:23 Substitution Daryl Murphy on for Anthony Stokes.
  • 56:11 Effort from outside the penalty box by Shaun Maloney goes wide right of the goal.
  • 53:55 Jure Travner produces a cross, clearance by Thomas Rogne.
  • 52:29 Du-Ri Cha sends in a cross, clearance made by Patrick Cregg.
  • 51:46 Michael Higdon has a volleyed shot.
  • 51:09 The ball is crossed by Kenneth McLean, save by Fraser Forster.
  • 50:19 Efrain Juarez concedes a free kick for a foul on Kenneth McLean. Free kick crossed right-footed by Patrick Cregg, save made by Fraser Forster.
  • 48:43 Inswinging corner taken by Sean Lynch.
  • 46:06 Shaun Maloney decides to take a short corner, Effort on goal by Mark Wilson from outside the box goes harmlessly over the bar.
  • 46:01 Gary Hooper sends in a cross, blocked by Patrick Cregg.
  • 45:22 The ball is sent over by Emilio Izaguirre.
  • 45:01 The referee blows his whistle to start the second half.
  • Half Time
  • 45:00+0:17 The first half comes to an end.
  • 45:00+0:01 Emilio Izaguirre crosses the ball.
  • 44:49 Shaun Maloney decides to take the corner short.
  • 44:42 Emilio Izaguirre crosses the ball, John Potter makes a clearance.
  • 43:41 The ball is swung over by Mark Wilson, Craig Samson makes a save.
  • 42:58 Foul by David van Zanten on Emilio Izaguirre, free kick awarded. Daniel Majstorovic takes the direct free kick.
  • 42:13 Left-footed shot by Sung-Yong Ki went wide of the right-hand upright.
  • 42:02 The ball is crossed by Emilio Izaguirre, Darren McGregor manages to make a clearance.
  • 41:38 Anthony Stokes takes a shot. John Potter gets a block in.
  • 40:21 Anthony Stokes takes a shot. Save by Craig Samson.
  • 37:54 A cross is delivered by Mark Wilson, Header on goal by Du-Ri Cha from just inside the area goes over the goal.
  • 36:08 Darren McGregor is flagged offside by the assistant referee. Fraser Forster takes the free kick.
  • 35:33 Corner taken right-footed by Sean Lynch.
  • 35:20 Booking Patrick Cregg goes into the book for unsporting behaviour.
  • 35:08 Jure Travner crosses the ball, Sung-Yong Ki gets a block in.
  • 33:21 Shaun Maloney takes the inswinging corner, Sean Lynch makes a clearance.
  • 32:03 Shaun Maloney shoots direct from the free kick.
  • 32:03 Booking Booking for John Potter for unsporting behaviour.
  • 31:38 John Potter gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Shaun Maloney.
  • 29:39 Free kick awarded for a foul by Gary Hooper on John Potter. Craig Samson restarts play with the free kick.
  • 28:36 Outswinging corner taken by Shaun Maloney, Anthony Stokes produces a header from inside the area that goes over the bar.
  • 28:30 The ball is swung over by Shaun Maloney, clearance by Patrick Cregg.
  • 28:14 Shaun Maloney decides to take the corner short.
  • 28:09 Emilio Izaguirre crosses the ball, Marc McAusland gets a block in.
  • 25:00 Jure Travner fouled by Du-Ri Cha, the ref awards a free kick. John Potter takes the free kick.
  • 23:57 Daniel Majstorovic challenges Michael Higdon unfairly and gives away a free kick. Free kick taken by Marc McAusland.
  • 23:21 The ball is delivered by Jure Travner, Fraser Forster makes a save.
  • 22:25 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Gareth Wardlaw by Daniel Majstorovic. Kenneth McLean produces a strike on goal direct from the free kick.
  • 21:03 The ball is crossed by David van Zanten.
  • 20:50 Efrain Juarez challenges Jure Travner unfairly and gives away a free kick. Free kick taken by Patrick Cregg.
  • 18:40 A cross is delivered by Shaun Maloney.
  • 17:04 Patrick Cregg handles the ball and concedes a free kick. Daniel Majstorovic takes the free kick.
  • 16:08 The ball is sent over by Jure Travner.
  • 15:21 The offside flag is raised against Gary Hooper. Craig Samson takes the free kick.
  • 14:44 The ball is sent over by Shaun Maloney.
  • 12:29 Centre by Emilio Izaguirre, Kenneth McLean makes a clearance.
  • 12:15 The ball is crossed by Du-Ri Cha, John Potter makes a clearance.
  • 11:01 Anthony Stokes fouled by Patrick Cregg, the ref awards a free kick. Daniel Majstorovic takes the free kick.
  • 10:36 Michael Higdon gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Daniel Majstorovic. Free kick taken by Sung-Yong Ki.
  • 9:12 The ball is swung over by Sean Lynch, Daniel Majstorovic gets a block in.
  • 8:37 Foul by Du-Ri Cha on Kenneth McLean, free kick awarded. Craig Samson takes the direct free kick.
  • 6:44 Mark Wilson crosses the ball, blocked by Jure Travner.
  • 5:59 Corner taken by Shaun Maloney from the right by-line.
  • 5:48 Sung-Yong Ki sends in a cross, blocked by Kenneth McLean.
  • 5:07 Emilio Izaguirre sends in a cross, Darren McGregor makes a clearance.
  • 3:54 Michael Higdon takes a shot from long range which goes wide left of the goal.
  • 2:25 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Michael Higdon by Daniel Majstorovic. Patrick Cregg takes the free kick.
  • 1:39 Kenneth McLean challenges Efrain Juarez unfairly and gives away a free kick. Du-Ri Cha takes the free kick.
  • 0:00 The referee gets the game started.

Celtic's Gary Hooper delivers last-gasp win over St Mirren

Scottish Premier
St Mirren 0
Celtic 1

* Hooper 90

* Ewan Murray at St Mirren Park
* guardian.co.uk, Sunday 14 November 2010 18.12 GMT

Scottish Premier League – St Mirren v Celtic Gary Hooper celebrates scoring for Celtic in the last minute of the Scottish Premier League match at St Mirren Park. Photograph: Mike Egerton/Empics Sport

Whisper it, but this was a controversy-free afternoon involving Celtic. It was within seconds of also being a damaging one, Gary Hooper's stoppage-time goal securing victory for the visitors in Paisley. Four days after slipping to defeat against Hearts, Neil Lennon and his players knew the value of victory all right.

"We were brilliant, absolutely brilliant," Lennon said. "I wouldn't have been disappointed to have drawn the game, I'd have held my hands up and said it wasn't our day. I didn't think we nicked it, I thought we thoroughly merited it. Funnily enough, I said to the players at half-time that it might take a 93rd-minute goal to win it."

In truth, the win was just about merited on pressure alone, but not chances created. Lennon's assertions that the performances of two of his players, Shaun Maloney and Ki Sung-Yueng, was "world class" was a further exaggeration.

Celtic's manager confirmed he would be "defending my position", or in other words launching an appeal, over what action comes his way from the Scottish Football Association in response to his sending-off during that Hearts loss. Today, Lennon made a point of saying the referee Iain Brines was "absolutely brilliant".

Celtic had arrived at St Mirren Park looking to exorcise ghosts from their previous visit; a 4-0 defeat in March which ended Tony Mowbray's tenure in stunning fashion. The tame nature of the first half, then, was something of a surprise. Anthony Stokes and Cha Du-Ri headed over the St Mirren crossbar, in the opening period's only chance worthy of the name.

Matters livened up after the interval, with the hosts for long spells as much of a threat as their more illustrious opponents. The St Mirren striker Michael Higdon crashed a 30-yard shot off the crossbar, before his team-mate Gareth Wardlaw forced Fraser Forster into a fine save.

Hooper, Shaun Maloney and Niall McGinn passed up Celtic opportunities. It was the former Scunthorpe United striker, in securing his 10th goal since moving north in the summer, who pounced from close range after John Potter had blocked his initial shot. There remained time for a final St Mirren attack, Daniel Majstorovic supplying a last-gasp tackle to deny David Barron.

"Overall I think we deserved a point," said the St Mirren manager, Danny Lennon. "But both Rangers and Celtic never give in."