2011-09-21: Ross County 0-2 Celtic, League Cup

Match Pictures | Matches: 2011 – 2012 | 2011-2012 Pictures

Trivia

• League Cup third round.
• Good night as Rangers knocked out 3-2 by Falkirk! Hearts & Aberdeen also out! Sort of makes up for our loss to Huns in league on Sunday past.
• Loads of injuries prior to this game….

Review

"That'll do me ….a good win to get us back on track : midweek, away from home, pashin' a rain, shampoo bus trip, dogged opposition, small pitch, immediately after worst performance under the current manager and a humping by der scumbags …..about as unappealing as professional football gets really.
It should help get that effin horror story out of the system…a decent starting point for a fresh resolve.
'Mon the bhoys.
Hail! Hail! "
(Asgardtreasure of KDS Forum)

Hooper's interview with the BBC:

'So, Gary, a good performance tonight'

'Yeah, played well, glad we scored early, just looking forward to Saturday

'Does that help moral after Sunday?'

'Yeah, played well, glad we scored early, just looking forward to Saturday'

'It was a tough game though?'

'Yeah, played well, glad we scored early, just looking forward to Saturday'

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Articles

Ross County 0 – 2 Celtic: No Highland emergency as Celtic avoid any late lapses

The Scotsman

Published Date: 22 September 2011
By Andrew Smith
at Victoria Park
THERE was all sorts of excitable natter about what a Celtic slip-up last night could do for Neil Lennon's managerial status on the back of his team's foul-up against Rangers.
It wasn't matched by what ensued in the Scottish Communities League Cup third round tie at Dingwall.

The visitors never looked like failing to improve on a pre-match sequence of two wins in seven games once Gary Hooper had given them a 13th minute lead. In contrast to the teams' never-to-be-forgotten last cup meeting, it was regulation top-flight team beats lower division team stuff in the Highlands.

This time around, County ultimately cooked their own goose instead of feasting on a big bird. There was really no way back for them after an own goal in the 51st minute from Scott Boyd. Celtic stood up to a tricky and, at time, tousy contest without ever attaining any great fluency or flair. They were dogged and efficient whenever they had to be. Having proved so pathetically powder puff in the second period at Ibrox, that alone would have made the performance of his men one from which Lennon could draw satisfaction. And relief.

Celtic's starting line-up told the story of who Lennon decided must carry the can for the derby disaster. For only one player dropped out for purely tactical reasons. That was the luckless Glenn Loovens who was by no means the worst in the 4-2 loss. It isn't that he would have been joined by Georgios Samaras, but there wasn't a decision to be made on the Greek owing to a rib problem. Injuries accounted for the absence of a further three with Scott Brown, Ki Sung Yeung and Mark Wilson left behind in Glasgow.

The recently disappeared Kris Commons wasn't, but he might as well have been. For the midfielder once more could not even make the bench. And that was despite Lennon stating pre-match that Commons, whose public expression of surprise over his non-appearance in the squad at the weekend via Twitter didn't thrill him, was looking better in training and getting over "trying too hard".

There was a trying element to the encounter at Dingwall for much of the first period. It could be attributed to both sides struggling to master horrible conditions. The sheeting rain sometimes did abate – to leave a downpour.

The home side, meanwhile, featured a number of the players to have caused a deluge of biblical proportions to be cast down on Celtic with their historic Scottish Cup semi-final win in April 2010.

Captain Richard Brittain, Michael Gardyne and Gary Miller didn't appear in any mood to give their opponents an easier time of it than 18 months ago. Not that the defeat would have featured much on the minds of those in the visiting side since not one of them had played in that Hampden humiliation.

Derek Adams' men scrapped, as was expected of them, and did so in admirable fashion after Celtic seemed to have secured themselves a nerve-settling early lead. A corner from Charlie Mulgrew on the right on 13 minutes drifted beyond the far post where it was collected by Anthony Stokes. He chipped it back in to cause an almighty mess in the penalty area. The ball dropped to Hooper, practically on the goal-line, and he made sure with a firm shot.

County's response was to dig deeper. And, courtesy of a 22-yard swerving, thumping volley from Gardyne that shuddered the base of the upright with Fraser Foster beaten, they almost dug out an equaliser eight minutes later. Their dig thereafter in the opening half stopped Lennon's side building up any momentum and resulted in some meaty challenges. Indeed, throughout Miller and Stokes seemed to be constantly niggling each other. The first booking did not arrive until just after the half-hour mark, however. It was earned by Colin McMenamin after the home forward clattered Kelvin Wilson.

It left the big Englishman requiring a lengthy period of treatment and, although he carried on, he did not reappear after the interval. Victor Wanyama entered the fray in centre midfield, which meant some rejigging for Lennon with Mulgrew moving into centre-back and Ledley taking up his previous position wide on the left.

Within six minutes of the restart Celtic seemed to wrap up their place in the quarter-finals, – with more than a little help from their hosts. There was no need for Scott Boyd to slide in and turn the ball into his own net in attempting to cut-out a ball across the box from the left by Stokes. There was no Celtic player coming in behind the County defender and so no real danger to react to. Especially not in such clumsy fashion.

Adams's men continued to harry, chase and even spread the play to decent effect on occasion and never at any stage gave up the tie. But Celtic played out the second half in composed and convincing fashion. Three days too late for that, their manager and their fans would bemoan.

Ross County: Fraser, Miller, Boyd, Munro, Fitzpatrick, Lawson (Kettlewell 84), Brittain, Quinn, Vigurs (Byrne 75), Gardyne, McMenamin (Corcoran 84). Subs: Malin, Flynn.

Celtic: Foster, Matthews, Majstorovic, Wilson (Wanyama 46), El Kaddouri, Forrest, Kayal, Ledley, Mulgrew, Stokes (Bangura 78), Hooper (George 89). Subs: Zaluska, Rogne.

Referee: C Murray
Attendance: 5,367

Ross County0-2Celtic

Page last updated at 20:11 GMT, Wednesday, 21 September 2011 21:11 UK By Andy Campbell
BBC Sport Scotland Celtic booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Communities League Cup after seeing off the challenge of Ross County.
County, looking to repeat their 2010 Scottish Cup win over Celtic, fell behind when Gary Hooper tapped home on the line after 13 minutes.
The hosts almost levelled when Michael Gardyne's piledriver rattled the post.
Scott Boyd's own goal gave Celtic a healthier lead and Neil Lennon's side were comfortable thereafter.
Celtic join Scottish Premier League contemporaries Dundee United, Hibernian, Kilmarnock, St Mirren, Division One Falkirk and Second Division East Fife in the last eight.
The visitors moved into the lead after Charlie Mulgrew's corner had been cleared and then retrieved by Anthony Stokes. Hooper's opener put Celtic in control early in the match The striker's cross back into the danger area was headed down by Joe Ledley to the predatory Hooper, who added the final touch.
Celtic were having some success from Mulgrew's deliveries, County taking several attempts to clear after another inswinging corner from the left-sided player.
County's fans were on their feet moments later, only to have their celebrations cut short.
Michael Gardyne hovered on the D of the penalty area as the Celtic defence cleared and smacked a volley against the base of Fraser Forster's left-hand post.
Goalkeeper Michael Fraser was quick off his line to block an effort by Ledley after the Welshman had been put through by Hooper.
Colin McMenamin was unable to get enough purchase on a shot that Forster claimed but the Highlanders' ability to get the ball forward quickly was causing Celtic problems.
However, Celtic doubled their lead seven minutes after the break.
Hooper forced a save from Fraser but County failed to clear their lines and Stokes's low cross was turned into the net by Boyd.
Pressure continued to be exerted on the Ross County backline and a late intervention by the experienced Grant Munro averted the danger posed by Forrest.
Celtic retained possession well in the closing stages and Fraser made an excellent save late on to deny substitute Paul George from close range.
Celtic manager Neil Lennon:
"I'm delighted, it wasn't easy. It never is coming to a First Division ground, the conditions were difficult to play in.
"We were very professional and it was exactly the reaction I was looking for from the players.
"The attitude and the manner we approached the game in was what I wanted.
"The football we played at times in the final third was very good. I'm also very pleased with the clean sheet.
"There were some very good individual performances."
Ross County manager Derek Adams:
"We started the game very well. We lost a bad goal but after that Michael Gardyne hit the post.
"In the second half, no complaints. I thought that Celtic thoroughly deserved to win the match.
"We went 2-0 down and there was only one winner after that.
"Celtic were far too strong for us. They're at a different level from us.
"I'm proud of the players and the way they stuck to their task. We caused them problems at times."