2016-12-13: Celtic 1-0 Hamilton Academicals, SP

Match Pictures | Matches: 2016 – 2017 | 2016-17 Pictures

Trivia

• Celtic on 43pts, 11 ahead of Sevco, but we've also two games in hand.
• Aberdeen's league game at home on same night cancellled due to floodlight failures.
• Celtic 67 light displays at the 67th minute (for the anniversary for the 1967 European Cup victory goes viral on the web as the displays goes right around the ground. Incredible stuff.
• Radio Scotland commentary was stop start, with even them having failures, so many fans couldn't keep up with the game. The match wasn't on TV.
• Celtic may face an extra qualifying round for the Champions League from the 2018-19 season under a new format approved by Uefa. Total Sham!
• Celtic’s hopes of signing James McCarthy have been boosted after two rivals clubs pulled out of the running to sign the former Hamilton player (probably on loan to Celtic).
• Ronny Deila speaking in Norway, the now-Valerenga boss said: “My status was huge at Celtic after my first year there. We won the double and were robbed of the treble. We also played Inter Milan in a European match where we unluckily lost 1-0 in Italy after a 3-3 draw in Glasgow. The board were very pleased with me and I was told that I could be at the club for many years.”
• Hearts Igor Rossi reckons Hearts had a legitimate goal against Sevco chalked off because the officials gave in to Sevco pressure.
• Viewers tuning into BT Sport’s pre-match coverage of Celtic’s trip to Partick Thistle were treated to a fiery debate between pundits Chris Sutton and Stephen Craigan over the merits of Ian Cathro as new head coach of Hearts. Sutton totally humiliating Craigan with the facts!
• The SFA are set to appoint ex-Celt Malky Mackay as the new performance director after a five-month search for Brian McClair’s replacement. He could be a controversial choice after some unsavoury comments whilst at Cardiff.
• Celtic fans are said to be planning to wear hard hats (as seen on construction sites) at Ibrox on Hogmanay – to poke fun at the stadium’s roofing problems.

Review

(Brian McClair's hair of KDS)
Had high hopes at start of the second half but we stayed in second gear

Was so square and slow tonight – don't blame McGregor but we miss Sinclair Forrest or Tierney on the left to give us a bit of width on both sides

Armstrong seems very deep and Rogic's passing wasn't up to his usual standard

We were never in any real danger mind you but certainly made it a tad more stressful at the end with some slack square baws

Won't win every game with swash buckling football – I get that

Crowd were good tonight mind you – although a highlight was the 5 or so accies fans when the light display started on 67 sang 'you're not famous anymore' to howls of laughter

Oh and GMS? Hasn't really shone in the last couple of games – know it's not easy coming on but he must know it's games like that he should come on and make an impact – he didn't tonight

(Global urchin of KDS)
A hard watch tonight we just never got into
any rhythm ,slow play from the midfield iin the second
half allowed Hamilton's players to sit tight and watch us
passing in front of them.Still 3 points and a
clean sheet will do cause we won't always walkover
the opposition.

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Stats

Celtic Hamilton

Possession
Home64%
Away36%

Shots
Home15
Away5

Shots on Target
Home2
Away2

Corners
Home12
Away2

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Home10
Away11

Articles

Celtic 1 – 0 Hamilton: Leigh Griffiths seals victory

Celtic's Leigh Griffiths opens the scoring against Hamilton. Picture: SNS
STEPHEN HALLIDAY
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/teams/celtic/celtic-1-0-hamilton-leigh-griffiths-seals-victory-1-4316895

BBC

By Richard Wilson

BBC Scotland at Celtic Park

9 hours ago From the section Football

Leigh Griffiths celebrates scoring against Hamilton
Leigh Griffiths scored his 11th goal of the season

Celtic restored their 11-point lead over Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premiership with victory over Hamilton.

Accies' former Celtic midfielder Massimo Donati wasted a free header from a corner before the hosts scored.

Tom Rogic put Moussa Dembele clear and he unselfishly set up strike partner Leigh Griffiths to slot home.

Both wasted further chances either side of half-time and Stuart Armstrong and Rogic also went close before Eamonn Brophy missed a late chance for Accies.

It allowed the champions to record a 10th consecutive league victory for the first time since February 2014.
Celtic's double act

For all their individual talent, Griffiths and Dembele had started together only once before this season, but Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers felt that upset the balance of his side.

He was convinced enough they could dovetail without diminishing the rest of the team, but there was still a sense of Rodgers embarking on an experiment at Celtic Park.

There was still width through the two wing-backs, and a familiar trio in central midfield, so the strike partnership had the foundations to work on. Dembele tended to play the more central, static role, while Griffiths drifted around the field looking for pockets of space in which to thrive.

They have been depicted as rivals for the single striker role favoured by Rodgers, and they often operated in isolation against Hamilton.

Their most significant combination was vital, though, as Dembele laid the ball into Griffiths' feet for the goal. Griffiths almost stumbled over it, but regained his poise to eventually drill a shot past Hamilton goalkeeper Gary Woods.

Even if the partnership never fully convinces Rodgers, he can profit from their effect the two forwards have on each other.

Both missed further chances before the interval, and there was also a clear hunger to Dembele in the second half when he chased down a short pass back, blocked Woods' clearance and almost headed the ball into the empty net after out-jumping Woods for the loose ball.

Griffiths also stabbed a Patrick Roberts cut-back over the bar from a good position.
Moussa Dembele sits on the pitch with Hamilton keeper Gary Woods
Dembele almost scored when out-jumping Hamilton keeper Gary Woods after chasing a loose ball
Fluidity in the Celtic ranks

Switching to a back three was merely an adjustment to Celtic rather than an upheaval. The team has become slick in various shapes, and they tended to hoard possession throughout the game.

In the first half, Scott Brown and Armstrong both speared excellent passes through the Hamilton defence for the lively Roberts.

After the break, a series of one-touch passes between Dembele and Rogic sent Armstrong through, but he skewed wide.

Mikael Lustig played as the right-sided figure in the trio of centre-backs, but also pushed upfield to act as an auxiliary wing-back, allowing Roberts to press forward.

Callum MacGregor also played diligently on the left flank, even though he is better equipped to perform as a central midfielder. The sense, as Gary Mackay-Steven came off the bench and was continually reminded by Rodgers to stand near the touchline, was of a team that is well-drilled and so capable of versatility that troubles opponents.
Hamilton hang in

There were times when Hamilton could only chase the game, but for spells in both halves they caused Celtic moments of discomfort.

Breakaways were rare, but one led to a first-half corner that Ali Crawford delivered onto the head of Donati, but his effort was too meek to trouble Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon.

In the closing stages, Hamilton became more assertive, with Crawford hitting two long-range efforts that didn't unduly trouble Gordon, before Brophy missed the chance to equalise late on when he shot just wide after a rare error in the Celtic defence.