| Match Pictures | Matches: 1997 – 1998 | 1997-1998 Pictures |
Trivia
- During training Stuart Kerr picked up a knee ligament injury that would keep him out of playing for the rest of the season. This meant that the team had no back up senior squad goalkeeper.
- The SFA had imposed a penalty for Gascoigne’s flute playing escapade at the last Celtic-Rangers game at Celtic Park but were not prepared to say what the penalty was.
- For this game Stubbs was out with a groin strain, with Rico Annoni coming in for him. Phil O’Donnell was dropped and despite Tosh McKinlay’s recall from loan he was not included in the squad. David Hannah came back in.
Review
A goal from the spot when Mahe was downed in the box. The game turned into a slogging match from both teams with fouls and yellow cards flying.
Teams
Aberdeen:
Leighton, Anderson, Whyte, O'Neil, Inglis, Smith, Miller (Gillies ,73 ), Jess, Rowson, Dodds (Windass ,81 ), Glass
Subs not used: Buchan,
Celtic:
Gould , Boyd , Mahe, McNamara (Donnelly,76 ), Rieper , Annoni, Larsson , Burley , Brattbakk (Jackson,67 ), Lambert (Hannah ,88 ), Wieghorst
Scorer: Burley (45, pen)
Bookings: Dodds ,Gary Smith ,O'Neil (Aberdeen) Gould ,Mahe ,McNamara (Celtic)
Referee: J Underhill (Edinburgh )
Attendance: 18,009
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Stats
| Aberdeen | Celtic | |
| Bookings | 3 | 3 |
| Fouls | 15 | 14 |
| Shots on Target | 4 | 2 |
| Corners | 14 | 6 |
| Offside | 4 | 1 |
Celtic embrace work ethic
Scotland on Sunday 22/03/1998
Aberdeen 0 Celtic 1
SOME managers opt to spend their way towards championships, but Wim Jansen is evidently opting for economy. At Pittodrie, Celtic digested the lesson taught by Dundee United last week: that winners are often those who do only just enough.
Having secured a half-time lead which owed more to that mythical entity, Aberdonian generosity, than their own expenditure, Jansen's side closed out the second period without speculating further. Their willpower held good but it was placed under the severest focus by Alex Miller's hungry and vigorous players.
Aberdeen supporters have been known in recent years for their rabidness towards all things Rangers, but it is Celtic who have the club historians foaming at the mouth. Not since 1995 have Aberdeen defeated the Parkhead club and this is the second time in three seasons they have been whitewashed by Celtic.
Some of Aberdeen's performances during that sequence – and the rest of the stretch of 23 games without a win against the Old Firm which torments their followers -have been knock-kneed but this was not such an occasion. Pressing the midfield and displaying more energy than the league leaders, they speared efforts at the Celtic goal in the second half but, as well as lacking just a little in terms of craft, they found Jonathan Gould redoubtable.
Compared to their counterparts, the two leading Player-of-the-Year candidates Henrik Larsson and Craig Burley, Aberdeen's prime movers Eoin Jess and Brian O'Neil came out well. Jess may be given the opportunity by Craig Brown to re-acquaint himself with Marc Rieper when Scotland play Denmark on Wednesday.
The effort required by Celtic to protect their points was draining and Paul Lambert and Jackie McNamara were each withdrawn with knocks.
Against United, Celtic overstretched themselves when 1-0 up. At Pittodrie they did the opposite, retreating behind the ball and closing up space. Professionalism is never as romantic as flair but Celtic fans must have been wooed by Lambert who showed great intelligence in his mission to plug gaps as he popped up in nearly every defensive position.
The weakness in Jansen's side is that, on the occasions that Larsson's muse leaves him, as it did yesterday, they can lack reserves of penetration. An Aberdeen defence who had not lost a goal at home in five matches offered a test of their ability to unpick opponents.
McNamara, fit again to replace Simon Donnelly, found himself playing right-wing as his coach reverted to the front formation of three widely-spaced players he deployed earlier in the season. On the opposite flank was Harald Brattbakk who, in almost obligatory style, missed an early chance. Larsson was instrumental, digging out territory on the edge of the box and laying off to Burley who slipped in the Norwegian, Brattbakk having got in front of Russell Anderson. From an angle, Brattbakk was unable to alter the inevitable away swing of his left-foot shot and the ball rolled wide.
Until Burley fired a volley over the bar in 35 minutes, that was Celtic in terms of threats. Aberdeen, heeding Miller's pre-match warning not to allow Jansen's side to control the opening part of the game, pinned down Celtic in midfield and made capital from out wide.
At times, Billy Dodds was kicked about like a crisp packet by Enrico Annoni and Rieper, but Jess, despite being favoured with the unique man-marking techniques of the Italian, was able to prise himself small patches of space. From another of his crosses, O'Neil flicked on to the open Joe Miller but the midfielder lobbed over from close range.
Celtic were heading for a half-time re-appraisal before they profited from David Rowson's impetuosity. As Stephane Mahe headed for the byeline, but with enough colleagues in the area to deal with any cross, Rowson halted the Frenchman with a trip. Burley knocked the spot-kick past Jim Leighton.
Suddenly a hot flame of passion licked through the game. In a five-minute space, which almost started with a Glasgow kiss when Gould and Dodds were squaring up, the same number of players were booked. Celtic, though, were also put under burning pressure. Gould had to make two body-lurching saves, the first from a 25-yard Glass volley, the second from Derek Whyte's looping header.
Celtic finished with their shoulders to the wall and Aberdeen's hands round their throat. In the last 10 minutes Lambert hirpled off and Larsson was poleaxed by cramp. Yet the league leaders could not be moved as their supporters boasted via the old song on their way out.
- Manager Interview
Wim Jansen post match:
"Every game now is like a final for us and this one was no different.
"We wanted to battle for our victory with Aberdeen and we did that very well.
"We knew before we came that we would have to battle for the points.
"Jonathon Gould had to make two very good save and in the end we won and at this stage that is all that matters.
"We played Paul Lambert deeper to pick up their runs and it worked.
"And we learned from losing our lead against Dundee United last week. Then, we were running all over at 1-0 up, but this time we stayed compact and kept our lead.
"Paul picked up a knock but we will wait and see ghow he comes through without worrying about Hearts.
"This week we have many first team players away on international duty and I will not know until Thursday how we stand for that match with injuries. Henrik Larsson will not arrive back till late on Thursday from Spain, so I will have just one day with many of the players before we face Hearts."