CELTIC MATCH REPORT:  

 CELTIC 2  RANGERS  0 (aet)

PRE-MATCH COMMENT:Found myself sitting in the North Stand for the first time since I watched 'Big Bad John' miss a penalty against Rangers in another Cup Final. Not feeling great about the co-incidence but brightened up when Alan Thompson took his seat in front of me to a very good reception from the fans.

Delighted that GS was going with 'Skippy' up front on his own but surprised that Loovens was drafted in and Hartley was being played out on the right wing.

BORUC ….……....7  Apart from a little scare when being asked to deal with a poor pass back by the Captain, Artur was back to his best and pulled off a couple of very good saves and showed a safe pair of hands when dealing with the cross balls. 

HINKEL..... ……..7  Mad a couple of his usual bizarre defensive decisions but overall was very effective in nullifying the opposition and showed some very good composure and ball skills.

LOOVENS......... 7  MOM He hasn't impressed me since coming to Celtic but to-day he was rock solid in his defensive work and was a constant threat at corner kicks, etc. Was unlucky not to score the opener when his shot was blocked on the line.

McMANUS…. … ..6  Steady enough but continues to disappoint with his lack of confidence when he has the ball at his feet.

O'DEA...….……....7 So pleased for the guy! He has waited so long for the chance and he caps a very good display playing out of position with a sublime header for the opening goal.

CALDWELL......... 5   Played in a midfield role he struggled to come to grips with the game and his distribution was woeful.

BROWN…..…...... 7    Once he found out how to retain his footing on a difficult surface he put on a great display of 'one minute defending, the next minute attacking' display.

NAKA.... ……........7  At the game I would not have marked him so high but after watching the game again on t.v. I realised how much effort he put in. He was always making himself available to take the pass and of course he sent over the delightful free kick for the goal. I doubt if there was anyone who covered more ground than he did.

McGEADY.........7  There were times when Joe McBride's comment re. Aiden being too selfish on occasion seemed to be accurate but Aiden kept fighting, he kept being a problem to the Ranger's defence and his lung bursting run at the end, tempting Broadfoot into the penalty, and his subsequent coolly taken penalty brought such a smile to his face.

HARTLEY................5  He was wasted out on the right wing and his mind set was one of a defensive nature which nearly cost us dearly.

McDONALD....... ....6  Didn't score but never gave up in his lone fight up front.

SUBS:

SAMARAS.......... 6   Came on just at the right time. Rangers were tiring and his movement and aerial involvement brought a different dimension to the game. Of course he should have scored at least twice!

WILSON .............6   Replaced O'Dea for the last 15 mins and looked sharp. Was confident on the ball.

REF…………...... (McDonald) 8  A very good performance from not only him but also his assistants.

THE GAME ……6 The pitch and the tactical formations used by the two managers meant that it was never going to be a classic but Celtic's performance in extra time made it all worthwhile.

GOALS ……….   1. A great free kick and a cleverly engineered header by O'Dea.

                                2. McGeady was exhausted but he still found some energy to leave Broadfoot in his wake as he powered his way into the box. He just loved scoring with the penalty.

                               

COMMENTS ….. 1. GS won the Manager's battle. 'Walter' took off Lafferty when he was causing us some problems, he then put on Dailly shortly afterwards (it was then that I knew we had won!). GS put on Sammi in place of the ineffective Hartley.   

                                     2. It was great sitting/standing as part of a Celtic support who only wanted to give support to the team. They out sang, out jibed,out cheered the opposition fans for most of the game and then took great delight at yelling at a completely empty Ranger's end before the game had finished.

                                     3. My main concern was that Rangers might have put on a display that would have dented my confidence in winning 4iar, the opposite was the case. Their so called skillful players were invisible. Celtic have Flood, Robson and Maloney to look forward to using for the final push..........it will make a big difference.

                                    4.  It was just great to be there and win the Cup. Rangers might go on and win the other Cup but their supporters will not have the satifaction and enjoyment of doing so by beating their great rivals.

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