McGeady leaves Scotland green with envy

STUART BATHGATE AT TYNECASTLE

Hearts 1 De Vries (74)
Celtic 1 McGeady (17)
Referee: K Clark. Attendance: 12,112

RARELY, if ever, has Scottish football been in such dire need of youthful talent. It therefore seems the sporting equivalent of kicking a man when he is down that, when a native player who fits the bill does emerge, he should already have committed himself to another country.

Aiden McGeady, the striker who scored on his debut for Celtic yesterday, is exactly the sort of player who would normally convince one that the national team’s future is not as black as it has looked these past couple of years. Unfortunately for us, the national team to which the teenage Glaswegian has committed himself plays in green and white on the other side of the Irish Sea.

"Ireland came in for me first two years ago, and I’ve just decided to stay with them," said McGeady, who is eligible for the Republic because of Irish grandparents. "My parents don’t mind. It’s my decision, and I’m quite settled with the Irish set-up."

That feeling of contentment is enhanced by the fact that Brian Kerr, now the Ireland manager, was in charge of the under-18s when McGeady first enlisted. The allegiance will not be made permanent until he plays for the senior side, but it is thought that Scotland coach Berti Vogts and international youth team coach Ross Mathie have tried without success to persuade the young forward to switch.

A confident, level-headed type, McGeady appears unworried by any potential controversy about his choice. Martin O’Neill, too, is unconcerned, simply being pleased he has such potential on his books.

"Aiden played brilliantly" said the Celtic manager. "He took his goal very well, so he’s delighted. He’s got great ability and is the sort of talent we need coming through."

McGeady’s 17th-minute opener was an opportunistic strike, finding the net off the near post after a Stilian Petrov free kick had been sent away from goal by a misdirected header from Stan Varga. Mark De Vries’ equaliser nearly an hour later was a similar effort, coming from almost the same spot, and again finding the net via the post, this time after Johann Mjallby had failed to cut out a cross from Scott Severin.

The Dutchman had a chance to snatch the winner in stoppage time, again from the same area of the park. On this occasion, though, David Marshall got down superbly to prevent it curling in at the far post, ensuring the champions did not suffer consecutive league defeats after going so long unbeaten.

Both sides were pleased enough with the outcome, but this should not be taken to mean that the match was an apathetic, end of season run out. Instead, as O’Neill said, it was a "strongly contested" affair, in which it was obvious from the opening minutes that the teams had something to prove.

For Celtic, that loss to Aberdeen was surely motivation enough. For Hearts, there was the memory of the game at Parkhead three weekends earlier when they looked to have the points sewn up only to concede two late goals to end up drawing 2-2. With both teams lining up in 3-5-2 formations, it appeared obvious that the outcome would be determined in midfield, but paradoxically it was only when Hearts were forced by injury to go 4-4-2 that they began to hold their own in the centre.

The injury in question was to Phil Stamp, who took a knock to the back ten minutes after McGeady’s goal. Joe Hamill came in for the Englishman, Severin moved from the back three to central midfield, and Robbie Neilson and Alan Maybury dropped back.

Five minutes later Andy Kirk could have equalised when through on Marshall, but his first shot was saved then he lifted the rebound over the bar, Ten minutes on from that, with half time looming, an Andy Webster header from a Paul Hartley corner was saved on the line.

While those moments indicated that the home side were by no means out of the match, it was not until after the break that Hearts became a more consistent attacking force. Petrov had the first clear cut chance of the second period when shooting just past with an hour on the clock, but by that time Craig Levein at introduced De Vries as a third striker, a readjustment which enabled Hearts to harass the Celtic defence more effectively.

O’Neill’s team were not at their strongest in terms either of selection or form, but a spirited fightback was still required from the home side in order to win their point.

Nowhere was the game more keenly contested than in the duel between fellow Irishman Maybury and Neil Lennon, which made it curious to hear O’Neill declare that his own player was the subject of racist insults. "I find it amazing that he is racially abused everywhere he goes and the minute he puffs his cheeks up the crowd want to attract the referee’s attention," the Celtic manager said.

Certainly some supporters do have a hypocritical belief that they should have carte blanche to shout obscenities at players while those players must have no right of reply. but there is clearly more to Lennon than his nationality which provokes opposing fans and players. Maybury, was presumably riled by something other than his antagonist land of origin.

All the same, there has been an unsavoury aspect to recent Hearts-Celtic matches, partly because they have come so frequently - this was the fourth of 2004 - that the fans have no time to forget perceived grievances.

Hearts: Gordon, Webster, Pressley, Severin, Neilson, Stamp (Hamill 27), Kisnorbo (De Vries 57), Hartley, Maybury, McKenna, Kirk (Weir 84)

Celtic: Marshall, Varga, Balde, Mjallby, Agathe, Lennon, Petrov, Miller, Smith, McGeady (Veattie 68), Larsson.

Taken from the Scotsman