Helicopter Sunday II hovers into view

12 May 2011

THE Clydesdale Bank can go ahead and book that helicopter. At times last night they could have done with an armoured one.

Twenty five years on from the role these two sides played in one of Scottish football's all-time final day epics, this riotous victory for Celtic over a 10-man Hearts team means for the fourth time in nine years the SPL title will once again be decided on the last day of the season.

Whatever transpires at Rugby Park and Celtic Park on Sunday – only one point separates the sides – in some ways this season is not ending a moment too soon.

The match – settled by two Gary Hooper strikes and a late third from Kris Commons – was played out to an utterly poisonous backdrop, with Neil Lennon having to fight off a supporter who ran from the main stand to blindside him in the technical area, which prompted a battle between Celtic fans, police and stewards in the Roseburn stand.

Lennon has participated in all three of the previous last-day title showdowns – as a losing player in 2003 and 2005, and as a victorious member of the Celtic coaching staff in 2008 – so it was entirely fitting his first season as manager should end with him dragging the title race to a frantic finale.

He had warned pre-game that his very appearance at Tynecastle is provocation to some. He can hardly have imagined how prophetic those words would be.

Conspiracies and agendas have been the theme of the season and with both these two sides' shared distrust of officialdom it was hardly a surprise that controversy should rear its head again.

Craig Thomson officiated the match, just as he had done back in November, when he sent Lennon to the stands for an altercation with the fourth official, but this time it was the home side who were left nursing a grievance. David Obua and Charlie Mulgrew were wrestling for the ball on the touchline in the 33rd minute when Obua raised his hands and aimed a push.

There was contact, however minimal, on Mulgrew's neck, and on the advice of linesman Keith Sorbie, referee Thomson deemed it worthy of a red card. It was a minor injustice but nothing that could justify what would later transpire.

It ended the contest, even if Celtic would also end the match with 10 men, Kris Commons earning his second booking for leaving the field to celebrate the third goal. But in truth Hearts, to borrow words from Lennon, had provided "little evidence" of being able to compete up until then. To recap, the Celtic manager had spent recent days talking himself out of a hole after criticising the displays of Hearts and Motherwell against Rangers.

In personnel terms it was undeniably a different Hearts team to the one which had capitulated at Ibrox four days earlier. Marian Kello, the club's Slovakian goalkeeper, returned to the starting line-up after missing a few weeks due to an undisclosed "private matter". In front of him were Ismael Bouzid and Marius Zaliukas who had also missed recent games.

Meanwhile, a judicious appeal to the SFA allowed Eggert Jonsson, who was sent off at Ibrox, to play. Those with a flair for mischief were left wondering what Paul McBride QC would have made of it in the event the three combined to produce a winner.

Instead there were even more contentious matters to contemplate last night. For all their early season promise Hearts had won just one of their last 10. Celtic started brightly and with just 13 minutes on the clock there was an irony when a Zaliukas error led to the opening goal. He was robbed by the alert Commons, who drew his man before feeding Hooper. The former Scunthorpe striker left Kello with no chance.

Black got the benefit of the doubt after a two-footed challenge on Georgios Samaras, and Hearts continued to live dangerously when Commons' drive was tipped on to the post by Kello, then sidefooted wide with the goal at his mercy.

Hearts were starting to get a foothold in the game when the dismissal of Obua stopped them in their tracks. Spaces were bound to open in the second period and Celtic were ruthless in exploiting them. Ki Sung-Yeung played in Hooper who flicked in a neat finish with his right boot.

Commons got the goal his performance deserved when he feinted to go on his left, manoeuvred himself into space and steered a sweet finish into the bottom corner. Celtic will thumb through the rule book in an effort to have him available on Sunday.

But these were mere details. The headlines will be hogged by the fan who managed to get to Lennon and the fight among fans, seemingly sparked by someone being thrown out of the ground.

At the whistle, Lennon defiantly walked on to the pitch. Hearts had the good grace to wait before doing a half lap of honour on the occasion of their last home game. But for some fans at Tynecastle yesterday there was only dishonour.

Scorers: Hooper (12, 49), Commons (78)

Taken from the Herald