Celtic 5 Hearts 0

ROBERT GRIEVE at Celtic Park

At Celtic Park it was nothing but pure gold.

From the medals hung around the necks of Neil Lennon and his squad to the boot won by Gary Hooper.

The title-winning Parkhead side ended the season in glittering style.

Hooper scored a fantastic FIVE times against hapless Hearts — taking his tally to 29 for the season.

Whether or not they turn out to be his last goals for the club, only time will tell.

But yesterday was about the here and now for Lennon and his squad who soaked up their success for all it was worth.

The Celts’ boss heard his name chanted around the stadium all afternoon as he was hailed like never before.

There were fireworks and ticker-tape with 60,000 supporters staying in their seats long after the final whistle.

It was like they didn’t want to go home.

But after four years without having this trophy in their grasp it was little wonder they were determined to enjoy it.

Hearts? Well, they better up their game next weekend.

If they play like this at Hampden for their Scottish Cup Final with Hibs then they’re in trouble.

Maybe it was understandable they weren’t fully committed to this one. The last thing any of the Jambos wanted was to pick up an injury which ruled them out of the biggest derby ever.

But you can’t turn form on and off like you’re flicking a switch.

That’ll be the worry for boss Paulo Sergio as he sets about preparing his squad for the big one.

They have less than a week to sort things out and get their heads straight otherwise they’ll be on the end of a defeat they’ll be reminded of for a very long time.

And Sergio could be out of a job.

Hooper won’t score an easier handful of goals, put it that way.

We’re talking four tap-ins and a penalty.

He’ll claim he was in the right place and the right time — for his strikes from open play at least – and it’s hard to argue.

Hooper’s job is to stick the ball in the back of the net. END OF.

Gaffer Lennon can also point to the fact the fifth-minute opener came after a tremendous passing move right across the pitch.

It ended with a Kris Commons’ shot being spilled by nervy-looking keeper Jamie MacDonald — with Hooper pouncing as Andy Webster slept.

It was the Englishman’s 25th goal of the season and one which earned him SunSport’s Golden Boot.

He wasn’t finished, though. Not against this Hearts side.

Just three minutes later Georgios Samaras made Marius Zaliukas look like he was running in porridge and slid the ball inside to Hooper.

Again the striker couldn’t miss. It was now all over bar the singing and only a case of how many goals the home side would rack up.

In 39 minutes they netted their third from the spot after the excellent Joe Ledley was tripped inside the box by Arvydas Novikovas.

It was an easy decision for referee Alan Muir to make.

In typical striker’s style Hooper grabbed the ball first before blasting the ball down the middle to seal his hat-trick.

Before the break there was a quick reminder that this was still a contest of some sorts. Danny Grainger and Scott Brown clashed in a touchline handbags scrap which saw both players booked.

The pattern of the game continued after the break.

In 52 minutes Samaras had a great chance with a snip of a header but ducked under the ball at the last minute in fear of clattering into the post.

I reckon Hooper would have scored first and thought about a bang on the head second.

But it wasn’t long before the hot-shot hitman grabbed another.

In 66 minutes Commons squeezed a ball through which Zaliukas could only partially block. Hooper darted onto it and after rounding keeper MacDonald rolled the ball into the empty net.

It was another tap-in but this time he worked plenty to get it.

His fifth came with four minutes left with the Jambos guilty of more shocking defending.

Samaras crossed from the right and with clinical accuracy Hooper side-footed the ball into the bottom corner.

At 29 goals it’s been some season for the ex-Scunthorpe star in front of goal.

Considering no-one else in the SPL comes close to his tally it’s amazing he wasn’t in the running for any of the Player of the Year awards.

But the final whistle brought the presentation of the trophy and the handing out of the medals that really count.