Amazingly 30 years on

Thirty years ago tonight Celts were celebrating, a fantastic triumph against the odds to clinch the title, the night that Ten Men Won The League although that harshly takes away from Johny Doyle's role.

FLAKY 'HOME MADE' VIDEO

Amazingly in this media age only the 56,000 inside Celtic Park were really aware of what unfolded when Billy McNeill's side came back from being behind to win 4-2 and create a piece of Celtic history and folklore.

Before the internet! before satellite and digital telly the game was played without live radio commentary, a Monday night being damn inconvenient! a league decider was taking place.

Across the globe there was BBC World Service or perhaps a very expensive phone call home to someone that didn't know the score because there was no coverage of the match!

It had been a strange season, a great start from Celtic as McNeill settled into the manager's chair with new signings Murdo MacLeod and Davie Provan making an instant impact and importantly midway through the season the return to fitness of Danny McGrain.

A harsh winter had robbed us of league football for almost three months leaving us regular midweek fixtures throughout the spring with the season running on through May with no big deal about re-arranging.

With Ibrox being reconstructed the Rangers-Celtic fixtures were switched to Hampden with Rangers calling a game off due to a small flutter of snow to avoid playing Celtic on the Saturday after being dumped out of Europe by 1FC Cologne.

Celtic rediscovered their touch and went on a late winning run that included a Friday night win against St Mirren at Ibrox as Love Street was redeveloped and a Monday night win over Hearts thanks to Mike Conroy's goal that set up the chance to win the league at home to Rangers.

None of our 9-in-a-row title's were clinched at Celtic Park but for the Lisbon generation of supporters here was the chance to see the league won at home with Rangers as guests!

Without reading through old books I remember the night clearly, as a primary seven pupil going to the match with my granda and uncle and sitting in Section B of the stand. My granda went to speak to an old work colleague, Tommy Burns dad, and found out that TB was devastated at missing the game through injury.

We were all devastated early in the first half as Alex MacDonald put Rangers in front with the distant cheering from the Rangers end painful on the ears, half time came with Rangers in front and Derek Johnstone back in defence to help Rangers to the draw needed to give them the title in their remaining games against Hibs and Partick Thistle.

Ten minutes into the second half it was despair as Doyle was sent off for having a kick at MacDonald who spring to his feet to square up to Doyle.

As Doyle trooped off it looked like a night of misery but this side had come back regularly from going behind and did so again with Roy Aitken and George McCluskey putting Celtic in front.

Johnstone was put up front again for Rangers and our lead lasted just a few minutes when Bobby Russell shot through virtually everyone from a cleared corner to draw Rangers level.

Despite being a man down Celtic poured everything into attack, win or bust as Rangers clung on knowing a draw virtually gave them the league in John Greig's first season in charge.

The circumstances were hazy but six minutes from the end Colin Jackson headed into his own net and the scenes were incredible.

The title was in touching distance, just as it had been earlier when we went 2-1 up but now there was five minutes to survive to win the league against Rangers with ten minutes.

Agonisingly the clock barely moved but as the final minute approached Celtic broke forward with Murdo letting rip with an amazing shot that flew into the top corner of the net.

It was an amazing finale, an incredible game which will forever rank amongst the finest 90 minutes ever played by a Celtic side.

Outwith the stadium virtually no-one knew the score or had any idea of the drama, STV's highlights programme was cancelled due to industrial action, footage lost just as it had been at Hampden in 57.

In those distant days folk did get their news from newspapers, the drama described with the closing 20 minutes squeezed into a few late paragraphs to make the print run.

The entire squad from that season deserved congratulations but on the night it was Peter Latchford, Danny McGrain, Tom McAdam, Big Shuggie, Andy Lynch; Roy Aitken, Mike Conroy, Murdo MacLeod; Davie Provan, George McCluskey, Johny Doyle that started the game with Bobby Lennox coming on as a sub and Vic Davidson an unused substitute.

Poor old Doyle was having his early bath fearing that he'd be on his way from Celtic as the guy that got sent off to gift Rangers the league, I never heard how he celebrated but the following season he had his best ever season culminating in an amazing Scottish Cu replay win over St Mirren at Love Street.

But thirty years ago it was a Celtic title win we celebrated with a largely homegrown team coming back from the dead to defy the odds and create their own history

HHAIL HHAIL to them all.

Maloney makes impressive return

Shaun Maloney closed the debate about his fitness with a dazzling 45 minute performance for Celtic's reserve side in the 4-0 win over Dundee United this afternoon.

Maloney hasn't completed 90 minutes since picking up a hamstring injury against Hearts on December 13.

Brief substitute appearances in the last two SPL fixtures against Aberdeen barely tested the 26-year-old but today's run out had Maloney back at his industrious best highlighted by a great solo goal in the 15th minute.

Playing behind Kevin Cawley in a role designed to give him as much of the ball as possible the former Aston Villa striker buzzed about around the park spraying passes and beating defenders without flinching from a single challenge.

It was Maloney that set up the first goal with a through ball to Ryan Conroy on the left whose cross was headed home by Mark Millar at the back post after 13 minutes.

Enjoying the space that he's unlikely to get in first team action Maloney wrong footed a couple of defenders two minutes later before drilling a low shot past former Celtic 'keeper Michael McGovern to put Celtic two up.

There's little chance of Maloney starting against Rangers on Sunday but with the game likely to be tight and dominated by four and five man midfields the option to introduce Maloney must be an appealing one for Gordon Strachan.

Maloney has the temperament and experience to handle the big occasion after making his Celtic debut at Ibrox in the 3-0 win at Ibrox in Martin O'Neill's first season made memorable by a double from Lubo Moravcik and Henrik Larsson's 50th goal of the season.

"Who's the wean?" supporters asked that day when Maloney appeared, hopefully the fully grown 'wean' will be able to make a telling contribution this time around.

As the reserves collected their eighth consecutive title the conveyor belt of talent coming through the ranks produced another name to look out for with James Forrest making a very accomplished debut.

Replacing Simon Ferry, who picked up a back injury, after half an hour, Forest looked quickly at ease demanding the ball and making telling runs off the right flank into the Dundee United penalty box.

Cawley had added a third goal before Forrest capped his reserve debut with a goal worth looking out for on Celtic TV.

Exchanging passes with Cawley, Forrest curled his shot around McGovern from just inside the penalty box to round off a useful day out before the SPL Reserve trophy was presented to the squad.

Celtic team: Kennedy; Doumbe, Marr, Misun, Kurakins; Miller (Vallers), Ferry (Forrest) Donati, Conroy; Maloney (McGlinchey), Cawley.

SUBS not used: Fairley, Gardner, Hughes, Tidser.

8inarow for the young Hoops- Simple for Simon

What a great day out it was at Ibrox today as Celtic's reserve side clinched the title for the eighth season running.

CELEBRATIONS VIDEO

Simon Ferry was the goal-den bhoy with a brilliant 'Van Basten' like volley that former Scotland 'keeper Allan McGregor never got anywhere near.

It was great that Simon got the goal, he's had a horrible time over the last two and a half seasons with various ankle injuries but has refused to buckle, kept upbeat and has been a regular first team substitute over the last few weeks.

Celtic had dominated the first half without scoring but moved up a gear after the break but had to wait until the 70th minute for the big breakthrough.

Ryan Conroy deep cross from the left wing was met sweetly by Ferry whose volleyed flashed across McGregor into the net.

Ferry whipped off his top and set off on a run towards the empty Govan Stand while the 3,000 Celtic fans in the enclosure celebrated away.

Every win at Ibrox is to be enjoyed by the Celtic support, a win that brings silverware is that bit special regardless of what level it's at.

Peter Lawwell recently referred to the reserves as the 'development squad' which is a fair description, the players with the real potential to break through into the first team are out onloan: Paul Caddis, Scott Cuthbert, Cillian Sheridan and Paul McGowan.

Today's team was mainly emerging talents featuring a number of recent signings from the club's extensive scouting network covering centre-half Milan Musan, left-back Anton Kurakins and Irish recruits Niall McGinn and Paddy McCourt.

Youngsters Kevin Cawley, Jason Marr and Danny Lafferty have had their first season at reserve level leaving a team made up of Ferry and Ryan Conroy plus 'keeper Mark Brown and forgotten man Massimo Donati.

Guiding them all is Willie McStay who went to Ibrox with an impressive record, in 1981 he helped Celtic win the Glasgow Cup and did the same as Celtic manager in 1998 as well as guiding the reserves to a draw against a star-studded Rangers reserve side in the mid-90s with 30,000 Rangers fans demanding success with Celtic down to nine men.

Today's success was a good achievement for all involved, the real success will be judged in years to come. Two years ago Celtic lost 5-0 to Rangers in the SFA Youth Cup Final at Hampden, from that Celtic side Caddis and Sheridan have gone on to play in the Champions League.

The Rangers side was a real strange mixture, some relative unknowns but also names like McGregor, Andy Webster, John Fleck, Aaron Niguez and Steven Naismith, none of whom did themselves any favours.

By tea-time on May 9 today's events will be long forgotten but any trophy success and win at Ibrox will be welcomed and enjoyed by the Celtic fans present and others kept in touch by text messages and the internet.

Reserves poised for title

Celtic's reserve side can clinch 8-in-a-row by beating Hearts next week in a game scheduled to be played at Stirling Albion's Forthbank Stadium.

After Rangers delayed the Rangers-Celtic reserve match due on March 17, Willie McStay's side returned to action with a 1-1 draw against Inverness Caley Thistle on Monday of this week.

Rangers 2-0 defeat from Motherwell yesterday leaves Celtic 10 points clear at the top of the league with four games left to play with Celtic clinching the title with a win over Hearts or a Rangers failing to beat Aberdeen.

Reserve titles on their own mean very little but there's little doubt that over the years the success of the Celtic reserve side has contributed greatly to the success at first team level.

Stephen McManus is the most obvious example, indeed he is going for his own personal 8-in-a-row having helped the reserves to four titles before being promoted to the first team where of course he is heading for another 4-in-a-row.

Others like Aiden McGeady and Shaun Maloney had brief reserve 'careers' with their promotion almost automatic through from youth team to first team.

Reserve glory has never been the aim, otherwise players like John Kennedy, Scott Cuthbert, Paul McGowan, Paul Caddis and Cillian Sheridan wouldn't be sent out on loan.

Those players would gain little from reserve team football which allows others like Jason Marr, Kevin Cawley and Danny Lafferty to step up into the reserve side to test themselves at a higher level.

The club's recent influx of young Eastern European players have been given valuable exposure and experience to becoming a Celtic player in a competitive environment where winning is expected.

No allowances are given for youth, winning is demanded but there's plenty of flair about the reserve side with Paddy McCourt and Mark Millar probably the most influential players in the current squad.

The future can rarely be predicted but the development of players is assured at Celtic, those good enough to move up from the youths get their chance, those too good for the reserves get loaned out for extra experience.

Hopefully Caddis and Sheridan will be part of next season's first team picture, Millar could be a dark horse as well with possibly McCourt or Koki Mizuno taking the leap from useful substitute/stand-in to a contributor at first team level.

Hail hail to the reserves regardless of what the SPL attempt to do next season, surely club's can carry squads capable of playing 22 games over a ten month season?

SPL Reserve Table