Funnily enough, I thought the game reflected the weather yesterday – generally quite good but with a few squalls. The main thing about yesterday was that we won three points generally through hard graft against a hard working Motherwell team.
It was not a game that will live long in anyone’s memory, but it is the sort of game that one needs to win, if one is to win the League. We have given several thrashings this season to various opponents, but this was not one of them. I was glad to hear the final whistle.
The first half saw some excellent football from Celtic with one good goal and a few more chances that were sheer hard luck, and a penalty claim that I didn’t think was entirely out of the question. We were just thinking that Motherwell were never likely to score a goal, when, lo and behold, we did it for them! It was one of the craziest of own goals that you are ever likely to see, and although it is very possible to allocate blame to one man or other, all that it really needed was a stentorian cry of “Mine!”
And so half time which might have been spent in relaxation and luxury, was spent in anxiety and suspense with everyone saying things like “You’ve got to score when you are on top” and “Accidents will happen”, and then Celtic took a long time to get going again – until Hatate scored his magnificent goal.
It wasn’t the easiest game to watch until the final whistle, especially after Callum McGregor got the red card, but full time came, and we are still two points ahead of our rivals with 30 games to go.
The central defensive pairing was not the first choice and it showed. I have always liked Stephen Welsh but today he was hesitant with his ball distribution nothing like satisfactory. Jenz was OK, but you always felt that he and Welsh might have struggled against a sharper set of forwards than those of Motherwell.
Callum McGregor, until his early departure, was superb, while Jota was good in the first half but faded a little in the second. Kyogu was not at his best and missed some chances which might have gone in on another day. When David Turnbull came on, he looked the part, but no sooner did I say that to my neighbour than he suddenly played a couple of dreadful balls to a Motherwell player!
Some other players were still recovering from their International exertions, but we limped over the line and three points are in the bag. It was nice to see Oliver Abildgaard, and we look forward to seeing more of him.
I have long ago stopped feeling guilty about narrow victories, because I have seen so many games where Celtic have played superbly and have left with nothing. Three points are three points, and it is good to bounce back from the awful performance against St Mirren in our last game.
The atmosphere was good throughout with a few topical chants about the Royal Family which show the world that not everyone loves slavery, and it was nice to see the ground so full.
The refereeing was questionable at several points. The red card to the blessed Callum was probably justified (in the terms of the letter of the law at least) but there was an incident in the first half involving Motherwell’s number four which might well have been interpreted as violent conduct, and two penalties at least might just have been given to Celtic, but it was never a dirty game.
We had better get used to Motherwell because we have another two games against them, both at Fir Park, before football stops again for the World Cup.
Off to Leipzig now in midweek, a team that we don’t know all that much about. A draw there might not be the worst result in the world, but then we have St Johnstone at Perth which we really have to win. A lot of football has to be played in October.
David Potter
