On This Day: 18 November

Thanks to LilZe85 on Twitter, we have access to some of the Celtic games that happened on this day throughout the years, we have two victories over Highland opposition, a double win against Hearts and a rare outing for the ‘pink kit’.

Celtic 3 Inverness CT 0 – 2006

Firstly, Celtic faced Inverness CT at Celtic Park in 2006. Celtic moved eighteen points clear of Rangers after a win over the Highland side with goals from Darren Dodds (OG), Jiri Jarosik and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink. The visiting supporters would head back to Inverness thinking what could of been after a couple of half chances to level the game up before the late couple finished them off.

Ross County 0 Celtic 1 – 2017

On a freezing day in Dingwall, Celtic dominated position but failed to break down Owen Coyle’s well-disciplined side. Callum McGregor should have had a penalty but it was bizarrely deemed a fair tackle by the referee. Brendan Rodgers’ side kept the ball well; however fell apart in the final third. It took a moment of genius from substitute Leigh Griffiths to break the deadlock after 77 minutes and send the home fans for the exit.

Celtic 4 Hearts 2 – 1972

A Celtic side that was without Lou Macari, Bobby Murdoch, Billy McNeill and George Connelly faced off against the Tynecastle outfit at Celtic Park and played out an exciting clash. Jock Stein’s side twice came from behind to win thanks to goals from Kenny Dalglish, Dixie Deans, Jimmy Johnstone and Harry Hood. Stein would say after the game that the display of Jinky Johnstone was so impressive that it “offset the absence of the others.”

Celtic 6 Hearts 1 – 2000

Martin O’Neill’s high-flying Celtic came back from an early Hearts goal to punish their Edinburgh guests 6-1, which flattered Hearts due to an outstanding display by Niemi in the visitors goal. Moravcik, Petrov, Mjallby and Valgaeren grabbed one each as the King of Kings, Henrik Larsson netted twice. The win extended Celtic’s lead at the top of the league to eight points.

Kilmarnock 0 Celtic 1 – 2016

Finally, Celtic travelled to Rugby Park to face Kilmarnock on the notorious plastic pitch. In what was an entirely uneventful match on a bitterly cold night, Celtic won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Stuart Armstrong after 44 minutes. The game was probably best known for the debut of the pink kit, Celtic’s interesting take on a 3rd kit with a very distant resemblance to the 1967 Cup Final ticket in Lisbon.