Three years ago today we went to Ibrox and won on our way to reclaiming the title and shutting up Hugh Keevins in the process…
Three years ago today we went to Ibrox with the title firmly on the line and more than proved our credentials.
You will recall that theRangers were champions after romping to their first ever Scottish Premiership title the previous season due to a combination of the capitulation of a poor Celtic side, and the effects of the COVID pandemic.
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou had his eye on the title
Celtic were under the leadership of Ange Postecoglou, who had us playing a terrific brand of attacking football whilst also showing we still had that fighting spirit when it came to competing for honours.
Only three points separated the sides going into the game, and with only six fixtures remaining a win for Celtic would put them firmly in the driving seat, whilst a win for the home side would they believed swing the pendulum back in their direction.
Aaron Ramsay scored in the opening minutes
It had all the ingredients to be a cracker, and it started disastrously from our point of view when the greatest signing in the history of Scottish football Aaron Ramsay scored in the opening minutes to fire theRangers into the lead.
The momentum was now with the home side as the majority of the crowd indulged in their sectarian song book as they believed a comfortable victory was the only outcome. Our auld chum Hugh Keevins on Clyde 1 even enthusiastically suggested that an impressive victory for the home side and a heavy defeat for Celtic was on the cards.
A sort of role reversal of the previous meeting between the sides at Celtic Park two months previously under the lights at Celtic Park when Celtic won 3-0 to move to the top of the table for the first time under Ange Postecoglou.
That prompted a new Celtic song borrowed from the wonderful Carpenters…’We’re on the top of the world looking down on theRangers it’s the only explanation I can find. It’s the form we have found since Ange has been around that’s put us on the top of the league.’ It was first heard up at Pittodrie.Things went spectacularly Pete Tong for Hugh Keevins
But like all the loud mouth hacks predictions, things went spectacularly Pete Tong for Hugh Keevins and more importantly theRangers. Glasgow Derby specialist Tom Rogic levelled the game to silence the home crowd and a certain reporter watching on.
Celtic took control soon after as the home side showed their inability to handle pressure in front of a baying crowd, this wasn’t pandemic football any more, and Celtic took full advantage by going into the lead minutes before the break curtesy of Cameron Carter Vickers who fired the ball home after a ‘stramash’ in the penalty area.
A broken bottle was thrown into the Celtic goalmouth
Despite a small delay to the start of the second half after a supporter of theRangers threw the contents of a broken bottle into the Celtic goalmouth, it was the home sides bottle that crashed as Celtic held their nerve in the following 45 plus minutes to register a vital win as we earned a six point lead at the top of the table.
It would prove significant in the end up as we won back our title just over a month later. We were Champions once again, and we shut a few folk up in the process. And their long wait for title number two continues to this day.
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
3 years ago today we went to Ibrox with the title on the line. We prevailed and won 2-1 to go 6 points clear, despite the greatest signing in Scottish football history firing the home side into an early lead. That win proved significant as we would go on to win the title. pic.twitter.com/oizhnzHgqs
— JustAnOrdinaryBhoy (@ordinarybhoy) April 3, 2025
Here’s how David Potter reacted to this match in his post match thoughts, three years ago today, that were always a great feature on The Celtic Star…
