It has been a long, long time coming, but proceedings at Paradise have finally returned to how they were.
You miss the small things on a match day, as opposed to just the actual football itself. Sure, performances like last night’s mauling of AZ Alkmaar really do help the cause, as the crowd are wowed by the swashbuckling and mesmerising football on offer with chants galore being sung.
But the smell of the chippy, the pints being poured, the pre-match rituals, the fellow season ticket holders you haven’t seen in eighteen months as you take to your old seat…it’s all part of the experience which makes going to the game so special.
And something Celtic are exclusive with is tradition – fans, no matter how young or new, have a huge gauge on how life was at Parkhead prior to the pandemic.
So in the 67th minute, when there was a break in play, the phone torches came back out to commemorate the anniversary of the famous European Cup win in Lisbon.
Synonymous with the European night games, it was great to see the return of the lights – something which shocked commentator Guy Mowbray.
Mowbray, who is the main commentator for the BBC, spearheaded England’s Euro 2020 games and Match of the Day. However, having never featured for Celtic TV before, he was chosen to do the Alkmaar game.
And with John Hartson alongside him, he was in awe of just how spectacular Paradise was.
‘Lovely, lovely sight’, the Englishman declared, before Hartson gave him a lesson on just what it was for.
Having done the same every home game, most notably against Barcelona in 2012, there is hope that Ange’s men can replicate the noise and atmosphere that was conjured up in the cauldron last night – we may just see the torches out a lot more.
6⃣7⃣ In the heat of Lisbon… 🌟
A 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒚 sight at Paradise 🔦@Guymowbray 🎙️ @JohnHartson10 #COYBIG 🍀 pic.twitter.com/iBXhUU6ny4
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) August 19, 2021
