Video: John Hartson Begins The Green And Whitewash, On This Day 2003

Today, extraordinarily, marks the 18th anniversary of Celtic’s first win on the way to a green and whitewash over Rangers.

John Hartson scored the only goal of the game at Ibrox, a 1-0 victory that would be replicated against the other half of the city on two further occasions, whilst Celtic would also triumph 3-0 and 2-1 to complete five wins from five Glasgow derbies that season (2003/04).

Martin O’Neill fielded a strong team for the match, though Chris Sutton was forced to play alongside Stan Varga at centre half. The Englishman excelled in his unusual defensive role and earned the man of the match award. Meanwhile, Liam Miller came into the midfield.

Celtic dominated the first half, but couldn’t find the breakthrough before the interval. Hartson rectified matters, seconds after the break and his deflected effort was enough to separate the teams at full time.

About Author

Hailing from an Irish background, I grew up on the English south coast with the good fortune to begin watching Celtic during the Martin O'Neill era. I have written four Celtic books since the age of 19: Our Stories & Our Songs: The Celtic Support, Take Me To Your Paradise: A History Of Celtic-Related Incidents & Events, Walfrid & The Bould Bhoys: Celtic's Founding Fathers, First Season & Early Stars, and The Holy Grounds of Glasgow Celtic: A Guide To Celtic Landmarks & Sites Of Interest. These were previously sold in Waterstones and official Celtic FC stores, and are now available on Amazon.

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