SPL Sunday December 9th

Dunfermline 1

Celtic 2

0:1 Balde (7); 0:2 Hartson (20); 0:3 Hartson (61); 0:4 Thompson (63)

Att: 8,207

MIB: Bobby Orr

Celtic: Douglas; Mjallby, Balde, Valgaeren; Guppy, Thompson, Lambert (McNamara 43), Lennon (Sylla 67), Petrov (Maloney 73); Hartson, Larsson

A bullish Jimmy Calderwood had fired up the Pars (oh-err) on the back of the mid-week penalty heartbreaker against Valencia. Expecting a dejected, jaded Celtic, he put his tactical nous to full effect with a stunning 2-5-3/2-4-4 formation with accompanying clogging from hatchet face Fergie.

The result was a strategic shambles on a par (geddit) with the French at Agincourt or Custer at the Little Big Horn.

Within minutes General Jimmy's men were running around like demented Krankies as Balde quickly put the Hoops one up. Even deprived of Petta, Sutton and Lubo, all being rested, this was threatening to become a turkey shoot, but for woeful finishing by Henrik, who looked as if he needed a rest too. The woodwork came to the Pars' rescue before Hartson converted a Guppy cross to make it two.

The effectiveness of Calderwood's defensive net can be gauged from the fact that even Guppy managed to get a cross in.

Silky football was not the order of the day and passes were proving as accurate as JC's pre-match predictions. Only the shooting rate was making this any sort of spectacle.

The second half saw little better fare and the inevitable clog count rise as Fergiehun responded to cries of "kick the ball" from the bench by aiming low and taking Petrov's shin instead. Unbelievably he got man of the match!

Celtic were battering the woodwork with the abandon of Gazza at the Gleneagles before Hartson made it three on the hour mark and Thompson followed with a stunning 30 yarder for the fourth.

This score line was a healthy reminder of the gap in class within the SPL, between Celtic and the rest. Even a weakened team, on the back of a painful exit from Europe, proved too good for the provincial competition. Four-nil flattered the Pars; it could have been a dozen but for the woodwork, which prevented Balde from netting at least a brace and kept Larsson off the scoresheet.

On the subject of Larsson he looks in need of a rest if we are to get the best from him again after Christmas.