SPL Saturday April 17th

Celtic 3

Aberdeen 2

0:1 Diamond 11
0:2 Mackie 14
1:2 Varga 27
2:2 Hartson 51
3:2 Bellamy 57

Att: 59,998

MIB: Craig Thomson

Celtic: Marshall McNamara Balde Varga Valgaeren Petrov Lennon Thompson McGeady Bellamy Hartson
subs
Agathe for Valgaeren 32
Sutton for McGeady 56
Henchoz for Agathe 85

There's a myth that goes around Scottish football; you may be familiar with it - it goes something like 'Aberdeen only try against Rangers'. The last time Aberdeen beat Rangers in the league? 1998. The last time they got so much as a point from them? 2000. In the last twelve months they've beaten us twice at Celtic Park. And of course a mere four days after the last victory they went to Ibrox and proceeded to leak 5 goals without so much as a glimmer of an attack on the Rangers net. Complete coincidence that Jimmy 'Just here for the occasion' Calderwood is the manager of course.

Anyway, on with the game. In football timing is everything and Bellamy kept his first Celtic Park goal for a time when we really needed it. Thanks to the huns' midweek shambles we're ahead by a nose. The last time Aberdeen visited they had a two goal lead before many people had made it into their seats, it took them longer this time, but not by much.

Unlike the previous home game we had actually looked alright prior to the goals, and unlike the Hearts game this time we kept our composure and played football. There was no quick response, but with 75 minutes to recover we didn't really need to panic.

27 minutes in McGeady - taking his normal quota of two defenders - slung in a ball for Varga to start the comeback. 1:2 at half-time, but the way the game had gone no one was too concerned (except those folks who thought back to the last meeting of these two in Glasgow and exactly the same half time situation).

The equaliser arrived 5 minutes after the restart, and it saved Bellamy from some hard words. Varga had taken the ball from the halfway line the edge of the box, slipping it to Petrov who played in Bellamy 1-on-1, goal surely. No. Just as he had done at Livingston, when he had three similar situations, he shot straight at the goalie's legs. A huge groan went round the ground, the ball spun to the Aberdeen left back, he miscontrolled the ball into the path of Agathe, who swept it back into the box for Hartson to clip in to the net. 2:2 and Bellamy playing his fat, bald get out of jail free card.

No such measures needed 5 minutes later when Thompson floated a corner to the far edge of the box and with one measured swipe Bellamy planted the ball in the far corner of the net. Pandemonium in the stands.

Two minutes later one of the refereeing decisions of the year; Bellamy gets on the end of our best passing move of the game, hares into the box and in taken out, American Football style. A clear penalty. Except the referee hasn't reacted. Better yet neither has the linesman. Now it is possible that the ref had his view blocked by a player, but the linesman had a clear unobstructed view. How ironic that Hearts' current dispute with the SFA was caused by a linesman signalling for a penalty that wasn't. Is it just me or do most of these dubious decisions tend to benefit just one of the Glasgow clubs? This linesman certainly seemed to have misplaced his Spec Savers 'Old Firm' glasses.