Scottish Cup Sunday February 27th

Clyde 0

Celtic 5

0:1 Varga 39
0:2 Thompson 47 pen
0:3 Petrov 60
0:4 Varga 68
0:5 Bellamy

Att: 8,200

MIB Thomson

Celtic
Douglas McNamara Balde Varga Henchoz Juninho Petrov Sutton Thompson Bellamy Hartson

subs
Maloney for Sutton 46
Mcgeady for Petrov 70

What was to be a formality on the way to the cup semi-final, started with a real struggle against a well organized and fired up Clyde side, looking to catch Celtic on the back foot after the shambles against the Orcs.

OFM persisted with Rab D in goal and included Henchoz and Juninho from the start, which didn’t look too clever when Bryson powered a superb effort past Rab into the top corner. Fortunately, the MIB had spotted a foul before the shot was struck and a cup debacle didn’t ensue.

Juninho, despite the usual muscling off the ball, began to come onto a game and set up Varga for the first on 40 mins. This joy looked short lived as Sutton had to go off injured and be replaced by Maloney before half time. But it worked to our advantage as SM and Juninho moved the ball superbly on the deck and highlighted the difference in class between the sides.

The second half saw a Clyde collapse. A second from a Thompson penalty - after Maloney was tumbled in the box - was followed by a third from the excellent Petrov. Stan was unfortunate not to get a second, after a great strike struck the bar. A rare second from a Varga tap in made it four, as pigs flew a victory roll overhead. The fifth came after a neat SM dummy allowed the ball to run to Bellamy, who fired into the net to open his Celtic account.

And so to Hampden and a game against the Farts. Get the green ribbons on the cup now and let Chris Robertson start running to the press screaming Celtic bias and “we was robbed”!

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File under 'Celtic Remember How to Pay Football', and it wasn't entirely unconnected to the return of Shaun Maloney.

After a first half devoid of football, Sutton went off with a knock and on came Maloney. With Hartson suspended we had no tall front man, therefore the long ball was out leaving playing the ball on the ground as the only option. Cue four goals, including Bellamy's first, and the demolition of the Bully Wee.

Hopefully someone on the bench was paying attention to this. Not only was it effective, it was entertaining. In fact it nearly resembled football the Celtic way. More please.