SPL Saturday July 30th

Motherwell 4

Celtic 4

0:1 Hartson 14
1:1 Kerr 20
1:2 Hartson 32
1:3 Hartson 44 pen
2:3 Hamilton 58
3:3 McDonald 60
4:3 Kinniburgh 84
4:4 Beattie 90

Att: 9,903

MIB: Mike McCurry

Celtic: Marshall Telfer McManus Varga Camara McGeady Petrov Lennon Thompson Maloney Hartson

subs
Beattie for McGeady 67

Groundhog day. A return to Fir Park and a re-enactment of the horror that finished last season. If this was to be an exorcism, then someone must have forgotten to send for the priest.

The shambles that was Bratislava blighted everyone in Hoops, so that even if il Papa himself had arrived, he would have had a hell of a job exorcising the ghosts Wednesday's Euro fiasco. You would still need Sigmund Freud into the bargain to deal with the gibbering psychotic mess that has become a shattered Celtic.

Bereft of confidence, leadership on the park and basic defensive skills, the fragile Celtic mind has cracked open and the nightmares have poured out onto the park. The hacks are simply wallowing in it!

Balde, having taken the defensive rap for Europe, continues to run around like a headless chicken looking for a team to pay his inflated wages. Stephen McManus has stepped in to fill the considerable gap.

Hartson and Maloney began the match up front to induce a goal threat to counter the frailty in the Uber-Sieve at the back. Not since the heady days of Luigi Macari and the Unknowns (Copyright W. Biggins & C. Muggleton) have we seen the likes of some of the players who graced the Hoops today.

It didn't take long for this to show as Butcher's overblown balloons, led by McCormick and Quinn began making headway. Against the run of play, however, the under fire Hartson came up trumps and converted a Thompson cross to the back post putting Celtic 1:0 ahead after 14 minutes.

Cue the headless chickens at the back, as the Sieve were still being ripped apart and Kerr eventually levelled.

Amazingly, Celtic then seemed to get it together and a Hartson brace put us 3:1 ahead before half time. Life had begun to look rosy again, but this was only the calm before a second half storm that saw the Ready Roasters allow some of the smallest men on the field to get in two free headers.

First the diminutive Hamilton, then McDonald were allowed to get on the end of crosses to beat Marshall.

It only got worse. With 80 minutes gone another gift from Celtic to Kinniburgh made it 4:3.

But for Beattie the blushes, suicides and lynchings were saved, as he chased a lost cause and hustled an equalizer at the death.

This was a point saved, not two lost. If this is a taste of what is to come the posse for Strachan has the rope tied and is looking for a tree. Strange things are still happening at the Circle K Ted!