Match Pictures | Matches: 1997 – 1998 | 1997-1998 Pictures
Trivia
- Jackie McNamara was out with an ankle injury, Tosh McKinlay (?), Stubbs (knee), Annoni(?), Johnson (stomach muscle tear) and Blinker (‘flu) were all missing.
- Jansen had said the previous day that Celtic lacked leadership on the field and drive.
Review
A penalty in extra time against 10 men – hardly convincing. The penalty came from Callum Davidson handling a Stephane Mahe cross. Dallas with finicky refereeing.
Teams
St Johnstone:
Main, McQuillan, Davidson, Sekerlioglu, Weir, McCluskey, Scott (Farquhar ,105 ), O’Halloran (O’Neil ,94), Kane, O’Boyle, Preston (Grant ,105)
Bookings: Davidson, O’Boyle, Grant, Scott (St Johnstone)
Sent Off: O’Neil (99, St Johnstone), Grant (120, St Johnstone)
Celtic:
Gould; Boyd, Mahe, Hannah, MacKay, Wieghorst (Grant,119 ), Larsson, Burley, Donnelly, Jackson (Thom,113 ) , O’Donnell
Subs not used: Gray,
Scorer: Donnelly (105, penalty)
Bookings: Boyd, Mackay, Wieghorst, Jackson (Celtic)
Referee: H Dallas (Motherwell).
Attendance: 7488
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Stats
| St Johnstone | Celtic | |
| Bookings | 4 | 4 |
| Sent Off | 2 | 0 |
| Fouls | 17 | 20 |
| Shots on Target | 3 | 6 |
| Corners | 5 | 4 |
| Offside | 7 | 1 |
Articles
Donnelly penalty sheds light on Celtic gloom
The Scotsman 20/08/1997
St Johnstone 0
Celtic 1 Donnelly (105 pen) after extra time
SIMON Donnelly rescued Celtic from the gloom of early season failure with an extra-time penalty in last night’s Coca-Cola Cup clash at McDiarmid Park.
St Johnstone forced the third round tie into extra time by holding out their more illustrious opposition after 90 minutes.
Donnelly calmly slotted his spot kick into the corner of the net ten minutes into the first period of extra time to give the visitors a confidence-boosting 1-0 win despite another gloomy performance.
But Celtic’s problems seemed to deepen rather than disperse on another bad night on the field.
This time Perth was the scene of the Parkhead supporters’ anguish.
Unable to impose themselves on a St Johnstone side newly promoted from the First Division, Celtic were obviously heading for extra time long before the 90 minutes were up.
The most serious effect of Celtic’s poor form in these early days of the season is that it convinces prospective opponents they are not to be feared.
This erosion of their credibility and authority is almost as damaging as their own ineffectiveness in most areas of the field.
St Johnstone did not take long to let a sparse crowd know that there would be no cowering in a corner, putting themselves about and, indeed, coming close to scoring in the first half.
Celtic have a dreadful shortage of the assets that have at least produced good entertainment in recent years, even if they have not brought much in the way of trophies.
All of this made for a largely untidy match, with niggling fouls eventually erupting into Tom Boyd’s clattering of George O’Boyle, leading to the Celtic defender’s name being the first in the referee’s book.
Saints had a breathtaking moment when Attilla Sekerlioglu played the ball out to Callum Davidson on the left. The fullback immediately headed it back across the area to Philip Scott, whose own glancing header slid away from Jonathan Gould and off the outside of the post.
Craig Burley is an honourable exception to Celtic’s general lack of inventiveness and accuracy in the pass and it was no coincidence that he should begin the creation their most convertible opportunity in the first half.
Shaping to pass across the field from right to left, Burley instead hit a beautifully disguised pass with the outside of his right foot to Darren Jackson, who had scampered down the right.
The former Hibs man saw the right ball, sending his cross deep and hard towards Phil O’Donnell, who was steaming in from the left.
But Alan Main, with a marvellous piece of work, ran and dived from his line, stretching to tip the ball away from O’Donnell as the Celtic midfielder looked certain to head it into the untended net.
Celtic’s inability to capitalise on little openings was evidenced after the break when Jackson’s precise pass to O’Donnell on the left brought a header from the midfielder inside to Larsson. The Swede turned away from his marker, but sent a shockingly unconvincing volley on the turn feet too high.
The lack of football did lead to greater physical effort from both sides, but that only led in turn to bookings for George O’Boyle, Callum Davidson and Morten Wieghorst. These little incidents were necessary to keep the fans from going into a deep slumber.
BOTTLE OF COKE
Daily Record 20/08/1997
Simon Donnelly last night insisted Celtic have now shown Wim Jansen they’ve got the guts to be winners.
The Parkhead striker claimed his extra-time penalty in the hard-fought 1- 0 Coca-Cola Cup win over St Johnstone showed the new-look Hoops can scrap.
And he admitted head coach Jansen had been right to rap them for their lack of leadership so far this season.
Donnelly said: “We’ve been guilty of not battling enough in recent games but tonight we’ve proved we can fight as well as play. Now I hope this result will help get us going.”
However, Donnelly confessed that his side have still some way to go before they guilty of not battling enough in recent games but tonight we’ve proved we can fight as well as play.
“We’re back here on league duty on Saturday and, after the bad start we’ve had, it’s vital we get the three points.
“It had been decided before the game that, with Andy Thom on the bench, I would be the one to take penalties. I’d put my name forward.
“There were a few protests about the decision and they say it’s more difficult when you have to wait and I was relieved to see it go in.”
But Donnelly confessed that his side have still some way to go before they reach anything like their peak.
Jansen’s patched-up side was missing FIVE first team regulars – Alan Stubbs, Regi Blinker, Tommy Johnston, Tosh McKinlay and Stewart Kerr.
Donnelly said: “We possibly didn’t create enough chances and I missed perhaps the best of all in the second half from a Henrik Larsson pass.
“But we kept our shape when it looked as if it might go to penalties. We didn’t do that against Dunfermline and it cost us.”
Saints had subs John O’Neil and Roddy Grant red-carded and No.2 John Blackley sent to the stand as the match blew up in extra time. And boss Paul Sturrock insisted O’Neil’s 99th minute dismissal was the key to Celtic’s win.
The defender had been on the park for only minutes when he was harshly sent off for allegedly aiming a kick at Malky Mackay and Sturrock said : “That was the turning point.
“I’ll need to look at the TV evidence overnight before I think about disciplining either of the players.
“But it WAS a penalty for Celtic. That’s the rub of the green we’ll be looking for in the Premier League.”
Jansen said: “It’s easier for the players after a win. They are more confident but Saturday will be just as difficult.”
- Manager Interview
“We came here to get through to the next round of the cup , we did and I am happy about it.
“After the disappointment of the Dunfermiline game we worked very hard for this result.”
