Scotland on Sunday
January15, 1995, Sunday
Celticquench thirst for victory
BYLINE:Graham Spiers
AFTER one paltry victory in their last 15 attempts in the Premier Division,Celticfinally got what they have thirsted after, thanks to a penalty decision clouded in all the usual controversies in the dying minutes of this match. The incident centred upon Pierre van Hooijdonk, who was booked after just 12 seconds, seemed to have pot- shots galore, and one way or another was rarely beyond our gaze.That 88th-minute incident, however, seemed quite harsh onKilmarnock. Chris Hay's cross was sailing towards the visitors' far post when Hooijdonk went down in a calamitous heap with Mark Skilling in attendance. To wrestle this giant to the ground seemed a particular feat of the defender, but referee Bill Crombie immediately jabbed a finger at the penalty-spot. John Collins' kick sent the ball effortlessly past Dragoje Lekovic.
Kilmarnockwere embittered at the outcome. Skilling claimed later that Hooijdonk was backing into him, and that no intentional foul was committed, a grievance echoed byKilmarnock'smanager, Alex Totten. "We feel very hard done by," he said. "Given our general play and the chances we created, I genuinely thought we were the better team. There's a lot of anger in my dressing-room right now."Whatever bad luckCelticfeel they have suffered this season,Kilmarnockcan justly claim to have deserved a point out of this.
EvenCeltic'sopening goal, a barnstorming effort in the 53rd minute by Willie Falconer, had a hint of handball surrounding it.
Never accuse Tommy Burns of dishonesty on these occasions.
"Today, possibly, we had a little bit of good fortune on our side, " he said.
If it wasn't a match exactly laden with skill, there were sufficient goalmouth sprees to give it a compelling edge.Kilmarnockthrust Tom Brown into their central striker's role, with Ally Mitchell and Kevin McKee bringing bursts of havoc down the flanks. And where would we be without a non-plussedCelticdefence? Because of injury or illness they've recently had a right rabble serving them there, and yesterday, with Mark McNally and Jim Slavin paired together, that disruption showed tremblingly. McNally, with a hapless lunge, providedKilmarnockwith a penalty and a ray of hope.
Burns probably has a point, if not quite an excuse, when he says hisCelticteam have failed to feel at home at Hampden.
There were times when the old patched-up crater was about as atmospheric as a disused barn.
On the slopes, of course, the punters might point out that this is because they are forced to watch sheep and donkeys week by week.
That is terribly harsh, of course, although this euphoria over theseCeltic'babes' newly uncovered brings nightmarish reminders of previous rash predictions. Didn't Liam Brady provoke headlines about revolutionisingCeltic'syouth policy, and Billy McNeill before him? If these are the kids of the future, as some have been telling us, there's a scary burden falling upon them to pile up the evidence.
Stuart Gray has developed a fine touch for a Scottish lad, but can be dreadfully outpaced. Brian McLaughlin, victimised with Jimmy Johnstone comparisons simply because of his height, twisted and turned here and there but found Tom Black quite implacable. And at this point, Slavin looks right out of the old school: hard, brawny, not a poser's instinct to be found anywhere in his head. That's how we breed 'em.
Celtic'sopener was a ferocious blast. Falconer, whose Christmas tree wasn't even up when he was last in the starting line-up, latched on to a messy clearance, barged like a bull through theKilmarnockdefence, and cracked a left-footed shot that put the fear of death into Lekovic as it whizzed past him. On the very odd occasion Falconer chooses to score forCeltiche has a habit of doing it in style: he scored a peach against Motherwell at the beginning of December, and the one in a pre-season friendly against Blackburn Rovers was like something he'd picked up on a beach in Brazil.
BeforeKilmarnockfinally salvaged this, we thought they'd blown it dreadfully. After 66 minutes they flew downCeltic'sleft, and Robert Connor picked up possession on the edge of the penalty-area to loft a delicious pass on to McKee's head. Packie Bonner was having his occasional difficulty of getting acquainted with his back post, but somehow McKee contrived to direct the ball harmlessly over his bar.
Celtic, however, had some jitters, especially in poor McNally, when Brown was running headlong at him. In the 72nd minute, McNally finally paid for his afternoon of harassment, lunging into, and slicing down McKee as he careered intoCeltic'sbox. Black blasted the penalty high into Bonner's right corner.
Hooijdonk was then at the centre of two marvellous opportunities, the first with 10minutes remaining when he bore down on Lekovic only to see the goalkeeper save his shot, the second moments later when he ingeniously chipped the ball over the 'keeper but beyond the far post.
When that chance was missed, it seemedCelticwere once more chasing a wearisome draw, but that notion was swept aside with the dramatic penalty incident two minutes from time. Television will surely provide a more telling perspective on the moment, butKilmarnockfelt aggrieved.
The Scotsman
January16, 1995, Monday
Collins takes it in his stride
BYLINE:KilmarnockDid Well To Keep Their Cool AfterCeltic'sLate Penalty, Writes Roddy Thomson
THERE was something odd in the way John Collins still couldn't rouse himself to talk upCeltic'scondition after an outbreak of extremely good fortune at Hampden on Saturday had pushed the side to within two points of second place in the league.The Scotland midfielder has never hidden his discomfort with negligible rewards from a club he has served so well in the years since his westwards moves, but one would have thought he would be detecting a gradual reconstruction of the club's crippled confidence.
Instead, the same far away look, deeply ingrained on his features, was wrapped around his verdict following the 2-1 victory againstKilmarnock.
Collins scoredCeltic's88th minute winner with the team's first penalty award of the season, but the circumstances in which the points were won were strongly reflected in his general demeanour."I never noticed anyone fighting to take it," he said, referring to November's infamous Coca- Cola Cup final beating. The match with Raith Rovers turned on a different type of penalty, however, and the weekend version owed more to luck evening itself out. After all, an entire season under Billy McNeill once passed without a single spot kick being awarded.
"I think you would probably class it as a soft penalty," said Collins. The incident involved Pierre van Hooydonk tumbling alongside Mark Skilling, with the latter claiming that the Dutch striker had been backing into him when they both fell.
"These things have often gone against us in the past, so it was nice to get one at that late stage," admitted Collins. But still he seemed untouched by any sense ofCelticreasserting themselves in the league.
On van Hooydonk, Collins said he was mixing easily and bedding himself into the club structure, but he conspicuously chose to reserve his judgment.
On the striker's need for supply from the tiny winger, Brian McLaughlin, he would only say: "I just hope it works out."
Kilmarnock, too, kept their restraint in difficult conditions.
Not only had referee Bill Crombie failed to distinguish himself over the winning goal, he was also, it was generally agreed, caught on his blindside for Willie Falconer'sCelticopener.
"I would not like to comment on that," said Tommy Burns pointedly.
Falconer, it was claimed in the visitors' dressing-room, had used a hand on his way to goal, and considering recent history between the clubs, it was commendable ofKilmarnockthat their protests did not continue much beyond the full-time whistle.
The final, insulting irony was that Tom Black had equalised for them in between times with a perfectly legitimate penalty, even if the returning Mark McNally had been unlucky in conceding it.
The Herald (Glasgow)
January16, 1995
Making peace is not on the cards as one gesture is greeted by quite another. A rub of the green for Falconer andCeltic
BYLINE:Ian Paul
THERE is nothing quite like a bit of transfer gossip to galvanise a player into producing his best form, and maybe the public discussion about his possible involvement in a move toKilmarnockgave Willie Falconer the injection he needed to show his worth.At any rate, the former Aberdeen full back did a fine job as partner for Pierre van Hooydonk, ironically againstKilmarnock.
Falconer was a willing and intelligent ally for the Dutchman, but also did his bit for the Parkhead cause when he scored the opening goal, albeit amid great controversy.
If Willie's intention was to demonstrate that he still has much to contribute toCeltic, then he did so effectively, and manager Tommy Burns will be obliged to consider him as a contender for the position on a regular basis.
Others, not currently at the club, are being suggested as likelier candidates, among them Mark Hughes, who seems certain to leave Manchester United sooner rather than later, despite scoring for his club at Newcastle and then being taken to hospital to have 12 stitches inserted in a knee gash.ButCelticfans had maybe not bank on seeing the Welshman in a hooped shirt, unless the club is prepared to match some very fancy salary figures which English teams surely will wave in front of the 31-year-old.
It might be more feasible that another foreigner will be inCeltic'smind, but meantime Falconer, Andy Walker, and others on site will be vying to double up with van Hooydonk.
The Dutchman looked a real player, even if he did not get on the score sheet this time, and despite having his name taken inside the first 15 seconds for a lunge at Colin McKee.
He was also the man who raised the ire ofKilmarnockwhen he went down like a dynamited chimney to earn a penalty in the last minute. Pierre already looks like the kind of man who will make headlines one way or another.
His manager, Tommy Burns, was a happy man, unlike his opposite number, Alex Totten, who led a group of angry players on to the team bus afterwards.
To a man, they were convinced they had been denied at least a point and probably three. Two incidents raised the Killie blood pressure — the Falconer goal and that late penalty which gaveCelticvictory.
"They are angry because they are certain Falconer handled the ball before he scored," said Totten, "and as far as the penalty is concerned, Mark Skilling says the Dutchman was backing into him when they fell."
From the press box high above the stand, it was not easy to be certain in either case, but TV evidence seems to support theKilmarnockversion.
There did not seem to be any deliberate hand-ball by Falconer as he jostled with a couple of defenders on his way to hitting his shot high into the net, despite a brave effort by Dragoje Lekovic to halt it. ButKilmarnockwill argue that the camera backs their case.
And at the time, the penalty award toCelticseemed soft. In fact, Skilling and his mates were convinced the Dutchman had taken a dive and, if so, it is not the kind of Continental expertise that will endear him to opposing fans.
Referee Bill Crombie, who is never slow to administer punishment for such behaviour, clearly believed Pierre was hampered as he turned to chase the ball nodded on by Falconer. The end result was a well-taken penalty by John Collins, who agreed it might have been a "soft" award, but also pointed out that it was the first penalty the team had been given this season.
The injustice may have been hard to take, but Skilling's reaction when he refused to shake hands with van Hooydonk at the end, preferring to signal his disgust with a vulgar gesture, was silly and might well land him in trouble if the referee or the supervisor reports it to the authorities.
Kilmarnock'sannoyance at losing was understandable, none the less. They had looked capable of winning the game themselves in the second half and, even after Falconer had scored, they came back to level terms with a penalty which had no question marks around it.
Mark McNally brought down McKee after the Killie man beat him cleverly inside the area. Tom Black gave Pat Bonner no chance with the spot-kick.
That encouraged the Ayrshire side, who took the initiative in midfield again, but even so, van Hooydonk could easily have scored twice in the closing minutes.
Totten's men will play worse and win but, however they perform, they are a hard side to put down. Burns was relieved that the seemingly endless series of draws was not continued, but while he was happy with the front two, there were other sections of the side which did not shine. The defence, makeshift as he called it, was none too comfortable and the midfield did not take charge of the game as players of their quality should.
"We probably got the rub of the green," said Burns. No-one in the Ayrshire team bus was arguing.
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