Hibernian 0 Celtic 0

November 29th 2000
Scottish Premier League
Attendance: 14,939

This is a copy of a report of the game as it appeared in the Scotsman on Thusrsday 30th November 2000

Celtic drawn back to pack

Goalless, soulless and rarely in danger of being entertaining, the top of the table showdown lived down to expectations.

Celtic came away with a point that will be regarded as a valuable stabiliser as they seek to protect their lead. Hibs might also regard a draw against the Glasgow team valuable for their credibility. Neither side came close to doing themselves justice in terms of the talent they could deploy.

A dire and dogged tussle demonstrated that the SPL's leaders are as capable of mediocrity as the chasing pack. If Celtic's title credentials took a dent on Sunday, last night the team looked stiff and inflexible. They didn't seem to be sure how to deal with the demands of a brisk east of Scotland wind, let alone a committed Hibs team.

Hibs' stuttering form had witnessed a home defeat to Aberdeen and the sloppy last-minute surrender of a lead to St Mirren. Celtic's only league defeat of the season on Sunday had been a sufficiently heavy one to constitute a solid slump on its own. So both sides were out to reassert themselves.

Hibs were at full strength, with Franck Sauzee making a welcome return, adding assurance to the back three. Celtic replaced the suspended Alan Thompson with Colin Healey, while Jackie McNamara was preferred to Lubomir Moravcik, the Slovakian still regarded as something of a luxury on tricky away trips. Without him though, Celtic significantly lack in anything approaching the imaginative.

Edginess was apparent from the start. Hibs only sporadically put together their fluent passing, while Celtic laboured to maintain possession. Stilian Petrov attempted to get Russell Latapy booked. His card mime was ignored, but Chris Sutton did attract Stuart Dougal's yellow card, for moaning one too many times. In the absence of goalmouth thrills, the Hibs fans cheered themselves up by booing Didier Agathe, the Celtic wing-back perceived as a deserter.

Sutton still looked out of sorts, getting little change out of Paul Fenwick or Sauzee. At the other end, Mixu Paatelainen at least gave Johan Mjallby someone his own size to pick on, although goalmouth action was at a premium. The Finn's one snapshot was a comfortable save for Robert Douglas.

Celtic had the ball in the net after ten minutes, when Mjallby prodded over in the aftermath of an almighty scramble in the Hibs' six-yard box. The goal was disallowed, presumably for a spot of rucking in the mass scrum on the goal-line.

After 25 minutes, Hibs won a corner on the Celtic right and the home fans sat forward expectantly. Celtic conceded three goals from corners on Sunday after all, and with a swirling Leith wind gusting unpredictably and David Zitelli possessed of a menacing inswinger, it seemed an ideal opportunity to explore Douglas's peculiar fondness for staying on his goal-line. Hibs played it short. Doh.

The Hibs fans got even more excited a couple of minutes before the interval. John O'Neil cut inside the penalty box from the left and appeared to be tripped by Agathe. Dougal waved in the general direction of the penalty spot, his assistant waved his flag for an offside. Celtic had a free-kick, Hibs fans had a grievance.

An injury to Bobby Petta gave Martin O'Neill the opportunity to bring on Stephane Mahe, and add steel to Celtic's defence. It wasn't about to get any prettier. Shoves, trips and mistimed passes made up the bulk of the action. O'Neill and John Robertson were lectured early in the second-half for being a bit too easy with their opinions.

Tom Boyd required some engineering work on his boots. The booing of Agathe cranked up a few notches. McNamara saw yellow for more mouthing. The beautiful game it wasn't.

Celtic offered a rare attacking sally just before the hour, when Henrik Larsson edged behind the Hibs defence and Nick Colgan had to be smart to gather the ball at the Swede's feet.

Twenty minutes into the second-half, Colgan had to be replaced by reserve keeper Mike Franks. The Canadian faced an immediate test from a Petrov free-kick, but Franks collected comfortably. Celtic conceded too much territory and O'Neill brought on Moravcik for Healy, for the last 15 minutes. One jinking run in the last minute threatened a dramatic finish, but he was swamped by before he could deliver a pass.

Celtic's resilience and fighting spirit remain impressive, but it is becoming apparent that they need to find a fifth gear.

The Teams:

Hibernian: Colgan, Lauresen, G Smith, Fenwick, Lovell, Sauzee, Jack, J O’Neil, Latapy, Zitelli, Paatelainen.

Celtic: Douglas, Boyd, McNamara, Valgaeren, Mjalby, Petta, Agathe, Petrov, Healy, Sutton, Larsson.

Tale from the Terracing - Fatty's View

Although there were no goals and a strong wind swirrled around Easter Road for the entire game, this was not a bad contest.

Hibs tried to get the ball down and play, but some poor refereeing from Dougal seemed to stop the game at every opportunity. The Hibs defenders just had to look at Bobby Petta and he was given a free kick. This problem was solved midway through the first half, when he limped off and was replaced by Mahe.

Hibs also had injury problems when Nick Colgan was forced to limp off after about an hour. He was clutching his hamstring and you could sense among the Hibs fans that this could be a crucial turning point in our season. However, Franks came in and performed adequately, although his kicking looked a bit suspect.

Back to the game - Hibs created the better first half chances with big Mixu being the biggest sinner when he shot first time straight at Douglas when he had a lot more time to take control and pick his spot.

Hibs were also denied a penalty just before half-time - referee Dougal gave it, however the linesman had already flagged for offside.

The second half was again full of huff and puff and, apart from some majestic skill from Frank Sauzee, provided little to cheer the crowd. A draw was probably fair and hopefully Hibs can pick up from this when they go to Motherwell on Sunday.

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