Sport

The Irish News Archive - Aug 2 1998: Celtic win in style as Fergus McCann feels fans’ fury

SUNDAY FUN DAY... Gort na Mona GAA members let their hair down during Feile an Phobail yesterday in west Belfast<br />&nbsp;
SUNDAY FUN DAY... Gort na Mona GAA members let their hair down during Feile an Phobail yesterday in west Belfast
 
SUNDAY FUN DAY... Gort na Mona GAA members let their hair down during Feile an Phobail yesterday in west Belfast
 

Scottish Premier Division: Celtic 5 Dunfermline 0

BIZARRE, there’s no other way to describe it. Well there is.

You could say sad, predictable or dare I mention it – avoidable.

Celtic unfurl their first league champions’ flag in 10 years, the team hammers Dunfermline 5-0 but still the game is played to the boos of fans.

Add to that the fact that those fans were watching their team in the biggest and probably best club stadium in Britain and you’d have been forgiven for thinking that almost 60,000 Rangers fans had snuck into Celtic Park in disguise.

Some people who didn’t sneak in were last year’s management team of Wim Jansen and Murdo MacLeod, who received a standing ovation when they took their places in the directors’ box.

Undoubtedly the worst moment for the board was the unfurling of the league flag when the beginning of club chairman Fergus McCann’s speech was drowned out.

The chairman has obviously touched a raw nerve with his reported controversial remarks about some people who were criticising his general manager Jock Brown.

A number of fans were reportedly escorted from the ground after this incident.

Celtic: Gould, McNamara, MacKay, Boyd, Stubbs, Burley, Lambert, Brattbakk (Jackson), Larsson, Blinker, Donnelly.

Subs not used: McKinlay, McBride, Elliot, Kerr.

Dunfermline: Westwater, Shields, Tod, Linighan, Ireland, (Den Bieman), Thomson, Millar, Huxford, Smith (Faulconbridge), French (Ferguson), Shaw.

Subs not used: Butler, Templeman.

Ref: K Clark (Paisley).

Attendance: 59,220.

ooooooOOOOOoooooo

Armagh SFC: Crossmaglen (holders) 1-8 Clan na Gael 0-11

Campbell hands Clans another crack at Cross

A CONTROVERSIAL score five minutes into injury time earned Clan Na Gael a fortunate but deserved draw in an amazing game in the rain at the Athletic Grounds last night.

Clans, who lost their captain Barry McCabe (suspected broken arm) in the first half, were the more sophisticated team for long periods.

But they looked to have lost their chance to topple the champions when Cathal Short lifted the south Armagh men back into the lead with normal time up.

Clans, with one last-ditch effort, were awarded a close in free which John Campbell pointed to force a replay.

The sides were level 1-3 to 0-6 at the break but after early scores from Kevin O’Hagan and Barry John O’Hagan had put Clans two points up, the Lurgan side lost their way.

Veteran Rangers full-back Donal Murtagh became unbeatable as the Clans attack disintegrated.

Oisin McConville, midway through the second half, hit a number of superlative points to swing the game back in Rangers favour but they might be left to rue six second-half wides.

Clans, who only scored once from play, were denied goals in each half by the magnificent reflexes by Rangers’ keeper Paul Hearty.

Wing back Frank Shields on the overlap opened the scoring for Cross after seven minutes but three minutes later Campbell pointed the first of his five frees.

The Cross goal at the end of the first quarter was scored by John McEntee coolly stroking the ball under the body of the advancing Clans’ keeper Steven Lavery.

Ahead 1-2 to 0-1 and very much in control, the champions surprisingly went out of the game and only added another point in this half, a close-in Oisin McConville free in the 22nd minute.

Clans controlled the second quarter and excellent place kicking by Kevin O’Hagan and John Campbell had them level at the break.

Clans powered into an early 0-8 to 1-3 lead in the second half but failed to score between the 39th and 55th minutes.

In the last five minutes of normal time they pounced for two points to equalise, the most important from corner back Brendan Campbell.

Cross attacked from the kick out and Short regained them the lead.

Just when it appeared as if Rangers had taken another step further to a three in a row championship they were denied.

Saturday night’s Armagh SFC game between St Pat’s Cullyhanna and Dromintee ended in a 0-11 to 0-10 win for St Pat’s. Dromintee, although having possession for most of the game, wasted a lot of chances and the majority of their scores came from county star Cathal O’Rourke.

Crossmaglen: P Hearty, M Callif, D Murtagh, C Dooley, F Shields (0-1), F Bellew, G McShane, J McEntee (1-1). S Clark, C Short (0-1), T McEntee, O McConville (0-5), J McConville, G Cumiskey, C O’Neill

Sub: Oliver McEntee for Clark (39)

Clan na Gael: S Lavery, B Campbell (0-1), N Morrow, M O’Hagan, P O’Hagan, K O’Hagan (0-4), D Marsden, B McCabe, B J O’Hagan (0-1), J Campbell (0-5), Diarmuid Marsden, P Oldham, S Boyd, J French, M Lavery

Sub: C Trainor for McCabe (injured 28)

Ref: Jimmy McKee (Pearse Og)

Pictured with University of Ulster GFC chairman Michael McMullan are (front) Joe Cassidy, Shane King and Sean Martin Lockhart and (back) Barry Duffy, and John McEntee
Pictured with University of Ulster GFC chairman Michael McMullan are (front) Joe Cassidy, Shane King and Sean Martin Lockhart and (back) Barry Duffy, and John McEntee Pictured with University of Ulster GFC chairman Michael McMullan are (front) Joe Cassidy, Shane King and Sean Martin Lockhart and (back) Barry Duffy, and John McEntee