Celtic 2-0 Dunfermline
Celtic moved 20 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premier League this evening with a 2-0 victory over bottom team, Dunfermline at Celtic Park in one of the most one-sided league encounters of the season. A screamer of a goal from Charlie Mulgrew in the first half and a James Forrest effort 15 minutes from the end were the two polished incidents while Kris Commons battered the Dunfermline goal throughout the game without success.
Playing against a packed defence, the Celtic game-plan was clearly to have shots flying in from outside the box and Ki tested Chris Smith from fully 40 yards early on. Scott Brown played an inch perfect forward pass into space for Cha to run onto before the full back crossed but Anthony Stokes was unable to get on the end.
Gary Hooper was sent clear by a magnificent Stokes pass after 20 minutes but shot wide, although the referee incorrectly awarded a corner kick. Stokes was next to try his luck from outside the box before the ball was worked to Kris Commons for his first, and possibly worst, attempt of the night.
Commons turned provider next with a deep cross into the box which Hooper headed and forced a save from Smith. Charlie Mulgrew opened the scoring on 33 minutes. Cha’s cross was cleared to Mulgrew who shot from 33 yards high into the net giving Smith little chance.
Commons and Ledley continued to find space to create chances while Ki’s passing was the most impressive feature of the game. Dunfermline’s only moment inside the Celtic box in the first half was a corner 5 minutes from the break which eluded the Celtic defence beyond the back post, allowing Alex Keddie to get a header on target.
An incredible miss fell to Stokes early in the second half. Ki’s 40 yard pass split Dunfermline open for Izaguirre to cross. Stokes brought the ball down 7 yards from goal but with the keeper stranded on the line, shot wide. Hooper was equally culpable when Joe Ledley’s shot was blocked and the striker shot over with the goal gaping.
The entire stadium seemed to will Kris Commons to score his first goal of the season. The fact that it didn’t happen was not for the want of trying. He even came close with an in-swinging corner which was cleared off the line. The points were secured when Gary Hooper controlled a loose ball and sent in an excellent cross from an unlikely-tight position, which James Forrest knocked over the line from three yards.
Dunfermline’s second moment of possession inside the Celtic box came late in the game with another corner kick. Neil Lennon will be concerned that it resulted in another free header at the back post which was cleared off the line.
In a gesture which tests the boundaries of the word magnificent, the Celtic fan who paid £5000 towards the Vanessa Riddle Appeal for the signed Celtic jersey we auctioned last week asked us to put it back up for auction again.
Auctions are a magnificent way to help get Vanessa the lifesaving treatment she needs but the cost of participating at the business end soon gets out of the reach of many fans. With this in mind, we have started an eBay raffle; you can win the jersey for the cost of a £1, or the entire purchase price of Rangers FC PLC.
There are no excuses to sit this one out, Vanessa needs your help, you would like to own a signed Celtic jersey, and you too can afford the kind of money Craig Whyte used to buy Rangers. Click here to participate.
Thank you for the dozens of response to the request for writers for CQN Magazine. I’m still working through them, will be in touch soon. Issue six, our Fit and Proper edition, is set to become a landmark collectors item. You can browse the magazine online here but you can buy your own hard copy by clicking on the link below. Fill your boots…..
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