Kilmarnock substitute Danny Racchi scored with a thunderous striker after 87 minutes to turn an otherwise pedestrian Celtic victory into a late drama. Georgios Samaras scored a goal either side of half time to give Celtic the platform to secure a victory which moved them to within a point of the top of the table.
Victor Wanyama played in central defence, which left his midfield partner, Beram Kayal, bereft of a solid accomplice in midfield. As a result, Kilmarnock found it easy to run through the Celtic midfield with Paul Heffernan and Dean Shiels causing problems.
Neil Lennon must have been wondering what he would need to do to spark Celtic into action after the break when Cha Du-Ri sprung clear on the right and threw in a high cross which Samaras attacked six yards out and headed into the net in first half stoppage time.
8 minutes after the break Samaras made it 2-0. Gary Hooper collected a through ball on the right and knocked it into the Greek’s path. Samaras looked to have lost the ball, which was caught between his feet, but he recovered, evaded some flaying defenders and cracked a left foot shot into the net from the edge of the area.
Kilmarnock looked well out of the game until Racchi’s late intervention but after they pulled a goal back Celtic looked rattled. Celtic scarcely held possession for the remaining minutes and hardly put two passes together in three minutes added time. Fraser Forster was forced off his line to challenge Heffernan with seconds remaining. The keeper did well to block but the ball broke free to Dayton who failed to convert an excellent change to equalise.
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And to all those
Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo says:
24 December, 2011 at 18:29
the long wait is over
I could go on …. name names incidents etc. Jelavic comes from a family of scum@ and that´s official
Hail HAil
That’s a horrible, rotten, squalid thing to say.
You could go on? Then do so.
Official? what the &89$£ does that mean?
BCW
Just heading out to mass too.
Merry Christmas mate.
And to all those Bhoys and Ghirls who are looking down on us,
You`ll Never Walk Alone.
Sean
Did you get tickets for Peterhead?
seanbhoy69
Merry Christmas mate to you and yours
When they can’t beat us they soil the site intentionally….
(The team that put the ‘loo’ into blue)
A merry Christmas to all CQners.
God bless us, every one!
What a wonderful day for all Celtic fans. Regardless of the result on Wednesday we’re right back in it, we’ll get stronger and Rangers will only get weaker as the season progresses. Please let me take this opportunity to wish all who contribute or read CNQ a peaceful Christmas and a prosperous new-year.
Well done Celtic and well done Neil Lennon – Hail Hail VFTW
Don’t say this often enough – thank you Paul67 for providing Celtic with such an admirable community. Many great deeds and thoughts. Many more battles to fight.
Merry Christmas to all CQN’ers.
Well done Neil and the bhoys. Long way to go, but progress.
HH
TLK
hamiltontim
No I didnt but my mate did and think Im getting his tickets.
Stephen Black
Hail Hail mate.
God Bless.
The last three games has seen us take retribution on teams we dropped points to earlier in the season – Hearts, St Johnstone and Killie.
We play another team we slipped against in our next game.
Revenge will be sweet.
Whilst quietly confident, this time last year we were the ones going into a New Year game bereft of key players through injuries and suspensions yet we tore them a new one with Sammi outstanding. The huns are in the same position we were therefore we must guard against complacency.
If our attitide and commitment is right we should safely take the three points.
I watched the huns game.
Gutted I can’t watch ours.
hamiltontim
Did you get a ticket?
What a day bhoys.
To all Tims out there have a wonderfull Christmas.
Thanks for this superb blog Paul.
HH
“Somos el Celtic”
Take care and god bless.
Im hearing a certain football forum is in meltdown this evening.
:)
You know it wasn’t long ago that I looked up at the floodlights at Killie, 3-0 down, thinking this was the end of Lennie. Well done to him!
As for the media, remember before we played Hunderwell we were 15 points behind and now 1, not just the 12 you keep on going on about.
If the DR had an edition tomorrow it would have a broken crest with the slogan “Celtic can not afford Messi”
Merry Christmas Celtic land………………………… :) :) :)
21deg sunny at 7:40 in morning, Heading for 28 later :))
Hoops on soon for 9am mass with wee sydneytim :))
Why does it feel good today :)))
Still a bit worried about our central midfield. It tends to be a wide-open space that tends to be dominated by lower level opposition teams
From the old lurking prospective…..
Merry Christmas to one and all…
Paul 67…Wit a bhoy….
Back tae lurkining with a big smilie….
Evening smiley Celtic people.
I’m enjoying today more than is probably good for me.
I keep thinking, really thinking, about what it would feel like if this had been the other way around.
Imagine Celtic had been 15 clear 45 days ago and blown it?
Imagine we’d gone to St Mirren 4 points clear in Christmas Eve with them to face at their place on Wednesday?
I’d have been thinking, beat St Mirren and I’d take a draw at Ibrox to stay at least 4 clear.
Imagine how you’d feel if we’d gotten beaten in Paisley and were going to face them just 1 clear with a squad as threadbare as theirs is?
Would you honestly have enjoyed tomorrow?
I’d have gone through the motions but my stomach would have been knotted and it would have been constantly on my mind.
Good enough for them.
:0)
SwanseaBhoy
A wee repeat from earlier bhoys, have a fantastic Christmas..
Good afternoon all. A wee story about my visit to Glasgow last week.
On the Friday morning I enjoyed a stroll out to a well known ‘Celtic’ pub on the
Gallowgate just at the Barras. Bought a few T-shirts and CD’s at Timland for the mates Christmas’s back in Jersey. Anyway, on entering said bar I was greeted by the barman ‘where’s yer big mate the day’?
I sat with my back to the front door and watched Tam pour my pint of Guinness.
I was aware of only one other person in the bar sitting at the far end. Older CQN punters will remember Giant Haystacks the wrestler, well this guy was his double. Younger bloggers think of a bigger version of Robbie Coltrane’s character in Harry Potter. A mountain of a man he was anyway and acknowledged me with a raising of his massive eyebrows. The hair and beard had never been trimmed in all his life and he had the general look and presence of a man who had just killed a bear and decided to come into town for a pint.
I was just getting into my newspaper when I heard the pub door creak open. A small man in his fifties with a suit and collar and tie stood between myself and the mountain. Good morning he said to both of us and I replied ‘Morning’. Tam served him his pint then went through to the Lounge.
I heard the wee guy say to the big guy, “Can I get you something”?
Big guy replies, “I could go a cuddle”!
Whit!! Wee guy replies.
Big guy repeats “I could go a cuddle”!
Wee guy gulps the loudest gulp I have ever heard, sips his pint and says “I will be back in a minute, I’m going for a fag” exits the pub never to be seen again.
Tam comes through from the lounge and says,
“Jamie, whit the **** have I told you about terrifying strangers”?
The three of us then burst out laughing.
I enjoy living in Jersey but boy do I miss the humour of Glasgow.
Glass of wine out for Santa
Reindeer food out for Rudolph
0 points for them
3 points out for us
Looking good for Christmas and the New Year
Best wishes to all
Hail Hail
What a day! Christmas came early.
Wishing every CQN’r a very happy Christmas and a champion new year!
SffS
The honest mistakes…
Special merry christmas for you….
Golly, I am in an exceptionally good mood. Can any readers explain why I find myself in such a jolly frame of mind?
Also, I want to buy a sofa, preferably on sale. I wish there were some form of communication from furniture retailers at this time of year to inform me of their offers.
Coors
Remember you saying a few weeks ago that you were going to bet on Celtic topping the league at year end….Pls tell me that your dough is on….
from my roots, happy days c’mon the hoops!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTiy0yqXjzE
Prestonpans Bhoy-
As posted by Ronniebhoy67 on twitter-League tables Nov 5th and Dec 24th
http://i.imgur.com/27dSg.png
My old auntie who was a bit of a rebel would have said today “none can wear the colours like the Fenian bhoys in green”. God bless and seasons greetings to you all.
Just in from one of those extended family lunches and what a day. Anyone else think the airs getting a bit thin as we reach the summit :-)). Will be positively breathless come thursday morning.
One thing,can we please ditch the ki,kayal midfield pairing as it just doesnt work. Anywhoo a very peaceful and prosperous christmas and new year to all on the blog and to every member of the celtic family wherever you are.
Ps wednesday will not be as easy as some think but confident the three points will remain in paradise. Have a great day tomorrow.
hh lbb
goldstar10 says:
24 December, 2011 at 21:03
Good man, now forwarded to number of denial huns :)
goldstar10
Hail Hail mate.
I see Sumo Ally is considering appealing elbow’s red. Hopefully under the new procedures it will be heard and lost before wednesday. I take it fat sally thinks if you are being held you have the ok to commit assault. Suck it up lardy boy.
prestonpans bhoys
A great day for The Bhoys In Green today.
seanbhoy69- All the best to you bud, have a great Christmas.
McNair is the greatest says:
24 December, 2011 at 21:03
McNair…
Yer old auntie Knows her stuff….God bless..
My mother in law passed away on Thursday night. We passed on what cqn said about her. I don’t have to tell you what that meant. As to FF saving the penalty against Hearts, well it was fate. Happy Christmas and thanks to you all.
buon natale everyone.