CELTIC LEGEND, THE RUSSIA INVASION OF UKRAINE AND THE LAST PENALTY-KICK AGAINST RANGERS

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SCOTT BROWN was still playing when a penalty-kick was last awarded against Rangers in the Premiership.

This is the same Scott Brown, the legendary Celtic captain, who had already packed away his football boots a couple of months before taking over as manager of Fleetwood Town and guiding them through an entire season in English League One.

Lewis Ferguson is the player who netted the historic spot-kick conceded by the Ibrox outfit and, like the Hoops icon, was otherwise engaged in competition outwith these shores last term following a Serie A campaign with mid-table Bologna.

ON THE SPOT…Lewis Ferguson prepares to fire in Aberdeen’s equaliser in the 1-1 draw with their Ibrox visitors on January 18 2022.

It was the Scotland international midfielder who slotted the rare award past Allan McGregor in Aberdeen’s 1-1 draw against the visitors at Pittodrie on January 18 2022.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst was the Govan manager, Alfredo Morelos was booked for handball at the stonewall penalty-kick and Ryan Kent saw red after two yellow cards. None of the three is still at the Glasgow outfit.

McGregor, who went the wrong way at Ferguson’s kick, has also retrieved the ball from the back of his Gers net for the last time.

The Dons are onto their third manager since that towsy evening – ex-Celt Barry Robson is now the man in charge following the sackings of Stephen Glass and his short-lived successor Jim Goodwin.

As far as world events are concerned, it would be another month and six days before Russia invaded Ukraine.

OUCH…Aberdeen skipper Scott Brown is left writhing in agony after a wayward challenge from Ryan Kent that saw the Ibrox player dismissed.

Yes, folks, it’s a long time since referee Kevin Clancy pointed to the spot in the north east with only 17 minutes remaining of the encounter.

Not a single offence in the Rangers penalty box since that game? No holding jerseys, illegal pushing or shoving at deadball kicks? No dodgy challenges? No handballs – even though Connor Goldson has proved he would be quite adept at basketball?

Impossible? Maybe not. Implausible? Absolutely.

The Govan hierarchy were so livid about occurrences at Pittodrie they fired off a blistering letter to the SFA to raise concerns over EIGHT decisions involving the match official.

Among the points that irked the visiting management was the fact the Dons captain, the aforementioned Scott Brown, had not been yellow-carded for “simulation”.

OFF…referee Kevin Clancy signals to Ryan Kent that the Ibrox winger’s participation at Pittodrie has come to a premature conclusion.

Another situation that annoyed the Light Blue bosses was their assertion the penalty-kick should have been retaken because the ball had moved due to a gust of wind just before Ferguson had struck it.

Maybe their complaints struck a chord. That’s a matter of conjecture, of course, but one thing is unarguable – they have not had another league penalty-kick awarded against them since that evening SIXTEEN months ago.

In fact, Rangers safely manoeuvred their way through another unsuccessful Premiership campaign as the only top-flight club not to concede a penalty this time around.

Poor old Aberdeen, the last benefactors of such a decision, were top of the list for having spot-kicks given against them with their keeper facing 12 penalties.

MAKING A POINT…Scott Brown helpfully shows the way to the tunnel for red-carded Ryan Kent.

On the spot-kick chart, Hibs and St Mirren were next on 11 with champions Celtic in fifth place after eight spot-kicks against them, with seven converted.

Seems a remarkably high amount of penalties considering Ange Postecoglou’s side enjoy monumental possession in most of their games. However, that’s maybe a story for another day.

Here is the On-The-Spot table for 2022/23:

Aberdeen 13

Hibs 12

St.Mirren 12

Livingston 11

CELTIC 8

Hearts 7

Kilmarnock 7

Ross County7

Dundee Utd 5

Motherwell 5

St.Johnstone 5

Rangers 0

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