O Captain! My Captain! For you the flag is flung

Apologies to Hamilton Accies, I was clearly disrespectful to their chances of taking something last night.  They were as strong a domestic opponent as we have seen at Celtic Park this season.  Not only were they well organised in defence, they got forward with purpose and drew a stunning save from Fraser Forster minutes before their equaliser.  They will not be relegated.

Having taken an early lead, Celtic lacked their usual incision and failed to add a second goal before Scott Brown’s 92nd minute response to Accies 90th minute equaliser.  The closing 15 minutes of the game saw Celtic pushed ever-farther back, with Accies enjoying regular possession in the final third.  The goal from Ogboe, when it came, was not a surprise and no one grudged the Lanarkshire team what looked like a point.

Celtic wasted no time feeling sorry for themselves.  Scott Brown’s winner was not the thunderous last-minute effort he denied Kilmarnock with last season.  This time, he resisted an early shot, moved wide left, before finding the far corner from a tighter angle.  For once, energy deserted the Hamilton defence, which was unable to close space down, perhaps thinking their job was done.  The job is never done against a Celtic team that specialises in last minute winners.

We often think back to that Scott Brown goal in Kilmarnock as pivotal to the 8-in-a-row title.  As we left Celtic Park last night and news filtered through of results elsewhere, it felt like an equally pivotal moment.  “O Captain! My Captain….for you the flag is flung”.  W.W.