Signs of Life:Celtic 4-Motherwell 1

By: Matt | April 13th, 2008

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The Celtic team that has been missing for the entire month of March decided to show up on Sunday at Fir Park and was able to defeat Motherwell 4-1. The goals came from Stephen McManus (17), Scott McDonald (30), Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink (44, 57). Motherwell’s scorer was Ross McCormick, though I believe it should have been credited as an own goal to Stephen McManus. No matter, Celtic finally played the kind of football that fans have been expecting all year, and not a game to soon. Heading into Wednesday’s match against Rangers, Celtic are now 4 pts. behind with Rangers having two games at hand after defeating Patrick in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup today.

Though it seems so long ago, the pre match atmosphere was dominated by the remembering of former Celtic and Motherwell player Phil O’Donnell. Celtic fans helped to honor him with a card display and a banner that read “You’ll Never Walk Alone” which was set up by the Green Brigade.

Upon kick-off, Celtic started off fast and furious right out of the gate. While March was not the best month for the Bhoys, every game they seemed to take control early on, only to fade away after the first goal could not be found. That was not the case today, as Captain Stephen McManus headed in a goal after Motherwell had failed to clear a free kick. The proverbial monkey was off Celtic’s back.

The joy would be short lived for the Bhoys as seven minutes later Paul Hartley gave the ball away at midfield which led Motherwell’s Stephen Hughes and Ross McCormick on a quick counter 1-2. McCormick’s shot seemed to be going wide, but the ball bounced off of Stephen McManus and into the net. McCormick got credit for the goal, but if Mick was not there, it would have went wide.

Today, Celtic would not lay down after that disheartening equalizer. The Bhoys showed a resilience not seen in some time in the Green and White, and in the 30th minute Scott McDonald put home a nice finish in the box and Celtic had the lead again. In the closing moments of the first half, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink put in a header off of a Nakamura corner and Celtic went into the dressing room up 3-1. First Half Highlights

The second half started similarly to the first, with Celtic controlling the game and looking for that put away goal. In the 57th minute they found it when Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink found the net again, powering a shot into the net that fell to his feet. After that goal, despite some scary and shaky moments from the back line that prompted some great saves by the Holy Goalie Artur Boruc, Celtic cruised to a victory.

All in all, it was a solid victory and a good way to go into Wednesday’s match against Rangers. Scott McDonald and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink perhaps their best games of the year and were reminiscent of why they were brought here. JVOH won headers and scored goals off it his aerial domination and Skippy poached a goal similarly to earlier in the year. Barry Robson and Paul Hartley got the start in the middle and, besides the bad bad bad give away by Hartley that led to the Motherwell goal, seemed to control play and get the ball to our play makers. The defense was as shaky as ever, but continued to live by the “Bend, but do not break” mentality that seemed to be with them all year. I’m not sure how much more Lee Naylor I can take though. Definitely another shaky game from Naylor, as the Lee Naylor from 05/06 seems but a distant memory. Hopefully Joe Doumbe’s rehab continues to progress well and we see him on the field soon or perhaps it is time for Paul Caddis to get a run out. I was certainly impressed with him when was in the line-up against Barca.

This is a much better feeling I have than the previous lead up to the Rangers game. While Celtic beat Gretna 3-0 the previous time, I’m not sure how much momentum can be gained by beating Gretna. If it were easy wins that helped build up confidence, Celtic would have Toronto FC in as permanent training scrimmage partners. However, the Bhoys should be up for this game of games after a overall solid performance against a pretty good and possibly Europe bound Motherwell team.

Celtic’s League lifelines improved after today’s victory. Getting the monkey off their back was key, but as the Guardian points out, things on the blue side of Glasgow may seem all roses now, but will be very busy in the upcoming weeks. With the Huns in the UEFA Cup and a laundry list of backlogged fixtures, the legs might get a little tired and perhaps dropping points. Of course, it all hinges on Celtic victories in the two upcoming matches against the Huns, but if that happens, the race for the title could get more interesting than people think it will be now.

Keep the faith!