Shankland’s Dundee double lifts Hearts off bottom of the table
Hearts 2 – 0 Dundee Lawrence Shankland ended his goalless drought to help his side to strong win over Dundee. Two and half months after his last goal, the Hearts captain’s header arced over a static Jon McCracken and doubled his tally just ten minutes later. Musa Drammeh had a chance of his own by he could only send Blair Spittal’s cross wide in the first half. Dundee’s Oluwaseun Adewumi could not build on his impressive midweek outing against Motherwell, sending one of his side’s few opportunities sky high. Antonio Portales also unable to find the target with his header. McCracken was granted a get out of jail free card when his mishit clearance fell into the path of Drammeh, but was ruled marginally offside. Attendance: 18,737 Line-ups: Hearts: C. Gordon, J. Penrice, K. Rowles, C. Halkett, D. Oyegoke, M. Boateng, C. Devlin, B. Spittal (K. Vargas 76′), L. Shankland, M. Drammeh (J. Grant 76′), J. Wilson (A. Forrest 67′) Substitutes: Z. Clark, Y. Dhanda, A. Forrest, A. Forrester, J. Grant, Y. Oda, A. Salazar, M. Tait, K. Vargas Dundee: J. McCracken, B. Koumetio, A. Portales, R. Astley, F. Robertson (E. Ingram 46′), M. Sylla, J. McGhee, J. Mulligan (J. Vetro 84′), O. Adewumi (S. Murray 46′), L. Cameron, S. Palmer-Houlden (S. Tiffoney 61′) Substitutes: S. Braybrooke, T. Carson, E. Ingram, S. Kelly, C. Main, S. Murray, H. Sharp, S. Tiffoney, J. Vetro
Celtic dispatch Hibs to stretch points gap to nine
Celtic 3 – 0 Hibernian Celtic continued their undefeated league streak with a 3-0 win over an improved Hibernian side, moving nine points clear at the top of the table. Arne Engels met Alistair Johnson’s low cross to open the scoring after just six minutes. The hosts put the game to bed in the second half thanks to a Joe Newell own goal from a Luke McCowan corner before Kyogo Furuhashi’s deft chip sealed the three points. It could have been more Luke McGowan hitting the crossbar soon after the opener with Adam Idah guilty of not putting away an clear-cut chance. Hibernian’s had their chances, Newell blasting a good opportunity over the bar before Kasper Schmeichel denied Mykola Kukharevych in a one on one. The result leaves Hibs at the bottom of the table after Hearts defeated Dundee. Line-ups: Celtic: K. Schmeichel, G. Taylor, L. Scales, A. Trusty, A. Johnston, A. Engels (R. Hatate 73′), C. McGregor, L. McCowan (Paulo Bernardo 73′), D. Maeda (Yang Hyun-Jun 67′), A. Idah (K. Furuhashi 67′), N. Kuhn (J. Forrest 46′) Substitutes: C. Carter-Vickers, J. Forrest, K. Furuhashi, Paulo Bernardo, R. Hatate, A. Ralston, V. Sinisalo, Alex Valle, Yang Hyun-Jun Hibernian: J. Smith, J. Iredale, R. Bushiri, W. O’Hora, J. Obita, L. Miller (C. Cadden 83′), J. Newell (D. Gayle 82′), N. Triantis, E. Youan (J. Hoilett 82′), M. Kuharevich (J. Campbell 27′) Substitutes: M. Boyle, J. Bursik, C. Cadden, J. Campbell, J. Doyle-Hayes, D. Gayle, J. Hoilett, D. Levitt, N. Moriah-Welsh
Fluid Falkirk down Rovers
Falkirk turned in a dominant performance against a lacklustre Raith Rovers to move eight points clear at the top of the Scottish Championship. Alfredo Agyeman’s poked double and a Keelan Adams’ header made it five wins from their last six in what John McGlynn described as a ‘professional job’ from his side. The home side were not short on chances either, Calvin Miller and Ross MacIver unable to add to the goals. Raith struggled under the intensity of the press, guilty of losing possession in the final third as Jack Hamilton struggled to get the better of his opposing defenders. Injuries did not help either as captain Scott Brown and Fankaty Dalbo went off before half-time with Falkirk losing Gary Oliver just fifteen minutes in. Intensity from the off was the name of the game for the hosts as they continued to cause Raith no end of trouble down the left hand side, Ethan Ross and Sean Mackie repeatedly combining to create chances. Whilst they failed to add another in the first-half, they looked comfortable in possession and far more likely to add a second than to concede. Alfredo Agyeman, coming off the back of a Man of the Match performance against East Kilbride, made sure they did just that. The winger was electric as part of an attacking front line that interchanged with ease to drag the Rovers’ defenders out of position. After Adams had put the game to bed, Raith struggled to create any meaningful opportunities despite the efforts of substitute Korede Adedoyin. Now sat in eighth, they will look to bounce back in the upcoming derby against Dunfermline. Falkirk rotations deliver Like the T-1000, John McGlynn’s side seem to be able to take a variety of forms in attack. Agyeman is just one example of the way players are able to slot in and out of ‘an exciting team’ whilst maintaining their league leading standards. Ethan Ross and Calvin Miller were not able to grab goals themselves but they tired the Raith Rovers defence out to no end. The manager was equally pleased by the way the side performed despite losing Oliver so early on, with Ross MacIver putting in a strong showing on the night. It is far too early to tell who will top the table come the end of the season but off the back of tonight’s performance, Falkirk could certainly mix it with plenty of Premiership sides. Rovers fail to find spark A repeat of their victory over Falkirk in September was always going to be a tough ask for the visitors but they will come away thinking they could have had a better crack at it. Left in possession in their own half, Raith were unable to match the creativity of their opponents, Jack Hamilton comfortably dealt with my the defence. More worrying yet was the failure to take advantage of their set-pieces, a much needed outlet for goals when coming up against dominant sides. Losing two players early certainly didn’t help but by that point they had already gone a goal down and looking less threatening by the minute. Whilst they are teetering above the relegation play-off place, they are also level on points with three other sides and a win next week could see them shoot up to sixth. Attendance: 6,248 Line-Ups: Falkirk: N. Hogarth, S. Mackie, L. Henderson, L. Graham, K. Adams, A. Nesbitt (M.McKenna 81′), B. Spencer, E. Ross (C. Morrison 73′), C. Miller (F. Yeats 73′), A. Agyeman, G. Oliver (R. MacIver 15′) Substitutes: C. Donaldson, O. Hayward, R. MacIver, F. McCafferty, L. McCann, M. McKenna, C. Morrison, F. Yeats Raith Rovers: M. Dabrowski, L. Dick, E. Murray, P. Hanlon, S. Dabo (L. Stevenson 28′), R. Matthews, S. Brown (K. Montagu 24′), L. Gibson (J. Mullin 46′), S. Stanton (L. Jamieson ’67), D. Easton, J. Hamilton (K. David 67′) Substitutes: S. Byrne, K. David, C. Fordyce, L. Jamieson, A. McNeil, K. Montagu, J. Mullin, F. Pollock, L. Stevenson Referee: Graham Grainger
Motherwell collapse sees Dundee score three in seven minutes
A Lyall Cameron double helped Dundee secure an important three points to move into the top six as Motherwell fell to another defeat. The result means the visitors have now lost three in a row and sit only one point above seventh place St. Mirren. Dundee opened the scoring after Oluwaseun Adewumi curled a shot past Aston Oxborough after just fourteen minutes in. Motherwell levelled only five minutes later when Apostolos Stamatelopoulos bundled the ball in as the contest looked set to be a back on forth for the remaining time. Unfortunately that was as good as it got for Stuart Kettlewell’s men as Scott Tiffoney regained the lead just after the hour mark, finishing a rapid counter. Within seven minutes Motherwell had conceded two more as a deflection allowed Lyall Cameron to stretch his side’s advantage Cameron then grabbed his second, truly putting the game to bed, Motherwell left to rue a lack of intensity on the counter. The side had chances but were unable to get the better of Jon McCracken, who has looked much improved since a difficult start to the season. Dundee control ball as much as scoreboard One of the lesser heralded sides of the league this season, Tony Docherty may have felt his side had a point to prove. They served all three on this occasion, putting to bed a Motherwell side that sat above them until tonight. Looking comfortable on the ball and with the lion’s share of possession, the home side were able to stifle any momentum the visitors attempted to build. Adewumi, Cameron and Tiffoney were terrific on the night but they are supported by the engine that is Mo Sylla, whose ability to keep the ball under pressure has been key to their build up. A mere blip or time to worry? At the start of the season, being sat in top sixth entering December would have been a position worth shouting about given the calibre of the league. However after a third loss in a row, some cracks are beginning to show in this Motherwell side. Not simply the defeats but the way they have gone down all too easily, with nine goals conceding in their last three games, which including a hiding at home to Hibs at the weekend. Perhaps too much pr With five more games to come in December, with two of those against the old firm, Kettlewell will need to get his side firing sooner rather than later. Attendance: 5,381 Line-Ups: Dundee: J. McCracken, B. Koumetio (S. Kelly 85’), A. Portales, R. Astley, S. Tiffoney (F. Roberston 69’), M. Sylla, J. McGhee, J. Mulligan, O. Adewumi (J. Vetro 90’), L. Cameron, S. Murray (S. Palmer-Houlden 69’) Substitutes: S. Braybrooke, T. Carson, E. Ingram, S. Kelly, C. Main, S. Palmer-Houlden, F. Robertson, H. Sharp, J. Vetro Motherwell: A. Oxborough, D. Casey, L. Gordon, K. Balmer, S. Seddon, E. Wilson, L. Miller, H. Paton (A. Halliday 68’), Jair Tavares (M. Kaleta 68’), A. Stamatelopoulos (M. Ebiye 68’), T. Watt (T. Maswanhise 75’) Substitutes: S. Blaney, M. Ebiye, A . Halliday, K. Hegyi, J. Koutroumbis, T. Maswanhise, S. Nicholson, D. Zdravkovski
Fair’s fair as Dundee hold Kilmarnock in even contest
Kilmarnock 1 – 1 Dundee Dundee remain in hot pursuit of a top six finish after holding an out of sorts Kilmarnock to a draw in an even contest. Lyall Cameron put the visitors in front after blasting home a clearance that had a landed at his feet. Tony Docherty will be disappointed his side could only hold onto the lead for three minutes when teenager Wales finished a clever lay off from Kyle Vassell. In truth the scoreline reflected the split in dominance with Dundee very much the stronger of the two in the first half. Robby McCrorie was tested early on at Rugby Park but Dundee struggled to break the deadlock despite their dominance. Simon Murray had an opportunity to put his side ahead with an open goal in front of him but missed the ball completely. Derek McInnes’ men grew into the second half, Gary Mackay-Steven kept out by a strong Jon McCracken save and was guilty of skying a golden opportunity not long after. There will not be any panic just yet for McInnes but his side, currently sat tenth, have now won just one of their last six games. Attendance: 5, 454 Line-ups: Kilmarnock: R. McCrorie, R. Deas, L. Mayo, J. Wright, F. Murray (B. Wales, 78), C. Ndaba, B. Lyons, G. Mackay-Stevens (D. Armstrong 75′), B. Anderson (L. Polworth 78′), K. Vassell (I. Cameron 87′), M. Watkins Substitutes: D. Armstrong, O. Bainbridge, J. Burroughs, I. Cameron, R. McKenzie, K. O’Hara, L. Polworth, D. Watson, B. Wales Dundee: J. McCracken, B. Koumetio, A. Portales, R. Astley, F. Roberston, L. Cameron, M. Sylla (E. Ingram 46′), J. McGhee, J. Mulligan (O. Adewumi 66′), S. Murray, S. Palrmer-Houlden Substitutes: O’Adewumi, S. Braybrooke, E. Ingram, S. Kelly, H. Sharp, S. Tiffoney, J. Vetro Referee: Ross Hardie
First half onslaught sees Celtic cruise to victory against Ross County
Celtic 5 – 0 Ross County Bredan Rodgers’ men continued their unbeaten run in the Scottish Premiership, a 5-0 victory over Ross County extending their lead at the top to five points. County faced an uphill battle from start but it was made all the more difficult when a Liam Scales header put the home side ahead after only ten minutes. Don Cowie looked on as Ross Laidlaw could little to prevent the first half flood of goals. Charlie Telfer blasted over the visitors’ best opportunity, a fortunate Callum McGregor guilty of letting possession slip near his own box. Luke McGowan was on hand to double Celtic’s lead before Paulo Bernardo’s goal but the game to bed before forty-five minutes had elapsed. It was again all too easy for the hosts as McGregor, with far too much space, blasted a fantastic shot from outside the box. Adam Idah dealt the final blow, some tricky footwork giving the striker space to send a rocket past a miserable Laidlaw who saw himself substituted after the break. Despite the humbling defeat, Ross County sit in eighth, just three points outside of the top six. Line-ups: Celtic: K. Schmeichel, A. Valle (G. Taylor 80′), L. Scales, C. Carter-Vickers, A. Johnston (A. Ralston 61′), P. Bernardo, C. McGregor (A. Engels 61′), L. McCowan (R. Hatate 70′), D. Maeda (Yang Hyun-Jun 46′), A. Idah, J. Forrest Ross County: R. Laidlaw (J. Hamilton 48′), E. Campbell, R. Leak, A. Wright, G. Harmon, J. Nisbet, C. Telfer, J. Brown (M. Efete 46′), J. White (S. Allardice 46′), N. Chilvers (V. Loturi 61′), R. Hale (A. Samuel 73′) Referee: Gordon Crawford Attendance: 58, 436
Resurgent Hibs secure three points in Motherwell
Motherwell 0 – 3 Hibernian Hibernian earned a vital win away to Motherwell, leapfrogging Hearts and easing, albeit temporarily, pressure on manager David Gray. The visitors took advantage of some slackness saw a launched ball from Nicky Cadden float over Aston Oxborough who misread the its trajectory, as the ball was laid the ball into the path of Junior Hoilett who duly converted. Looking to avoid history repeating itself, Hibs sought a second to create a much needed buffer and they duly delivered when Motherwell’s defenders failed to clear the danger from a corner. Mykola Kuharevich took full advantage and doubled their lead. Motherwell had their best chance of the game but Jordan Smith tipped a shot over the crossbar. Not looking to sit back, Gray’s men continued to push on and Smith continued to look a changed man from the error strewn display against Aberdeen. His long ball again poorly dealt with by the home side allowed Josh Campbell to put the game out of reach for Stuart Kettlewell’s side. Despite coming away with nothing, Motherwell remain fifth. Line-Ups: Motherwell: A. Oxborough, K. Balmer (M. Ebiya 71′), L. Gordon, D. Casey, E.Wilson (S. Seddon 82′), A. Halliday (Z. Robinson 46′), D. Zdravkovski (H. Paton, 72′), M. Kaleta, L. Miller, T. Maswanhise, A. Stamatelopoulos (T. Watt 46′) Hibernian: J. Smith, J. Iredale, R. Bushiri, W. O’Hora, N. Cadden, J. Newell (Kwon Hyeok-Kyu 82′), N. Triantis, C. Cadden (L. Miller 89′), J. Hoilett (J. Campbell 69′), E. Youan (M. Boyle 82′), M. Kuharevich (D. Gayle 69′) Referee: Grant Irvine Attendance: 5,212
Celtic welcome giant killers Brugge in Champions League tie
Champions League: Celtic v Club Brugge Belgian side Club Brugge travel to Glasgow take on a Celtic team in red hot form. The hosts remain kings of Scotland, yet to a lose a game domestically and swatting closest rivals Aberdeen 6-0 in the League Cup. More impressive yet, is their marked improvement on the continental stage. Dominating an RB Leipzig side packed with some Europe’s most sought after talent was the statement win Brendan Rodgers’ had been asking for following their setback in Dortmund. Brugge similarly suffered at the hands of last year’s finalists before taking six points from a possible nine, including an impressive victory over Aston Villa. Sitting second in the Belgian Pro League, they are not quite steamrolling opposition in the same way Celtic have but a 7-0 win against Sint-Truiden at the weekend was perfect preparation for game sure to be see plenty of goals. Hosts must capitalise on home form By the reaction of the Leipzig players at full-time, it looked as though they couldn’t wait to get the first flight out of Glasgow. A sentiment no doubt shared by Slovan who were thumped 5-1 in their opening game of the campaign at Celtic Park. Always a step ahead of their opponents with quick combinations and looking as though they would not be troubled by adding an extra half hour onto the game, Nicolas Kuhn was the picked of the bunch as Celtic played the kind of football Rodgers’ knew was possible following their thumping in Dortmund. The manager will want to show that there is much more to come from his side both home and away. With only one point on the road so far as trips to Dinamo Zagreb and Aston Villa await, the East End side will need to take full advantage of home crowd if they are to give themselves every chance of progressing. Despite only one loss in four Celtic remain caught between two poles. Sitting only three points above the bottom tier isn’t much of a buffer, whilst a three goal margin could propel them into the automatic places. There are no easy games in the Champions League but perform tonight and the club could be on track to reach the knockout stages for the first time since 2013. Visitors no shrinking violets The hosts received a fair amount of acclaim for their Leipzig scalp but Club Brugge have an arguably more impressive one of their own after muzzling Aston Villa in a 1-0 victory. Tyrone Mings’ calamity stole headlines but the Belgians kept one the Premier League’s best sides goalless in a performance that deserved more than being a mere sideshow in the post-match analysis. Doing so with a squad in constant flux is not mean feat either. Brugge are side packed with young technical talent, the likes Hugo Vetlesen and Christos Tzolis sure to find a home among Europe’s elite soon. The developing crop are supported by veterans Simon Mignolet and a name familiar to Celtic fans in Dedryck Boyata, who spent four seasons at the club. Granted, they are missing the goalscoring threat of Igor Thiago, whose £30 million move to Brentford left big boots to fill but Tzolis’ four goals against Sint-Truden at the weekend makes him a fairly promising contender. With Sporting CP, Juventus and Manchester City still to come, Brugge will see tonight as their best opportunity to add one more scalp to their collection.
Hibs and Dons share spoils in six goal thriller
Hibernian 3 – Aberdeen 3 Three goals in added time saw Hibs snatch a draw with Aberdeen in their thrilling Easter Road encounter, easing some of the pressure on David Gray. The Edinburgh side looked to have put this season’s woes behind when captain Joe Newell snuck his side ahead before half-time. But as the second half wore on, Gray would surely not have batted an eyelid if it had been revealed that he was in fact stuck in Groundhog Day as he watched his players let a lead slip yet again. Substitute Shayden Morris’ repeated darts to the byline finally saw his poorly cleared cross finished by Jack McGrath. As the home side began to crack under the weight of expectation and fear of history repeating itself Nicky Devlin’s attacking forays were rewarded, pouncing on Jordan Smith’s howler after the keeper’s mis-hit punch allowed the ball to land fortuitously at his feet. As time ticked by, the home side looked short of any ideas whilst Aberdeen looked set to bounce back in perfect fashion following their first defeat of the season against St. Mirren. That was until Nick Cadden’s thunderous free-kick in added time proved impossible for Dimitar Mitov to reach, levelling the scores with only four minutes to go. Morris was on hand to leave Hibs fans with their heads in their hands, as he once again beat his man to lob the ball into the box before Ester Sokler’s stunning overhead kick seemed to have sealed matters in the 95th minute. The footballing Gods must surely have taken pity on Hibs for the first time this season, granting centre-back Rocky Bushiri the energy to charge up the park mere moments later and initiate a counter-attack that he subsequently finish for the sixth goal of the evening. Despite the leveller, Hibernian remain at the bottom of the table, winless since September. Thelin’s strength in depth Jimmy Thelin has gone two consecutive games without a win for the first time this season. It is almost worth bringing out the world’s smallest violin for a side that looks almost unrecognisable from last season’s basket case. Part of what has made the Dons such an impressive outfit though, is the way the manager has been able to get the best out of his fringe players. Nisbet, Morris and Sokler are just some of the squad who have had to content themselves with appearing on a rotational basis or, in Morris’ case, are trusted to make an immediate impact from the bench. Yet this evening, they played with the verve and commitment of a trio who have fully bought into Thelin’s plans. With six games scheduled in December alone, there will no period more crucial than the upcoming winter for those who are not regular starters to come to step into the spotlight. Judging by tonight’s efforts, they are more than ready. Hibs show fighting spirit If accusations of a soft underbelly have plagued Hibernian, tonight’s performance showed just as much as fight as any team this season. Traditionally, David Gray’s side have become accustomed to being dealt killer blows in added time. Now, he will hope they have got a taste for handing them out. To score not one, but two goals so late on is hardly indicative of a team that has given up and certain individuals, such as the monumental Bushiri, can take a fair bit of credit for an impressive comeback. Others, like Jordan Smith, less so. There seems to be nothing the manager can do to fix things during games, which are starting to look an awful lot like an exercise in constantly putting out small fires everywhere. Despite the fact that they were unable to hold on to their lead and overtake Hearts in the table, fans will take solace in the side’s determination tonight. Line-ups: Hibernian: Smith, Iredale (Boyle, 84′), Bushiri, O’Hora, Cadden, Newell, Triantis (Kwon Hyeok-Kyu, 75′), Miller, Hoilett (Campbell, 75′), Youan, Kuharevich (Gayle, 64′) Aberdeen: Mitov, MacKenzie, Molloy, Rubezic, Devlin (Milne, 83′), Heltne Nilsen, Shinnie, Duk (Sokler, 80), McGrath, Keskinen (Morris, 54′), Nisbet (Clarkson, 46′) Referee: Calum Scott Attendance: 15, 845
Celtic class above Hearts in capital win
Heart of Midlothian 1 – 4 Celtic Celtic applied the afterburners against Hearts to leave Tynecastle with a convincing win, moving three points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership. In truth Neil Critchley’s side should have had something to show for their efforts in the first half but were sorely lacking a composed presence up front. Blair Spittal could only tamely fire at the keeper before Lawrence Shankland continued to look a shadow of his former self, sending a James Penrice cut-back wide. Having kept the tiring hosts out, Celtic took a hold of the game as Daniel Oyegoke’s poor clearance was deflected into Kygo Furuhashi’s feet, the Japanese forward finishing after Craig Gordon’s opening save. Brendan Rodgers’ men soon doubled their lead with Nikolas Kuhn firing home a second. Hearts were nearly back in when Anthony Ralston’s clearance hit the post and Shankland not making the most of another opportunity, instead teeing up Cameron Devlin, who could not guide the ball past the bodies in front. Adam Idah’s finish put the game to bed but the goals didn’t stop there, Musa Drammeh’s rocket from outside the box providing some consolation before Idah put home a penalty in added time to make sure Celtic had the final word on the night.
