Football 365

Football 365 News

Bolton 5
Palace 2

Leicester 1 Barnsley 0

Newcastle 3 Chelsea 1

Wimbledon 2 Spurs 6

Liverpool 5
West Ham 0

Coventry 2 B'burn 0

Soton 0 Derby 2

Sheff Wed 1 Aston Villa 3

Division Two Round-Up

Division Three Round-Up

Rangers 0 Kilmarnock 1

Scottish Lower Divisions

Stoke v Man City Preview

B'ham v Charlton Preview

Boro and Sunderland Previews

Div One Team News

Arsenal v Everton Preview

Head-To-Head: Keown v Bilic

Celtic v Dunfermline Preview

Sunday's TV & Radio

NewsFeaturesResultsHomegroundHelp
Saturday 02 May 1998 (Evening Edition) Previous News 11 Next

GLORY BECKONS FOR CELTIC
Celtic v Dunfermline

TOM BOYD and his Celtic team-mates are 90 minutes away from never having to buy another drink in their lives. But the Celts captain knows they will have to play much better at Dunfermline on Sunday than they did in a timid, tepid 0-0 draw with relegation-haunted Hibernian last week.

The green half of Glasgow hasn't celebrated a championship since 1988, a barren run made all the more painful by the fact that their hated cross-town rivals have monopolised the title ever since. Following Rangers' stunning defeat by Kilmarnock on Saturday, a Celtic win on Sunday will finally break the Ibrox club's stranglehold on Scottish football. Boyd is only too aware of the level of expectation at Parkhead.

''We know the length of time it has been since Celtic won the title,'' he said. ''The fans want it desperately, we know that, and the players are desperate to win it as well. We are always under pressure here, from the first match to the last, but the boys can handle it. We have a chance to win the league and we all realise what is at stake.

It will be tough at Dunfermline, Boyd warned. They have a lot of big guys, and the pitch is likely to be a bit bumpy. But we have got to try and get the ball down and play some football. That was something we didn't do against Hibs.''

Head coach Wim Jansen, the most relaxed man at Celtic, may shuffle his pack for Sunday's match. Norwegian striker Harald Brattbakk, who has netted three times in the last two meetings between the clubs, looks likely to be named as a substitute. Jackie McNamara, who started last week's draw with Hibernian on the bench, is set for a starting role.

Dunfermline's Gerry Britton spent enough time at Parkhead to know what the championship would mean to the fans, but the former Celtic striker will still be aiming to beat his old team at East End Park on Sunday. A 3-1 win over Motherwell ensured they will be in the Premier Division again next year, but Britton isn't thinking about his summer holidays just yet.

''It has been a wee bit more relaxed here all this week, and maybe that is because we are safe," he said, "but that is not to say we won't be taking this match very seriously, it is such a big game. It is not that often that we get the chance to play live on TV, and we will relish it.''


JANSEN STAYS COOL
 
COACH Wim Jansen is within touching distance of Celtic's first championship for a decade. The Bhoys' long-suffering supporters haven't celebrated a title win since 1988, but three points at Dunfermline on Sunday will bring the trophy back to Glasgow's East End. Victory will leave nine-in-a-row rivals Rangers four points behind with only one game left.
Even though the stakes are high and the nerves were obvious in a draw with Hibs last week, the Dutchman was so laid back at his Friday press briefing that he was almost horizontal.
''Of course, there is pressure on the players, but they are used to this pressure, he insisted. It is no different now to what it was a few weeks ago. There is pressure in every game. But there is no hassle at this club and we have been preparing in the normal way. The players know that 100% concentration is needed if we are to beat Dunfermline. The players are fully aware of the situation. We have two important games and know we can take the title if we win both of them. We would like to succeed by our own efforts. I don't think it matters too much that Rangers are playing on Saturday.
Dunfermline secured their place in the top flight last weekend with a 3-1 victory at Motherwell but aren't going to lie down and let Celtic stroll their way to three points.
Assistant manager Dick Campbell said: ''The players have their win bonuses to think about, so I don't think we will be found wanting. More than that, I think we owe it to the fans to try and make our last home game a special one."

top Back to Top

Football 365NewsFeaturesResultsHomegroundHelpFootball 365