The Irish News: May 9 2005: John warms Celtic Harts
Scottish Premier League: Celtic 2 Aberdeen 0
JOHN Hartson scored arguably his most important goals for Celtic as he hit the 30-goal mark to move Martin O’Neill’s side two points ahead of Rangers with just two matches remaining in the SPL title race.
O’Neill purred: “John is a goalscorer and he has scored a lot of goals for us.
Naturally the first goal was vitally important and we could have scored a few more today but he has enjoyed playing with Chris (Sutton) who was terrific.”
Rangers put the heat on with Saturday’s victory over Hearts at Ibrox but O’Neill was just glad to come through another anxious afternoon – after last week’s shock home defeat to Hibernian, which let Alex McLeish’s men back into the championship race.
“It was a great effort and there were some big performances today,'' said O’Neill.
“We saw it through and we won the game which is what we set out to do. It was nail-biting for a long, long time but we deserved to win.”
The Celtic supporters, who heeded their manager’s calls for more encouragement, did not need reminding that the last time Aberdeen came to Celtic Park they raced into an early two-goal lead only for Craig Bellamy to complete a stunning comeback just last month.
Hearts and Hibernian claimed famous wins here recently so it was no surprise to see O’Neill celebrating the fact it was goalless at the break.
BIRTHDAYS
Don Goodman (soccer) - former Sunderland, Wolves, West Brom and Bradford forward, now a TV pundit, born 1966.
Neil Ruddock (soccer) - former West Ham and Liverpool defender, born 1968.
Marie-Jose Perec (athletics) - French triple Olympic sprint champion, born 1968.
Don Hutchison (soccer) - former Scotland international, born 1971.
Jason Lee (soccer) - much-travelled former Nottingham Forest striker, born 1971
Daniela Silivas (gymnastics) - Romanian six-time Olympic medallist, born 1972.
Grant Hackett (swimming) - Australian multi-Olympic and world medallist, former 1500 metres freestyle world record holder, born 1980.
Alan Campbell (rowing) - Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 2012 Olympic bronze medallist in the single sculls, born 1983.
Ellen White (soccer) - Manchester City and England forward, born 1989.
QUICK QUIZ
1. Which country has won the most Winter Olympic gold medals since the first events in 1924?
2. Who were the last club to win the Bundesliga before Bayern Munich's current streak of seven straight titles?
3. Which Derry-born soccer star played for Shamrock Rovers, then Derry City and Celtic from 2005 to 2013?
4. Which Ulster club lost out in the 2017 and 2015 All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship finals?
5. Which female runner, famous for preferring to race barefoot, competed at the 1984 Olympics for Great Britain and at the 1992 Olympics for South Africa?
6. Who did Gareth Southgate replace as England manager?
7. Who in today's heavyweight boxing is known as ''The Bronze Bomber''?
8. Which jockey scored back-to-back wins in the Epsom Derby in 2003-04 aboard Kris Kin and North Light?
9. Martina Navratilova won how many Wimbledon singles titles in a row in the 1980s?
10. Which baseballer had the nickname "The Yankee Clipper"?
(See quiz answers at bottom)
ON THIS DAY
1927: Joe Davis beat Tom Dennis 20-11 at Camkin's Hall, Birmingham to win the first world professional snooker championship. Davis beat a field of 10 to take the trophy.
1936: Footballer Bernard Joy played his one and only game for England against Belgium. A member of the successful Corinthian Casuals team, he was the last amateur to play for England.
2006: Tottenham asked the Premier League to order a rematch against West Ham after 10 of their players went down with suspected food poisoning at the team hotel on the morning of the game. They lost the game when a win would have put them into the Champions League. The appeal was rejected.
2007: West Ham confirmed they would not appeal against the £5.5million fine imposed on them by the Premier League's independent commission over the signings of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano.
2010: Chelsea won the Premier League title following an 8-0 win over Wigan.
2011: Belgian cyclist Wouter Weylandt died in a crash on the third stage of the Giro d'Italia.
2013: Great Britain's former Olympic sailing champion Andrew Simpson died after his catamaran capsized in training in San Francisco Bay ahead of the America's Cup. He was 36.
2013: David Moyes was named as Manchester United's new manager on a six-year contract. The former Everton boss lasted less than a season in the role.
2016: UEFA president Michel Platini resigned after having his ban from all football-related activity reduced to four years from six by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
2016: Andy Murray split from coach Amelie Mauresmo despite the British number one having reached two grand slam finals since appointing her in June 2014.
QUICK QUIZ answers: 1. Norway; 2. Borussia Dortmund; 3. Paddy McCourt; 4. Slaughtneil; 5. Zola Budd; 6. Sam Allardyce; 7. Deontay Wilder; 8. Keiren Fallon; 9. Six (1982-87); 10. Joe DiMaggio.
