02/04/2016 Sportscene


02/04/2016

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Good afternoon at welcome to the results show. Earlier, longer and,

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you never know, maybe more interesting than usual. On the day

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Rangers complete their journey to the top division, we have an extra

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chair so we have three guests for the price of two. Feast your eyes on

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our mighty triumvirate, Craig Paterson, Gemma Fay, and Stuart

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Cosgrove. Welcome one and all. Let's start with the Championship. If

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Rangers win away g'day to Raith Rovers, they will be champions, but

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only if Hibs don't win at St Mirren. Time to find out what is happening

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at Stark spark. Quite a first half. The home side got a lead with a

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tremendous drive. Harry Forrester quickly drew Rangers level. Another

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long-range effort from James Craigen made it 2-2. We are just underway in

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the second half. Let's find out what is happening in Paisley. St Mirren

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against Hibernian. It is all happening here. Jason Cummings

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kicked things off with some real quality after 27 minutes. A lovely

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ball from John McGinn Cummings to be Langfield. Five minutes later, Rocco

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Quinn silenced the way support with a slide in which a suspicion of off

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suit. Never offside. Dundee against Ross County now. Let's welcome Brian

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McLauchlin. A five goal thriller. And the 3, Ross County 2. Stuart

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Hemmings giving the home side a two goal advantage, then Andrew Davies

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pulling one back, before Rory Loy restored the advantage. Alex Schalk

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scored one -- scored one for Ross County. St Johnstone against bottom

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club Dundee United. Jonathan Sutherland. Dundee United have been

:02:17.:02:23.

utterly dominant so far, and they have the lead. The Johnston

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goalkeeper Alan Mannus going from hero to zero, as he fumbles in Ryan

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Dow's shot, and united taking a lead. They have that lead at

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half-time. Staying in the Premiership, we will head to

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Inverness for Cally Thistle against Motherwell. Unfortunately, we are

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the exception to the rule. Not so exciting here. Two teams going for

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the top six but a bit nervous when they get near the edge of the

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penalty areas. A lack of creativity from both sides. Kenny Crawford is

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watching Partick Thistle against Kilmarnock. I am malnourished of

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goals as well. It is dull less. The second half is about to get started.

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Myles Addison had the best chance with a header of the post in the

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fourth minute. Since then, most of the efforts have been mile off

:03:20.:03:24.

target. We started with plenty of excitement and then we got a wee bit

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boring towards the end. Goalless matches. Watching Raith Rovers

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against Rangers, it is pretty exciting, isn't it? Intense, and I

:03:35.:03:38.

expected that. Rangers have to win the game. Raith Rovers are in a

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great run, five wins and a draw from the last six. They have the

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play-offs to prepare for. It has been intense. Nobody has taken a

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backward step. We have had four goals and the second half started

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with that tempo. I don't think we have seen the last of the scoring.

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St Mirren are doing their part. It will be a bit tense for Rangers?

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They have to try and win it as soon as possible. They have another game

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in midweek. It will happen at some point but they would like to show

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today they can take on Raith and with it. Another goal has just come

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in. Let's hear all about that. Kenny Miller has just put Rangers at it

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again in this match. The ball played through the middle for the Rangers

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striker and he took the first time and lasted past Kevin Cuthbert. The

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Rangers fans rejoice in the main stand. Rangers are leading. Let's

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change things. What do Rangers do now, get everybody on the ball? I

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don't think they want to do that. They conceded three against Queen of

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the South and Falkirk. The Rangers way is to get the ball down, play,

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get the ball to the opposition. I don't expect them to change their

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tactics. Visiting St Johnstone fans drew lots as to who would keep an

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eye on their game. Gemma, you are watching the Dundee game. That is

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quite exciting as well in the middle of the table. I have just started

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watching it. I don't think I want to be commentating on it. Fantastic

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second half just kicking off. The two games previously between these

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two clubs have produced 13 bills, and it looks like this could do the

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same in this match. Conforming to type. Yes. The 34 Dundee have been

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fantastic up front this season, Hemmings, Stewart and Loy all

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getting a goal. Ross County need to do something. They have struggled

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since their cup win. A cliche, the League Cup win hangover?

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Potentially, but we are talking about a seventh and sixth place

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match. There is only three points about a seventh and sixth place

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between them. If they could get something back and even push on for

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a win, it would make it interesting. Stewart, I can feel you bristling

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when Jonathan Sutherland described that match is fantastic. I am not

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sure that is how you will see it. No, you could say it was one for the

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connoisseurs. You wonder sometimes with St Johnstone which of their two

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teams will turn up. Last week at Tynecastle, they were immense. I've

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never seen a pressing game played at brutally. They pressed so high up

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the park, leaving Hearts with nothing, scored three goals. Today,

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they have allowed Dundee United to dominate in the first half and they

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lost a very poor girl, which Alan Mannus, who, to be fair to him, had

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a couple of good saves earlier in the game, and he then allowed the

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ball to go through him. -- they'd lost a very poor goal. They go out

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at half-time a goal down but there are 35 minutes to play. Let's go to

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the title race in the Premiership. Celtic having the chance to end the

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day seven points clear of Aberdeen, because Aberdeen play Hamilton

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tomorrow. Easier said than done as the champions are at home to third

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placed Hearts at lunchtime. This was a big step towards five titles in a

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row for a Celtic side who had to have plenty of answers against a

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Hearts team that went in front early on through Jamie Walker. That set

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Celtic mind is racing at the Jam Tarts bossed things. Mackay-Steven

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slammed home from the edge of the box. Ozturk it's the bar and

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Oshaniwa had a great chance. Patrick Francis made them suffer with a

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clever first for the club. Hearts still in it, but the second goal of

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the game was from Roberts after lovely build-up play by Griffiths

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and Johannson. It took the wind out of their sails and Oshaniwa was sent

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off. Celtic will be difficult to reel in now. Jim, a defining moment,

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another one in the title race? It is interesting, every time that Celtic

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seem they are going to push on, they drop points. They dropped points

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against Hamilton and Aberdeen failed to capitalise. An opportunity for

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that debate. It would have been interesting if Scott Brown had been

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sent off for that two-footed challenge. Should he have been?

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Absolutely, a red card. Perhaps the referee didn't give it because he

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didn't make contact with a player but, for me, a different red card.

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Disappointing for Hearts because in the first half they had 57% of the

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possession. Defensively, some of the goals they let in today, I think

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they will be disappointed with that. They have been quite solid at the

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back today. -- this year. What happened to Hearts? A great strike

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from Jamie Walker but Celtic started to wear them down. At Mackay-Steven

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equaliser, it went through the defender's legs, the goalkeeper had

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no chance, then Patrick Roberts had a lovely chip. And Celtic were in

:09:19.:09:22.

the lead, they started to knock the ball about and the advantage moved

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to Celtic. There were chances but, over the piece, you would have

:09:31.:09:33.

Celtic were that bit sharper and deserved to take the points. I want

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is a bit of laxness has crept in. From Hearts' perspective, they have

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been part of the title race for some time. But hunting down Aberdeen. But

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they have a secure European place. Nobody is going to catch them. There

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won't be an opportunity for St Johnstone. I don't know that they

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have necessarily got the kind of... If things had been closer, two or

:10:01.:10:03.

three points, I think you might have If things had been closer, two or

:10:04.:10:07.

seen a different Hearts. When they went a goal up, you must have

:10:08.:10:12.

thought this was the opportunity to get the first win at Celtic Park for

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a long time. You would have thought so. You would have thought that

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would be enough momentum for them. But they feel a slightly, I don't

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want to say lazy, but a slightly more sluggish team than they were

:10:28.:10:30.

earlier in the season. They were pummelled by St Johnstone last week.

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Lets say goodbye to the Championship title race is going to kick all day.

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It is Raith Rovers against Rangers. Rangers need to win here and hope

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that Hibs drop points. It didn't look like Rangers' part of that was

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on the cards initially when Louis Longridge opened the scoring with a

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fantastic strike past Wes Longridge opened the scoring with a

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Foderingham. But Rangers turned things round with Harry Forrester

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heading them level. And then he set up James Tavern near for Rangers'

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second, putting Rangers ahead. They were not paid for long because James

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Craigen volleyed past. That was before half turn, -- half-time.

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Since the break, Kenny Miller has put Rangers back in front. At the

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moment, they are keeping up their side of the bargain. Connie is in

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Paisley, where St Mirren are at home to Hibs. Any change? Know, 54

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Paisley, where St Mirren are at home minutes on the clock at the moment,

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and there is a good bit of needle in this. A lot of bad blood, because

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he's -- because Keith Watson has just come back on because he

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suffered what appeared to be a burst nose. Some test the challenge is

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going in in this match. Jason Cummings opened the scoring after 27

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minutes, a superb ball by John McGinn allowing him some space. He

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was one on one with Langfield and hit a left foot strike into the back

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of the net. Their lead only lasted five minutes and the ball was lofted

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at the other end, finding Rocco Quinn. It looked as though it could

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be offside. The Hibs defenders went crazy, but they were convinced that

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Rocco Quinn was offside. The linesman thought otherwise. It

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looked from where I was sitting like they might have a case. Craig, it

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would be fitting if Kenny Miller were to be the person that scored

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the goal which got Rangers back to the top flight. A few players this

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season have contributed all the way through, and Kenny always does. He

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comes off the bench, he adds to the attack, he will play off, he will

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play wide, and now he's doing some coaching. This future is at the

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club. If somebody is to score the coaching. This future is at the

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winning goal, it would be nice if it were him. But that goal at the start

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of the second half, Raith will have to go for it. They might be some

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more goals. Let's go to Dens Park. Five goals already, Dundee against

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Ross County. A real cracker here at Dens Park. It is still the same

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score. All of the goals coming in the opening 45 minutes. Dundee

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started in whirlwind fashion, two goals up inside ten minutes. Greg

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Stewart with a wonderful solo effort, curling the ball in from his

:13:36.:13:39.

left foot. Two minutes later, Kane Hemmings, top scorer for the season,

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23, after he took advantage of slack defending at the back for Ross

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County. Ross County got back into it, pulling one back after 16

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minutes. Captain Andrew Davies with a glancing header beyond the Dundee

:13:57.:14:01.

keeper into the back of the net. Hemmings took a shot, then Loy with

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a glancing header into the top corner. Just on 45 minutes, Alex

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Schalk, the Dutchman, possessed one of the Dundee defenders and curled

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the ball towards the goal. Although the keeper got his hand to it, the

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ball crept over the line. Dundee have had numerous chances throughout

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the afternoon, with Loy, Hemmings and Stewart, what a combination for

:14:28.:14:31.

the home side, scoring a huge number of goals this season. The result is

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very important at this time of the season. If it stays this way, Dundee

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will leapfrog Ross County into sixth position, with just one week to go

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before the top six for the final run-in is finalised. We have played

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55 minutes here. Back to Paisley and the

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Championship. It is a goal for St Mirren, have they just sealed this

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title race? A superb effort, right footed strike. Back to the

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Premiership and the match Jonathan Sutherland was describing as

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fantastic. Any advance on that? It has been a fantastic match in Perth

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this afternoon, especially if you are of a tangerine persuasion.

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Dundee United have toiled so often this season and were fantastic from

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the start and could have been ahead after 40 seconds. He teed Jon Ryan

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kin but his touch let him down and the chance was gone. -- he teed up

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John Rankin. Then after a shot McManus was the hero again for St

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Johnstone, saving with his legs. Then it was from hero to zero as

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Dundee United took the lead. The keeper somehow fumbled it over the

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goal line. Dundee United have the lead. It will be a moment that Alan

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Mannus will watch from behind the couch, that's for sure. A crazy way

:16:17.:16:21.

for United to take the lead but on the balance of play they deserved

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it. Rankin almost made it 2-0, the shot Canon ink off his shins as it

:16:28.:16:33.

went just wide. St Johnstone did almost equalised just before

:16:34.:16:36.

half-time, the shot was blocked by his own player on the line. In the

:16:37.:16:43.

second half it has changed around a bit, St Johnstone far more lively,

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putting a lot of pressure on the Dundee United goal but for the

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moment Dundee United are still leading. 16 minutes into the show

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before he plugged his own programme! Lets see if Scott Davis has got

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anything worth viewing tomorrow evening. In the highlights show. It

:17:00.:17:05.

will be a simple edit if it continues the way this game has been

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going, Motherwell be away team -- the away team. Nearly at the hour

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mark in the game. Both of these teams came in on the back of

:17:19.:17:22.

impressive victories. Trying to secure a place in the top six.

:17:23.:17:26.

Entertaining passing moves. A distinct lack of creativity, any

:17:27.:17:31.

time they get near their respective goals. 24 minutes before either

:17:32.:17:35.

goalkeeper was called into action. An easy save IEEE and the Motherwell

:17:36.:17:42.

goal in the end. Liam Hughes the former Cambridge United is right

:17:43.:17:45.

there getting a header looping towards goal. This time the cross to

:17:46.:17:52.

the near post... towards goal. This time the cross to

:17:53.:18:01.

Cut-off in his prime. 0-0, but he was still talking. Let's go to

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Firhill. Crawford was complaining about being malnourished in terms of

:18:09.:18:15.

goals, have you been feasting? Please hear me out, it is Dylan Mail

:18:16.:18:22.

after the hour mark. The best chance fell to Addison. -- it is 0-0. After

:18:23.:18:37.

four minutes he hit the post. A header from a free kick. He was the

:18:38.:18:46.

bright spark during the first half. After the break Kris Boyd had a goal

:18:47.:18:52.

disallowed. We have just had a great chance which was deflected over for

:18:53.:18:54.

Partick Thistle. There are little chance which was deflected over for

:18:55.:18:59.

happening there but an incident of note in Perth. A big moment in the

:19:00.:19:09.

match as Dundee United go down to ten men, Donaldson is shown a

:19:10.:19:13.

straight red card by the referee. Dragging down Chris Cain who was

:19:14.:19:20.

haring in on goal. Was that a clear goal-scoring opportunity? You

:19:21.:19:23.

probably have to say that it was, certainly want to watch on the

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Reebok is. The big moment here as he looks pretty disconsolate. -- watch

:19:29.:19:31.

on the replay is Would you be prepared to agree with

:19:32.:19:40.

Jonathan? I thought it was a clear red card, partly because Chris

:19:41.:19:46.

Cain's pace meant he was going to go in on goal. You remember him from

:19:47.:19:51.

his fine days at Dumbarton where he was the top scorer couple of seasons

:19:52.:19:55.

back when he was out on loan and he broke away. You can see that he had

:19:56.:20:00.

beaten Donaldson for Pace who had turned around and pulled him back

:20:01.:20:05.

and it was a straight red. I agree. It will be interesting to see what

:20:06.:20:12.

they do now because St Johnstone are not looking particularly comfortable

:20:13.:20:14.

at the back so does he guard this goal or does he still want to

:20:15.:20:22.

counterattack? There is a goal. Scott, are you there? Inverness

:20:23.:20:25.

against Motherwell. Motherwell are in such a good run of form, five

:20:26.:20:30.

wins in six games, on their way to another. The substitute Lionel

:20:31.:20:35.

Ainsworth really stirring the Motherwell fans from their torpor

:20:36.:20:44.

behind the gold to our left. Owen Williams fumbled the ball, hooked

:20:45.:20:47.

back towards goal and the backtracking keeper looked as though

:20:48.:20:51.

he would get there and avoid danger but all he could do was help the

:20:52.:20:55.

ball into his own net. Not particularly good afternoon for

:20:56.:20:59.

Goalkeepers, Alan Mannus the Northern Ireland keeper hoping to go

:21:00.:21:02.

to the Euros and Vaughan Williams hoping to go with not doing his case

:21:03.:21:11.

much good. Back to the title race in the Premiership, Aberdeen now know

:21:12.:21:14.

what they have to do tomorrow to narrow the Celtic lead to four

:21:15.:21:19.

points, they had to beat Hamilton. That will require a better showing

:21:20.:21:22.

than in their last encounter back in November. They shared a 1-1 draw. Do

:21:23.:21:32.

you recall this far back? They got off to a flying start and they had

:21:33.:21:37.

just started to find games a bit harder, those they were winning

:21:38.:21:40.

earlier in the season. Teams were making it more difficult. Maclean

:21:41.:21:46.

with a wonderful strike. Hamilton, at the start of the season,

:21:47.:21:52.

especially on their own patch. Three wins at home, but haven't won a home

:21:53.:21:55.

game since that. They are struggling. They will have to work

:21:56.:22:01.

hard to beat them. Not a great result for the Dons but two weeks

:22:02.:22:05.

ago it was even worse, losing against Motherwell despite going

:22:06.:22:10.

ahead. Another game I was at and Aberdeen started well, there was a

:22:11.:22:12.

shout for a foul on Motherwell player. It is a stick on penalty. He

:22:13.:22:20.

decides to drive it down the middle. Motherwell are going well just now.

:22:21.:22:24.

They picked up the mantle and kept going. Aberdeen, this was not like

:22:25.:22:31.

them, they don't clear their lines. MacDonald nicks in for the

:22:32.:22:36.

equaliser. Normally he would just see that out but the goalkeeper

:22:37.:22:39.

comes and they are waiting for each other and it's into the back of the

:22:40.:22:43.

net. They brought on Barry Robson to settle things down, and the

:22:44.:22:48.

experienced midfielder throws an arm across and catches the face of Scott

:22:49.:22:52.

McDonald. Down to ten men and Motherwell picked up the three

:22:53.:22:56.

points. That's why Aberdeen have to win all seven to catch Celtic. Craig

:22:57.:23:01.

mentioned Hamilton were in good form in November but their recent form

:23:02.:23:06.

has been dire. Their most recent outing was defeat against Partick

:23:07.:23:10.

Thistle. It has been that type of season, a good start which fell away

:23:11.:23:13.

and then they picked up points, but it's their home form that has been

:23:14.:23:18.

such a problem, their last home win was last September against

:23:19.:23:22.

Motherwell. You thought this would be a real chance when they took the

:23:23.:23:25.

lead but Partick Thistle are sturdy, they don't score many and they don't

:23:26.:23:30.

give many away but having got the equaliser they kept going to get the

:23:31.:23:34.

win. The big three points for Partick because they had lost their

:23:35.:23:41.

previous three games. Kilmarnock can still catch Hamilton. Aberdeen need

:23:42.:23:49.

to win. They have no option but to win, they have had opportunities and

:23:50.:23:53.

as I said before they slipped up against Motherwell and St Johnstone

:23:54.:24:00.

with a draw. And they slipped up against Hamilton and surprisingly

:24:01.:24:03.

they have done that to Celtic as well this season but there are no

:24:04.:24:07.

more excuses for Aberdeen, it's now or never. With Celtic getting over

:24:08.:24:10.

the line today with the Hearts game which was tricky for them, they have

:24:11.:24:15.

to put pressure back on Celtic by winning. Pressure on Hamilton as

:24:16.:24:20.

well in a perilous position. Very much so. There is always that

:24:21.:24:26.

reversal, the opposite of momentum. There has got to be a word for it

:24:27.:24:32.

somewhere. There is a sense of which they have lost a lot of the spark

:24:33.:24:36.

that they had, as we said, at the beginning of the season. What's

:24:37.:24:41.

fascinating about it is that although we inevitably kind of work

:24:42.:24:45.

hard wired to talk about the top of the league and the bottom couple of

:24:46.:24:50.

places, the interesting action is in the middle because it does not seem

:24:51.:24:53.

that with the exception of Motherwell if they win at Inverness,

:24:54.:24:57.

or any team being able to put three wins together, so that is having a

:24:58.:25:02.

real impact on top six and bottom six. It looks like Hamilton have

:25:03.:25:06.

been dropping, not quite like a stone but not far off. Interesting,

:25:07.:25:12.

because Scott Davies spoke about Inverness and their top six

:25:13.:25:16.

aspirations, and I think they have to look up and down. They know they

:25:17.:25:20.

have to win their last three games before the split and that means

:25:21.:25:24.

winning today to give themselves any chance. A few teams in there today,

:25:25.:25:29.

St Johnstone could cement their place in the top six, Motherwell

:25:30.:25:32.

could do the same, and that is massive. Around about ?80,000 for

:25:33.:25:38.

every place you can gain, if you know you're in the top half sixth is

:25:39.:25:41.

the last place you are going to be in so you know how much is coming in

:25:42.:25:46.

and possibly more and then you can start trying to attract players.

:25:47.:25:51.

Hold onto your hats, we are going around the grounds again starting

:25:52.:25:58.

with Alex alarm and -- Alistair Lamb and.

:25:59.:26:00.

They haven't really tested Wes Foderingham since they went in for

:26:01.:26:08.

the Kenny Miller goal. It looks like it might be the crucial one as they

:26:09.:26:13.

try to wrap up the title party. Come back to me in a moment and I'll tell

:26:14.:26:17.

you whether Raith Rovers can do anything with this free kick.

:26:18.:26:22.

Luckily I can see the pictures. They misted! Let's move to Paisley for an

:26:23.:26:24.

update. St Mirren look the more likely to

:26:25.:26:34.

add to the lead rather than Hibs coming back into it. I suppose what

:26:35.:26:39.

sort of questions does it raise for Hibs and their supporters? They have

:26:40.:26:45.

been pretty poor apart from their goal. Second place of course was the

:26:46.:26:51.

target for Hibs over the past couple of weeks but is it slipping out of

:26:52.:26:59.

their grasp as Jamaat -- their grasp? 67 minutes gone at Dens Park.

:27:00.:27:09.

Not as many goalmouth chances as there was in the opening period

:27:10.:27:13.

although we have had a couple. Michael Gardyne was one of the

:27:14.:27:17.

heroes for Ross County in the League Cup final and he should have done

:27:18.:27:20.

better from 12 yards but blasted it over the crossbar. Kane Hemmings

:27:21.:27:25.

came close to his second of the afternoon with a header which was

:27:26.:27:29.

nodded back off the line by Ian McShane and then Hemmings again

:27:30.:27:32.

fired it over the crossbar from eight yards out. Still very open

:27:33.:27:37.

fired it over the crossbar from with both teams going for it with so

:27:38.:27:39.

fired it over the crossbar from much at stake, a top six place, and

:27:40.:27:43.

the winner would be in top position to claim that. Let's head back to

:27:44.:27:49.

Inverness for an incident in that match. In the 70th minute it's a

:27:50.:27:55.

penalty for Caley Thistle. Conceded by Keith Lasley who is distraught

:27:56.:28:00.

down there. A good bit of work by Draper going into the penalty area

:28:01.:28:03.

and lastly got there as quickly as he could but the tackle was late and

:28:04.:28:09.

has conceded a penalty. The former Motherwell midfielder in his second

:28:10.:28:14.

spell with Caley Thistle, Iain Vigurs, left footed, a little delay,

:28:15.:28:19.

sends the keeper the wrong way, putting the ball in the bottom

:28:20.:28:23.

right-hand corner of the net and it's all tied up, and explosion of

:28:24.:28:26.

action in the second half at Inverness. Inverness are shaking off

:28:27.:28:37.

their inertia. Inertia is the word. Let's shake off my inertia now and

:28:38.:28:42.

had to Perth will stop no inertia here. -- Perth. Much more lively

:28:43.:28:47.

from St Johnstone in the second half, no doubt where the big moment

:28:48.:28:51.

was in the second half, the sending-off of Donaldson the Dundee

:28:52.:28:57.

United defender. I think the much maligned referee got that spot-on.

:28:58.:29:02.

St Johnstone almost immediately capitalise as Dundee are hanging on.

:29:03.:29:08.

A shot cannon off the crossbar. They are still 1-0 down after a shot was

:29:09.:29:13.

fumbled into the net by Alan Mannus. Dundee United are still trying to

:29:14.:29:17.

make the great escape happened. Goals everywhere in the Premiership,

:29:18.:29:20.

I wonder if there is any goal action at Firhill. Absolutely. --

:29:21.:29:37.

absolutely not. Kilmarnock want to get out of the relegation positions.

:29:38.:29:40.

Neither is in a position to get the three points. Chris Dillon has just

:29:41.:29:46.

come on for Partick Thistle, scoring half of his eight goals against

:29:47.:29:50.

Kilmarnock this season. Now we can take a pause from the hurly-burly

:29:51.:29:55.

from these titled tussles and survival scraps to bask in the glory

:29:56.:30:00.

of international success. Indulge me just this once! I know they were

:30:01.:30:04.

only friendlies but here is how they will be remembered in the annals of

:30:05.:30:05.

football. Mighty results for the national

:30:06.:30:18.

team. Fear not though, little danger of a national team manager blowing

:30:19.:30:22.

these wins out of proportion. This is what he had to say about the

:30:23.:30:24.

results. To win two games of football is

:30:25.:30:34.

great. If you look at the other, the physical side of Denmark against us,

:30:35.:30:37.

it was like heavyweight against middleweight. We went for that. Our

:30:38.:30:43.

team spirit kept us in it, good defending, good goalkeeping. We had

:30:44.:30:47.

a couple of chances in the second half, but basically they were

:30:48.:30:50.

better. They are at the top of their game. What did we learn? I have a

:30:51.:30:56.

wider spectrum of players I can pick from now. I have a couple of young

:30:57.:31:00.

players coming through which we didn't have a couple of months ago.

:31:01.:31:05.

A lot of bonuses. Our passing wasn't good. I think that comes from a lack

:31:06.:31:09.

of fitness. You cannot pass the ball well unless you are at top fitness

:31:10.:31:16.

level. It was a gamble we took. Well, well, Gordon Strachan... He

:31:17.:31:24.

isn't getting carried away, is he? They are friendlies, good games to

:31:25.:31:28.

have, you can introduce young players and see how they react. To

:31:29.:31:32.

get results is great because it gives you momentum. We are trying to

:31:33.:31:36.

build to go into the next qualifying campaign, but that is when business

:31:37.:31:40.

is not real, when the players need to stand up and be counted. For the

:31:41.:31:45.

likes of Kieran Tierney, John McGinn, great chances to show what

:31:46.:31:49.

they can do. Hopefully more players at that age can start to develop. I

:31:50.:31:54.

think the manager will know seven or eight of his team when the

:31:55.:31:58.

qualifiers start. Somebody who can hit form at the right time, you can

:31:59.:32:02.

certainly push yourself into his thoughts. Let's have a look at the

:32:03.:32:08.

teams in Scotland's World Cup olivine group. -- qualifying group.

:32:09.:32:16.

Stuart Cosgrove, you are getting your passport ready! I am slightly

:32:17.:32:24.

worried in that group. I think most people who were sane would say that

:32:25.:32:27.

England are going to be a very decent team. Gordon Strachan thinks

:32:28.:32:35.

they can win the Euros. That might be taking it too far, but they will

:32:36.:32:40.

do well in that section and they might win it. That leaves Scotland

:32:41.:32:44.

obviously in a very familiar situation, where we have to play

:32:45.:32:49.

teams like Slovenia and Slovakia, where we often haven't quite taken

:32:50.:32:53.

them for granted but never really been able to see them off

:32:54.:32:58.

convincingly. I think that has been Scotland's problem for a decade or

:32:59.:33:01.

more, that smaller, independent nations in eastern Europe have given

:33:02.:33:08.

us a tough, torrid time, and we need to be better. Surely we will have

:33:09.:33:14.

learned those lessons. We don't necessarily have a problem when we

:33:15.:33:18.

are the underdog, when we have to raise our standards. We saw against

:33:19.:33:24.

Germany and Poland, we competed. We have a problem when we have to set

:33:25.:33:28.

the standard and those teams have to beat us. As we saw against Georgia

:33:29.:33:34.

and in previous campaigns... But there is young talent coming

:33:35.:33:37.

through. The key thing is to keep that young talent playing at a high

:33:38.:33:42.

level. We can't afford to lose kin and Jini. I think he should solidify

:33:43.:33:47.

his place in Celtic. -- Kieran teeny. There are too many players

:33:48.:33:55.

that go and see the bright players... Italy and France could

:33:56.:33:59.

provide formidable opposition. Gemma is hoping that the youngsters who

:34:00.:34:04.

are in this one will be in the squads. Will they be? May one or

:34:05.:34:09.

two. I don't think a lot of them will be. Now it is building towards

:34:10.:34:14.

big games. Now we are going up to the next league against the next two

:34:15.:34:18.

sides. If we can do well and keep the momentum going, then we are

:34:19.:34:23.

ready. You are asking a cynical old professional. He is never going to

:34:24.:34:30.

concede it! There are more bright lights in Glasgow then there are in

:34:31.:34:36.

Southampton, if you are watching, Kieran! It pains me to say that

:34:37.:34:40.

Scotland will not be at the European Nations Championship final next year

:34:41.:34:44.

but there is a chance we will be next year because the women's team

:34:45.:34:49.

are looking good for a place in the finals in the Netherlands. They are

:34:50.:34:51.

are looking good for a place in the top of their qualifying group and we

:34:52.:34:58.

have the statistics to prove it. Played four, won four. A 100%

:34:59.:35:03.

record. Iceland are in second place with a game in hand. The other three

:35:04.:35:10.

teams are some distance behind. Gemma, your next game, coming up

:35:11.:35:14.

this Friday, at home to Slovenia. You have already beaten them so you

:35:15.:35:19.

must be confident. It is always tough to go away with your first

:35:20.:35:25.

game of qualifying. We beat them over there. They are tricky.

:35:26.:35:30.

Defensively, they are mobilised but maybe not as mobile or shop at our

:35:31.:35:37.

forwards. But they have some of those individual players that can

:35:38.:35:42.

change a game. We need to keep an eye on them. It is a big game for

:35:43.:35:46.

us. If we can do the business at home and get three points, our next

:35:47.:35:51.

trip is to Iceland. Three games left, win two of those and we will

:35:52.:35:53.

qualify. You still have to play left, win two of those and we will

:35:54.:35:59.

Iceland, your biggest opponents. The top seed, but we have played them

:36:00.:36:03.

many times that we have beaten them. We are quite confident with this

:36:04.:36:07.

group and we have come out and said that we will qualify. I obviously

:36:08.:36:14.

want Scotland to do it, but you have to look at Iceland. Not only did

:36:15.:36:18.

they jail their bankers, they have developed quite a phenomenal

:36:19.:36:23.

footballing culture for such a small nation. Their men's team are in the

:36:24.:36:27.

European Championships. They're U21 team is great. By all accounts, this

:36:28.:36:33.

is what the challenge is in the women's group. You've got to respect

:36:34.:36:40.

them. How about optimism? You have to respect a culture where 400

:36:41.:36:47.

400,000 people live. It is quite an achievement. There has to be

:36:48.:36:52.

something we can learn. Let's go back to the Championship and

:36:53.:36:56.

Nickleby. This is Raith Rovers against champions elect Rangers. The

:36:57.:37:03.

score remains the same since that Kenny Miller goal. That looks like

:37:04.:37:08.

it has taken Rangers to the brink of clinching the Championship title,

:37:09.:37:14.

not really troubling Kevin Cuthbert in the Raith Rovers goal since then.

:37:15.:37:19.

Likewise, Wes Foderingham hasn't had too much to do. They are going to

:37:20.:37:26.

shore up the midfielders. Rangers looking to just hold onto the lead

:37:27.:37:32.

that they have over Raith Rovers. The Rangers fans are all around us

:37:33.:37:40.

in this stadium, very much preparing themselves for a title party. Let's

:37:41.:37:44.

go back to Paisley for St Mirren against Hibs. Giggs have to win to

:37:45.:37:56.

spoil Rangerss party. It is St Mirren 2, Hibs 1. St Mirren have

:37:57.:38:00.

gone for what looks like another goal. They have changed things

:38:01.:38:04.

around. Stevie Thompson is on for Rocco Quinn. Doing that, they are

:38:05.:38:08.

stretching themselves at the back. Hibs had an opportunity because of

:38:09.:38:13.

that through Anthony Stokes, but he forced a brilliant save from Jamie

:38:14.:38:21.

Langfield. Back to the Premiership and Dundee, where the dark blues are

:38:22.:38:23.

at home to Ross County. Is still the and Dundee, where the dark blues are

:38:24.:38:31.

same score. Stewart and Hemmings giving Dundee a 2-goal advantage

:38:32.:38:34.

inside ten minutes. Andrew Davies pulled one back before Rory Loy

:38:35.:38:39.

restored the advantage for Dundee after 38 minutes. On the stroke of

:38:40.:38:42.

half-time, Alex Schalk pulled another goal back for Ross County.

:38:43.:38:48.

It has been entertained in the second half, and Kane Hemmings could

:38:49.:38:52.

have had a hat-trick. A real break for County a few minutes ago, with

:38:53.:38:56.

Hemmings getting a touch. But the ball trickled if you whinge is the

:38:57.:38:59.

wrong side of the post for the Dundee striker. -- a few inches. St

:39:00.:39:09.

Johnstone at home to Dundee United. They remain the same score. Just how

:39:10.:39:15.

big a three points could this be for Dundee United, should it stay the

:39:16.:39:18.

same? Dundee United are at the moment on course for their first

:39:19.:39:24.

victory here in four years. But St Johnstone are knocking on the door.

:39:25.:39:29.

Dundee United reduced to ten men after Coll Donaldson was sent off

:39:30.:39:34.

for hauling down Chris came. But Dundee United are one in front.

:39:35.:39:39.

Fumbled into the net by the St Johnstone goalkeeper Alan Mannus.

:39:40.:39:45.

There was the most almighty skirmish in the box. It was unbelievable. You

:39:46.:39:51.

have to see it on the highlights. Gavin Gunning eventually blazing his

:39:52.:39:57.

shot high and wide, as United almost went into a 2-0 lead. We need a bell

:39:58.:40:05.

to ring every time he does that. It was quite a skirmish, though. We

:40:06.:40:10.

will be talking about it afterwards. I don't want to mention it again in

:40:11.:40:15.

this show. Let's go back to Cally Thistle against Motherwell. The team

:40:16.:40:21.

is still tied? Yes, one apiece, although the game has burst into

:40:22.:40:26.

life in the second half Saint Lionel Ainsworth took advantage of a

:40:27.:40:29.

blunder by Williams in the Cally Thistle goal to knock in his first

:40:30.:40:33.

league goal of the season, is that goal since he scored against East

:40:34.:40:38.

Fife in August in the League Cup. He lobbed it in as the goalkeeper could

:40:39.:40:42.

only help it into the net. But invest have rallied. They

:40:43.:40:44.

desperately need to get some points on the board. -- Inverness have

:40:45.:40:51.

rallied. Iain Vigurs, the former Motherwell player, netted from the

:40:52.:40:57.

penalty spot. Keith Lasley the offender, taking down Ross Drayton

:40:58.:41:02.

in the penalty box. Since then, pretty much end to end. They Cally

:41:03.:41:14.

Thistle player would ... The right that area for Motherwell has been a

:41:15.:41:17.

problem all afternoon. Cally Thistle exploiting that. I wonder if Kenny

:41:18.:41:23.

Crawford has any goal is to tell us about. Partick Thistle against

:41:24.:41:29.

Kilmarnock. 83 minutes gone and it is still goalless. Kris Boyd should

:41:30.:41:34.

have had Kilmarnock 1-0 ahead with a great chance from eight yards, but

:41:35.:41:41.

he fired it over. Kilmarnock might be starting to get worried. An

:41:42.:41:45.

interesting fact, Colombians, the Partick Thistle left-back has played

:41:46.:41:50.

every competitive minute this season. Are there ever any

:41:51.:41:55.

highlights of these Premiership games on the BBC? I can highlight

:41:56.:42:02.

highlights of these Premiership Celtic's win over Hearts today. They

:42:03.:42:09.

beat the Jambos at Celtic Park. We can hear what the managers thought

:42:10.:42:14.

of it. I am very happy. It was an important game. It is tough to get

:42:15.:42:20.

going again after the internationals. I think we grew

:42:21.:42:27.

through the game and in the end we deserved to win. Did you feel the

:42:28.:42:31.

worse after the opening goal? I felt deserved to win. Did you feel the

:42:32.:42:37.

that we were a bit out of control and I didn't like that, but I think

:42:38.:42:42.

we grew into the game and we had some individual performances that

:42:43.:42:44.

were performed and -- that were important. The players are confident

:42:45.:42:51.

in themselves and today can only help that. It was a defeat, but the

:42:52.:42:55.

manner of it was pleasing. We dominated a lot of play, we pass the

:42:56.:43:00.

ball well. We had the ability and the strength to take the ball in

:43:01.:43:05.

tight areas. You believe this is a group of young players who are

:43:06.:43:10.

learning all the time? John Souter, Sam Nicholson, they are all young. A

:43:11.:43:15.

very young squad. To come here today and form that well is good. Ronny

:43:16.:43:22.

Deila highlighting individual performances and not naming names,

:43:23.:43:25.

but I will throw Patrick Roberts at you. Two goals and a further

:43:26.:43:32.

strengthening of their squad. Celtic earlier in the season felt very kind

:43:33.:43:36.

of hit and miss will stop it was the whole idea of, did they have the

:43:37.:43:41.

kind of sustained effort to take the ball all the way through? It is now

:43:42.:43:45.

starting to look very much like they would be almost impossible now for

:43:46.:43:50.

Aberdeen to catch them. Aberdeen have let themselves down a bit in

:43:51.:43:54.

the last couple of months, no doubt. The Championship, which we are on

:43:55.:44:01.

the practice -- on the precipice of Rangers winning, Hibernian have let

:44:02.:44:05.

themselves down. They are the teams who looked like they might put on a

:44:06.:44:08.

serious challenge and they have both faded quite poorly. No goals for

:44:09.:44:14.

Leigh Griffiths. Is he still in the limelight from the Celtic goal

:44:15.:44:18.

machine? Ronny Deila will be happy they are not solely relying on him.

:44:19.:44:25.

27 this season? If anything was to happen to him, you don't necessarily

:44:26.:44:28.

have anybody who can step in and do that. It is good that more goals are

:44:29.:44:33.

coming from across the team. For Celtic, there are some centre-half

:44:34.:44:38.

positions, and they got one in recently, I am not sure it is the

:44:39.:44:42.

answer. Before next season, they have to think, if they go on to win

:44:43.:44:46.

the title, they need to invest in that position. Just happens we have

:44:47.:44:52.

an expert in the art of central defending in the studio. What do you

:44:53.:44:57.

make of the partnership they have? Is that an area which needs to be

:44:58.:45:02.

improved for next season? I think they will have to improve in every

:45:03.:45:06.

area. If Rangers will be back, that will be a challenge to Celtic. They

:45:07.:45:11.

have to progress in the Champions League because of the money

:45:12.:45:13.

involved. They will have to spend money to do that. They have a hard

:45:14.:45:21.

act to follow. Can they get players of that quality on loan? Will they

:45:22.:45:27.

spend money in it players they know can do it? There has been a goal at

:45:28.:45:30.

Dens Park for Dundee and Ross County. It looks like the three

:45:31.:45:37.

points are going to the home side. Came back off the defender and Craig

:45:38.:45:40.

Wighton, just eight yards out, hammered the ball home. It looks as

:45:41.:45:45.

if Ross County will be in the bottom half of the table. Dundee into sixth

:45:46.:45:48.

place. Still four minutes left here. Drama there but probably even more

:45:49.:45:59.

interesting at Stark 's Park. A late development. Into injury time and

:46:00.:46:04.

would you believe it, Raith Rovers have a penalty. Halliday clicking

:46:05.:46:12.

the heels of the substitute. It means Raith Rovers have a chance to

:46:13.:46:14.

dent the Rangers hopes of clinching means Raith Rovers have a chance to

:46:15.:46:21.

the league title this afternoon. He will step up himself with the spot

:46:22.:46:25.

kick. Up against Wes Foderingham. It is saved! Rangers remain on course

:46:26.:46:34.

to clinch the title. We will discuss that at length later. Let's head to

:46:35.:46:42.

Paisley. It is a goal for Hibernian, they have drawn level. Rifled into

:46:43.:46:50.

the back of the net has to Langfield. A goal for Hibs but it

:46:51.:46:57.

won't be enough. We will talk about the penalty save at Raith Rovers. He

:46:58.:47:03.

did not look comfortable stepping up to take that. He has never scored

:47:04.:47:09.

for Raith Rovers. Not a great day for goalkeepers today so I'm glad

:47:10.:47:13.

there is something good to talk about. Hibs have do throw everything

:47:14.:47:19.

at them. I don't think they believe they can catch Rangers. There is

:47:20.:47:22.

still a battle to catch Falkirk. Every point is vital for Hibs. It

:47:23.:47:28.

doesn't start much more dramatic than that. There was a moment where

:47:29.:47:34.

Raith Rovers could have been the party poopers but he looked really

:47:35.:47:39.

nervous and the body language was in great, it was a decent save in the

:47:40.:47:45.

end. Quite a lot of tension in the last few minutes of the game. The

:47:46.:47:50.

end. Quite a lot of tension in the reality is that Rangers have easily

:47:51.:47:54.

done enough across the season and it is their title. We will talk more

:47:55.:48:01.

about that later. A terrible start to the season but since Alex has

:48:02.:48:05.

come in they have done really well. Raith Rovers went on a run and

:48:06.:48:10.

Falkirk, Hibs and Rangers were already there. They have run out of

:48:11.:48:15.

time already. They would be almost impossible to catch even when they

:48:16.:48:19.

won every single game. It's the Championship again next year. Alex

:48:20.:48:23.

Rae has made a difference but can he do enough to make them real

:48:24.:48:28.

challengers next year? I thought it could have been another penalty for

:48:29.:48:32.

Raith Rovers but it's a corner. It's really exciting. I like a good bit

:48:33.:48:37.

of Scottish football, there is nothing wrong with it. Nothing wrong

:48:38.:48:43.

with the Dundee performance today, 4-2 winners at home to Ross County,

:48:44.:48:49.

that will do them a world of good. Hold that thought. Incredible

:48:50.:48:57.

scenes, in the fourth minute of injury time Raith Rovers having just

:48:58.:49:01.

missed a penalty have somehow managed to claw themselves level

:49:02.:49:05.

again. A complete ground ball in the six yard box. It's not clear, I have

:49:06.:49:11.

to say, who has got the goal, looks like it might be the man who just

:49:12.:49:15.

missed a penalty. He has his shirt off and has been booked but he

:49:16.:49:21.

doesn't care. Rangers looked like they will have to wait until Tuesday

:49:22.:49:25.

night to try to clinch the title. What a way to redeem yourself. It's

:49:26.:49:31.

a good time to pop up and score, disappointing to miss that penalty

:49:32.:49:34.

but they kept getting balls in the box. It has come off the post and

:49:35.:49:39.

all he has to do is knock it over the line and it keeps Raith Rovers

:49:40.:49:48.

going. If there is another goal in the game we are winning up after!

:49:49.:49:52.

Exactly, hard-core fans want to win on the road and most Rangers fans

:49:53.:49:56.

would have wanted to win today. Full-time in Coke D. As we can

:49:57.:50:04.

probably see, can we see that? -- Kirkcaldy. He is a hero to Rangers

:50:05.:50:11.

players, he's not happy, taking issue with the officials. Let's see

:50:12.:50:17.

what Alistair has do say. It looks like Kenny Miller is remonstrating

:50:18.:50:20.

with the referee because he had a goal chalked off a few minutes

:50:21.:50:25.

before the end. It looked like it was for offside. And now of course

:50:26.:50:30.

with that goal in the last few seconds of injury time, it was the

:50:31.:50:35.

last act of the match, and he just missed a penalty to make it 3-3 but

:50:36.:50:39.

somehow he scrambled the ball over the line to mean that the champagne

:50:40.:50:43.

remains on ice in terms of title party. Rangers still of course

:50:44.:50:48.

looking very good to clinch the title. There might be a better way

:50:49.:50:58.

to do it, but they would have loved to do it this afternoon. Kenny

:50:59.:51:02.

Miller put them 3-2 in front, and they looked as though they would do

:51:03.:51:05.

it with Hibs losing points away to St Mirren, but popping up inside the

:51:06.:51:13.

six yard box with seconds remaining, it is Raith Rovers 3-3 Rangers. And

:51:14.:51:20.

the players are traipsing off in slightly less jubilant mood than

:51:21.:51:26.

they were 30 seconds previous. Mark Roberts will be too happy with that,

:51:27.:51:30.

just put it down to spirit and is an say, we can win the title at home

:51:31.:51:34.

against Barton on Tuesday. That's true but another three goals that

:51:35.:51:38.

Rangers have conceded. They know they will win the title and they are

:51:39.:51:43.

building to a huge semifinal with Celtic. The drama continues. In the

:51:44.:51:49.

Highlands, and it's for Scott Davie to describe. Inverness against

:51:50.:51:54.

Motherwell, a late goal. A breakaway goal for Motherwell, their third

:51:55.:51:59.

minute of stoppage time, Marvin Johnson and Caley Thistle had the

:52:00.:52:03.

pressure on but they overcommitted. Motherwell won possession and played

:52:04.:52:07.

it to Johnson in his own half but no one could catch him. Owain Fon

:52:08.:52:13.

Williams was caught in two minds. He was caught in no man's land but it

:52:14.:52:18.

was a composed finish from Marvin Johnson who slid it into the back of

:52:19.:52:21.

the net and Motherwell are certain to continue the wonderful run they

:52:22.:52:25.

have been on under Mark McGrath. Seconds away from the sixth win in

:52:26.:52:29.

seven games since the middle of February. 2-1. I thought Dundee

:52:30.:52:37.

against Ross County was finished but there has been another goal! It is

:52:38.:52:45.

for the home side and what a goal it was coming from Craig Stewart. Left

:52:46.:52:52.

foot into the bottom corner. What a crucial three points that will be

:52:53.:53:00.

for the home side. It's all over in Paisley in the Championship match

:53:01.:53:02.

between St Mirren and Hibernian, let's head to the Paisley Stadium

:53:03.:53:10.

for the final thoughts. St Mirren did their part, but this game had no

:53:11.:53:17.

bearing on the title race at the moment. Jason Cummings opened the

:53:18.:53:22.

scoring on 27 minutes with a superb ball which allowed him space and he

:53:23.:53:26.

was one-on-one with the keeper and he hit his left foot strike into the

:53:27.:53:30.

back of the net. The lead only lasted five minutes as the ball was

:53:31.:53:35.

lofted up the other end and it was slotted under Mark Oxley. There was

:53:36.:53:42.

a hint of offside about the goal. From here it looked as though he

:53:43.:53:46.

might have had a case. Into the second half and St Mirren's

:53:47.:53:53.

Shankland found him on the right-hand side who made a great run

:53:54.:53:56.

and rifled the ball low into the back of the net. A brilliant save,

:53:57.:54:07.

held well. Hibs did manage to get the second goal with three minutes

:54:08.:54:11.

to go. L allegory from three yards out. The want point is still

:54:12.:54:17.

important for Hibernian in the hunt for second place, especially with a

:54:18.:54:26.

draw for Falkirk. Important points for Dundee United this afternoon,

:54:27.:54:34.

away to St Johnstone. Around 1700 Dundee United fans salute their

:54:35.:54:38.

players here at McDiarmid Park. Dundee United have their first win

:54:39.:54:43.

in Perth in four years. What a huge three points this could turn out to

:54:44.:54:48.

be in the story of Dundee United's season. The big moment came in the

:54:49.:54:50.

first half. A fairly tame shot at season. The big moment came in the

:54:51.:54:55.

goal and it looks as though Alan Mannus saves it but somehow it

:54:56.:54:59.

squirms out of his hands and across the line to give Dundee United a

:55:00.:55:04.

huge 1-0 lead in the first half. A first half that Dundee United

:55:05.:55:07.

deserve to leave because they played the better football and could have

:55:08.:55:12.

had two or three more goals. Donaldson was sent off, the Dundee

:55:13.:55:17.

United defender hauling down Chris Cain. An obvious goal-scoring

:55:18.:55:22.

opportunity. Immediately the keeper brandished a red card and I think he

:55:23.:55:25.

got that right. A shot came back off brandished a red card and I think he

:55:26.:55:30.

the crossbar but St Johnstone are so often the bogey team but this time

:55:31.:55:33.

they could not find their way through and it's Dundee United to

:55:34.:55:38.

finish the match with a 1-0 victory as they narrow the gap at the

:55:39.:55:45.

bottom, is the great escape on? A bit of a spoiler, he gave the result

:55:46.:55:50.

away! Partick Thistle Kilmarnock? That was my only bit of news as

:55:51.:55:56.

away! Partick Thistle Kilmarnock? well! The top six desires of Partick

:55:57.:55:59.

Kilmarnock's title fears heightened. Kilmarnock's title fears heightened.

:56:00.:56:06.

-- relegation fears. They came close with a header early on. And then

:56:07.:56:14.

Kris Boyd had a goal called off for Kilmarnock and Mattias Pogba had one

:56:15.:56:21.

chalked off for Partick Thistle. A great chance to seal the points

:56:22.:56:25.

towards the end but it has finished 0-0. Dundee against Ross County. A

:56:26.:56:36.

seven goal thriller at Dens Park. A really fantastic game of football,

:56:37.:56:39.

and to end for the full 90 minutes plus stoppage time here. Dundee two

:56:40.:56:49.

goals up. Before Davis pulled one back for Ross County after a

:56:50.:56:52.

succession of corners, a glancing header into the corner. Just on the

:56:53.:56:59.

stroke of half-time, the Dutch winger pulled one back. 3-2 at the

:57:00.:57:04.

break, and to end in the second half but we had to wait until four

:57:05.:57:11.

minutes before full-time before number four for Dundee. The ball was

:57:12.:57:19.

blocked but then hammered home. A cultured left foot shot into the

:57:20.:57:23.

bottom corner giving the Ross County keeper no chance. A huge win this

:57:24.:57:27.

afternoon, leapfrogging Ross County into sixth in the table, crucially,

:57:28.:57:34.

eight goals better off on goal difference, and they are now in pole

:57:35.:57:35.

eight goals better off on goal position for a top six place.

:57:36.:57:41.

Talking of securing spots in the top six I think Scott might have some

:57:42.:57:48.

news. It's all over. I have been doing the arithmetic and it looks as

:57:49.:57:51.

though Motherwell will be in the top six. Three minutes into stoppage

:57:52.:57:58.

time, that makes it an incredible six wins in seven games since the

:57:59.:58:02.

defeat against Kilmarnock. After that defeat at Fir Park in

:58:03.:58:06.

mid-February they were a point below the Rugby Park side but now they are

:58:07.:58:10.

well player. What a turnaround it has been under Mark McGhee. It

:58:11.:58:14.

looked as though they might have to settle for a draw after Iain Vigurs

:58:15.:58:19.

levelled it from the penalty spot. Keith Lasley brought down Draper in

:58:20.:58:23.

the penalty box. The first hour of the game was played with some neat

:58:24.:58:30.

football but not a lot of penetration but that changed on 62

:58:31.:58:34.

minutes with a disaster for the Welsh squad member Owain Fon

:58:35.:58:37.

Williams, the goalkeeper of Caley Thistle. He made a mess of the cross

:58:38.:58:43.

and it was rolled back into the path of Lionel Ainsworth who lobbed it

:58:44.:58:46.

into the net from about 12 yards out. Making it his first league goal

:58:47.:58:51.

of the season at a very opportune time. After the equaliser it was

:58:52.:58:56.

pretty much end to end stuff, certainly a few moments of

:58:57.:58:58.

misfortune for Caley Thistle who were looking to get the point is to

:58:59.:59:02.

get into the top six or at least move themselves away from the second

:59:03.:59:08.

bottom position. They paid the price for chasing the game too much. Three

:59:09.:59:14.

minutes into stoppage time, loads of bodies forward, lost possession and

:59:15.:59:19.

from inside his own half it was Johnson who are advanced and Owain

:59:20.:59:22.

Fon Williams came to meet him but he slips it under the keeper to give

:59:23.:59:25.

Motherwell a precious victory. At Inverness. A good day for Motherwell

:59:26.:59:33.

but a dark day for Alloa in the Championship, away at Livingston

:59:34.:59:36.

this afternoon. Charlie Mann will describe the details. Yes, the

:59:37.:59:42.

Championship title race is very much alive but the relegation issue has

:59:43.:59:46.

been settled. Alloa are the first team in Scotland to go down. He has

:59:47.:59:56.

gone down as well! We will hear from Charlie later with the will of God.

:59:57.:00:01.

Queen of the South against second-place Falkirk. Real drama at

:00:02.:00:08.

the end in Dumfries. Ian Russell scored in injury time to rescue a

:00:09.:00:12.

point from Queen of the South as they came back to level it. It

:00:13.:00:17.

looked like a goalless first half but they were ahead on the stroke of

:00:18.:00:21.

half-time after a long throw in. Early in the second-half Rodgers

:00:22.:00:25.

pulled off a great save to stop Hilson's shot to keep them ahead. It

:00:26.:00:32.

looked like game over when Baird drilled a shot into the bottom

:00:33.:00:35.

corner but midway through the second half, the ball was not passed

:00:36.:00:41.

Rodgers and it was game on and Queens pushed for the equaliser.

:00:42.:00:46.

Miller had a chance but it wasn't until the second minute of injury

:00:47.:00:49.

time until they found the net again. A good move finished by Russell.

:00:50.:00:59.

Alloa, they are down. They will be in League 1 next year. That takes me

:01:00.:01:07.

nicely, or maybe not, to today's classified results round-up.

:01:08.:05:37.

Time for us to dwell upon matters in England this afternoon. We will

:05:38.:05:44.

start in the Premiership for the match between Aston Villa and

:05:45.:05:49.

Chelsea. Details from John Watson. Aston Villa's demoralising dissent

:05:50.:05:55.

into the Championship continues today, Chelsea comfortable winners

:05:56.:05:58.

and the Villa fans again expressing thereon rest in the way this club

:05:59.:06:05.

has been run. New owners here, new directors, to see how bad it is, and

:06:06.:06:10.

this is how bad it was. Loftus-Cheek with a deflection off Lescott on 26

:06:11.:06:15.

minutes but Chelsea head. A penalty after a foul by Sissoko. That was

:06:16.:06:21.

the first goal for Chelsea for him. Early in the second half, two goals

:06:22.:06:24.

for Pedro, underlining how dominant Early in the second half, two goals

:06:25.:06:31.

Chelsea were. No consolation for Aston Villa today. They looked

:06:32.:06:36.

demoralised. A good win for a London club and also another, Arsenal at

:06:37.:06:43.

home to Watford. Here is John acres. Arsenal move to within eight of

:06:44.:06:47.

Leicester and three Spurs with arguably their best performance

:06:48.:06:51.

this. Arsene Wenger stuck with Alex Iwobi after his goal at Everton and

:06:52.:06:56.

he set up Alexis Sanchez. He swept home a second and for good measure

:06:57.:06:59.

he smashed the bar in the second half. He was excellent. Theo Walcott

:07:00.:07:04.

rounded things off the bench for a fourth goal. Watford offered little.

:07:05.:07:16.

Or Man City were away to Bournemouth this afternoon. It was Tony Husband.

:07:17.:07:23.

A stark reminder of the depth of Manchester City there, fine goals

:07:24.:07:29.

sandwiched between an early Fernando Montiel day Sergio Aguero header.

:07:30.:07:33.

sandwiched between an early Fernando 3-0 in 90 minutes, game over, but

:07:34.:07:38.

sold rubbed into the wounds by Aleksandar Kolarov who blasted in a

:07:39.:07:42.

fourth in stoppage time. Just the thing that City needed before

:07:43.:07:48.

heading to Paris Shen 's -- heading to parish and Chaman. This point

:07:49.:07:55.

will certainly suit Crystal Palace more than West Ham. They might still

:07:56.:07:57.

be looking for that elusive Premier more than West Ham. They might still

:07:58.:08:01.

League win this year but the Eagles have earned a well-deserved point.

:08:02.:08:04.

Controversial, certainly, because of that second half red card for Boyett

:08:05.:08:12.

say. A red card met with disapproval from the home supporters. They

:08:13.:08:18.

followed the referee all the way down the tunnel. Palace in front

:08:19.:08:23.

through Delaney's goal. Lanzini put hammers in front. And a big point

:08:24.:08:32.

for Crystal Palace. A big three points for Norwich City in their

:08:33.:08:34.

relegation battle at home to Newcastle united. Here is Ivan

:08:35.:08:40.

Gaskell. Norwich have hung on. They had to win this Game three times,

:08:41.:08:49.

first Klose, then Mitrovic levelling it. A stunning strike looked like it

:08:50.:08:57.

might have won it for Norwich,, then Mitrovic from the penalty spot. And

:08:58.:09:02.

then Martin Olsson had a wonderful strike, winning the game. It might

:09:03.:09:07.

just have saved Norwich City's Premier League skins. Now to the

:09:08.:09:11.

Britannia Stadium, home of Stoke City. They were visited by Swansea.

:09:12.:09:23.

Stoke 2, Swansea 2. Afellay with the home side's first goal. Then a low

:09:24.:09:30.

shot into the bottom right corner. A nervy final 20 minutes for Stoke but

:09:31.:09:38.

it was thanks to Sigurdsson's goal. Wrong-footed, Sigurdsson bobbling

:09:39.:09:43.

past him on the edge of the box. Hogarth beat him softly again after

:09:44.:09:49.

the substitute's strike deflected in for the equaliser. Swansea surely

:09:50.:09:56.

safe now. Sunderland are far from safe. They were at home to West

:09:57.:10:02.

Bromwich Albion. Sunderland 517 shots at West Brom's goal but they

:10:03.:10:04.

couldn't find a way past the shots at West Brom's goal but they

:10:05.:10:10.

impenetrable fence. -- Sunderland fired 19 shots. First the

:10:11.:10:20.

frustration as a penalty was denied. Sunderland to get the ball in the

:10:21.:10:23.

net in the final minutes. They tend to celebrate just to see the offside

:10:24.:10:30.

flag. It sums up Sunderland's day. West Brom offered little that they

:10:31.:10:34.

have had another part to play in this very interesting relegation

:10:35.:10:37.

battle. How big an opportunity missed was this for Sunderland?

:10:38.:10:44.

Let's dwell upon the relegation battle. A massive win for Alex

:10:45.:10:49.

Neil's Norwich City. They were struggling. They were in freefall

:10:50.:10:54.

but they have picked up some points recently and given themselves a bit

:10:55.:10:58.

of a gap. Seven points from the last three. Aston Villa away, two from

:10:59.:11:06.

three. At the moment, it looks like the massive northern clubs,

:11:07.:11:10.

Sunderland and Newcastle, both in the Championship. That doesn't bode

:11:11.:11:14.

well. Newcastle are in serious problems. It looks like they might

:11:15.:11:20.

not be able to be saved. Villa of the obvious ones today. These were

:11:21.:11:25.

teams that in the past you would have considered to be the very top

:11:26.:11:30.

of the English leagues. Sad and pathetic, the way these teams have

:11:31.:11:34.

been run, the way they have been allowed to disintegrate. That is the

:11:35.:11:39.

negative. For me, the positive is that there has been great football

:11:40.:11:43.

in Scotland today. The last couple of minutes of the Rangers- Raith

:11:44.:11:48.

Rovers game, you have to watch. Motherwell, my team of the day. I

:11:49.:11:53.

don't want to dwell too much on teams in Birmingham. Let's talk

:11:54.:11:57.

about Aston Villa and their demise. Do we have to? If I am an Aston

:11:58.:12:02.

Villa fan, I am sat in my heart for Do we have to? If I am an Aston

:12:03.:12:08.

what has happened to my club, because it seems it has been years

:12:09.:12:14.

of mismanagement. They brought in Remi Garde, not the type of manager

:12:15.:12:19.

that you need for a club like Aston Villa that didn't have a good season

:12:20.:12:23.

last season or the year before. They need somebody who knows the Premier

:12:24.:12:27.

League and English football and can bring through Youngblood because

:12:28.:12:32.

their players are not cutting it. We are about to talk all things

:12:33.:12:36.

Scottish. You skewed the agenda earlier. We will start with Craig.

:12:37.:12:44.

What a dramatic day, as Stewart pointed out. You couldn't have hoped

:12:45.:12:49.

for a more dramatic one. That middle area, the top six, people want to

:12:50.:12:55.

avoid relegation, the play-off spots make it interesting. The top of the

:12:56.:12:59.

Championship is still up for grabs. There are some nervy fixtures during

:13:00.:13:03.

the week and next Saturday. Rangers have a chance on Tuesday to win the

:13:04.:13:09.

Championship. Giggs back in action, six points Falkirk. -- Hibs are back

:13:10.:13:18.

in action. Gemma, Dundee United are now five points behind Kilmarnock

:13:19.:13:24.

with a game in hand. That great escape looks doable. It does, and a

:13:25.:13:29.

few months ago I said they wouldn't do it. But they have started to show

:13:30.:13:35.

flashes of that spirit. Even against St Johnstone. They looked like they

:13:36.:13:39.

could score again. They have found something within them to bring them

:13:40.:13:43.

through it. If I am Kilmarnock, I am seriously worried right now. I

:13:44.:13:48.

scribbled down earlier, Stewart, but it seemed like Dundee are fighting

:13:49.:13:51.

scribbled down earlier, Stewart, but for their lives. That if the

:13:52.:13:56.

analysis. It seemed as if they needed the points more and maybe

:13:57.:14:02.

that is true as well. St Johnstone still need to absolutely be certain

:14:03.:14:07.

of their top six, but that feels closer. And they play Kilmarnock

:14:08.:14:12.

next week, of all teams. There is a lot they are still to play. It shows

:14:13.:14:17.

you that the authorities are absolutely right to bring in the

:14:18.:14:21.

play-offs, to bring in this kind of second spot play-off and whatever.

:14:22.:14:24.

The end of the season has been really good apart from, as I said,

:14:25.:14:30.

the slight disappointment of Aberdeen and Hibernian running out

:14:31.:14:33.

of steam. We have a darn good season. You were on the show and you

:14:34.:14:39.

predicted that Rangers might run out of steam a wee bit. The thing here

:14:40.:14:44.

is that I think Rangers will now comfortably go on and win the title,

:14:45.:14:47.

no doubt, but Craig makes an important point -- an important

:14:48.:14:53.

point. I think they are losing three goals per game. That isn't great, so

:14:54.:14:57.

they are clearly vulnerable. With a big game coming up against Celtic in

:14:58.:15:02.

the cup. I think they will go and have a real party at the Dumbarton

:15:03.:15:06.

game. Ibrox will be one where they can even showboat a bit. And there

:15:07.:15:13.

is the cup final as well. Stewart makes a valid point that these goals

:15:14.:15:16.

is the cup final as well. Stewart given away, with that semifinal

:15:17.:15:20.

coming up. That is what people look at. We know they can score goals,

:15:21.:15:24.

but can they defence? They didn't manage it against St Johnstone early

:15:25.:15:28.

on. They did it in the cup. People see this as a big test. They believe

:15:29.:15:33.

that Rangers have the quality to go to Celtic and cause problems but

:15:34.:15:37.

their back division is to be rock solid. They went through a phase of

:15:38.:15:41.

scoring goals and they have a lot of clean sheets but the last three

:15:42.:15:45.

games will worry the manager. David Weir, he isn't going to like seeing

:15:46.:15:50.

it. I asked you earlier how many of your former clubs you thought would

:15:51.:15:52.

it. I asked you earlier how many of be playing in the Premiership next

:15:53.:15:57.

season. We will have to talk about Motherwell. Five wins on the spin

:15:58.:16:02.

and now assured of a top six finish. A remarkable turnaround. Incredible.

:16:03.:16:06.

They had a good run when he came and now it is six from the last seven

:16:07.:16:11.

games. It is incredible what they have done, turning things around.

:16:12.:16:16.

Being in the top six, they can enjoy a game against Celtic. A big crowds,

:16:17.:16:25.

money coming in. The irony is, many people, the majority of football

:16:26.:16:27.

fans earlier in the season were looking at Motherwell as a team who

:16:28.:16:31.

could go down. But they are now in a European spot and could be looking

:16:32.:16:34.

at their passports. Good luck to them. Dundee are not part of that

:16:35.:16:39.

either. They have edged into the top six. -- not out of that. It is

:16:40.:16:47.

interesting with Dundee, except the Motherwell, who have had a fantastic

:16:48.:16:52.

run. In mid-February, they were a point behind Kilmarnock. The rest of

:16:53.:16:58.

the teams have been so inconsistent. Tiny little purple patches but their

:16:59.:17:00.

ability to win games back-to-back has been phenomenal in its lack in

:17:01.:17:06.

the middle section. Celtic, it looks like their title. It looks

:17:07.:17:09.

the middle section. Celtic, it looks that. Seven points ahead, seven

:17:10.:17:15.

games to go. Aberdeen would have to win three and Celtic to lose three

:17:16.:17:19.

to make the difference. I don't honestly see Celtic going into

:17:20.:17:22.

reverse and that Aberdeen to finish the season with seven straight

:17:23.:17:27.

victories would be difficult. To be honest, I think that result against

:17:28.:17:30.

Hearts today makes Celtic the favourites. This show has whizzed

:17:31.:17:36.

past and I'm afraid that is just about it. Before we go, let's have

:17:37.:17:41.

another look at some of today's results, starting with the

:17:42.:17:49.

Premiership. Celtic beat Hearts. A seven goal thriller for Dundee and

:17:50.:17:54.

Ross County. A big win for Motherwell. The only goal this game

:17:55.:18:00.

in the top division, Partick Thistle and Kilmarnock. A big win for Dundee

:18:01.:18:07.

United. In the Championship, you don't see that every day. Every

:18:08.:18:13.

match ending in a draw. It means Rangers, their title winning

:18:14.:18:18.

champagne is on ice. A dramatic equaliser from Raith Rovers in that

:18:19.:18:25.

game. You can see highlights of the weekend's SPFL goings-on at 10:30pm

:18:26.:18:30.

tomorrow. We are back again next week, at 4pm on BBC One. It you

:18:31.:18:37.

hunger for more Stuart Cosgrove, good news, he is ready to hotfoot it

:18:38.:18:41.

along the corridor to present off the ball on the radio. Don't worry,

:18:42.:18:47.

he has got ten minutes. It is good night from me and adios from the

:18:48.:18:53.

three Amigos. Thank you from all of my guests. See you later.

:18:54.:18:57.

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