:00:39. > :00:49.This afternoon's League Cup final was of huge significance to
:00:50. > :00:53.Aberdeen. A club once laden down with silverware, they had gone
:00:54. > :00:55.almost two decades without a trophy. But today's match was also
:00:56. > :00:58.absolutely massive for Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Only in
:00:59. > :01:01.existence for 20 years, this was their first ever appearance in a
:01:02. > :01:08.major cup final. Football's most enduring memories are etched in
:01:09. > :01:13.silver. 18 years since their last trophy Derek McInnis is firing up
:01:14. > :01:23.Aberdeen once again, passionate and exciting. Formed just 20 years ago
:01:24. > :01:27.John Hughes is determined to lead Inverness Caledonian Thistle to
:01:28. > :01:36.their greatest ever achievement with a spirited, never say die team.
:01:37. > :01:41.Aberdeen versus Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Who will make their mark in
:01:42. > :01:45.the League Cup final? Two men who know all about what it meant for
:01:46. > :01:48.both clubs join us this evening. The former Aberdeen striker Billy Dodds
:01:49. > :01:54.and former Caley Thistle midfielder John Rankin. We will bring you the
:01:55. > :01:57.Premiership highlights a little later, but there is only one place
:01:58. > :02:01.to start. Celtic Park, the League Cup final venue transformed from
:02:02. > :02:03.green into a sea of red with a pocket of blue as Aberdeen and
:02:04. > :02:09.Inverness Caledonian Thistle took centre stage on a day that meant so
:02:10. > :02:10.much for everyone involved. We must turn our attention to the
:02:11. > :02:37.Premiership now. # this is going to be the best day
:02:38. > :02:49.of my life, this is going to be the best day of my life. Everything is
:02:50. > :03:00.looking up. This is going to be the best day of my life.
:03:01. > :03:08.It is a wonderful atmosphere inside Celtic Park. A battle of the North,
:03:09. > :03:13.Aberdeen from the East against Inverness Caledonian Thistle from
:03:14. > :03:20.the Highlands. Where is the trophy going this evening? It has been on
:03:21. > :03:27.the road to Aberdeen five times before. They are at the third most
:03:28. > :03:32.successful club in this competition despite their generation not knowing
:03:33. > :03:38.what it feels like for their team to win silverware. It has been season
:03:39. > :03:46.after season of anti-climax and disappointment. The Dons' fans would
:03:47. > :03:50.sell their soul for a win today. Inverness had just celebrated their
:03:51. > :04:00.first birthday when Aberdeen won this cup. But they are well managed
:04:01. > :04:08.on and off the park. They have stamped their standard on the top
:04:09. > :04:19.table of Scottish football today. There are 40,000 supporters
:04:20. > :04:43.supporting their team. Peter Pollard has succumbed to a leg injury. Cally
:04:44. > :04:52.Bissell is without Warren. -- Inverness Caledonian Thistle. The
:04:53. > :05:11.referee is Steven Maclean and it is his first major final. This could be
:05:12. > :05:18.quite an afternoon. Inverness have yet to get the better of Aberdeen in
:05:19. > :05:24.any cup tied. It is one draw and four Aberdeen wins so far. But this
:05:25. > :05:30.meeting is very different to the ones that have gone before. This is
:05:31. > :05:47.the fourth time the League Cup final has taken place here. He is already
:05:48. > :05:50.in the waters, Hayes. He has landed on his shoulder. Hopefully it is not
:05:51. > :06:15.too serious because there are only seconds gone.
:06:16. > :06:22.That was a fabulous ball almost onto the penalty spot. Maybe you would
:06:23. > :06:33.have liked to have seen Rooney on the end of that.
:06:34. > :06:40.Robson was caught very late. Steven Maclean is going to speak to the
:06:41. > :06:46.Inverness Caledonian Thistle captain. There was no contact of
:06:47. > :07:10.note, but it is a free kick. Aberdeen claimed it was over! It
:07:11. > :07:18.looked for all the world it was going to go straight in. It was good
:07:19. > :07:28.defending. It certainly looked at one point as if it had crossed the
:07:29. > :07:50.line. Yes, no debate, it was not over.
:07:51. > :08:04.This might just light the fire under this League Cup final. Not a great
:08:05. > :08:17.clearance from Dean Brill. But Richie Foran was there.
:08:18. > :08:30.A lot of possession for Aberdeen. Can they do anything with it? Rooney
:08:31. > :08:39.goes down! It is a goal kick as well. I think the referee is right.
:08:40. > :08:41.He makes contact with the ball. I do not think it is a penalty kick. I
:08:42. > :09:17.think that was a great decision. Oh, and he drops it. That was
:09:18. > :09:24.horrible for Jamie Langfield. A nervous moment. He has not had much
:09:25. > :09:26.to do, so he went and flapped at that one a little bit. He has got to
:09:27. > :10:01.be more decisive. Dean Brill saves. It came off the
:10:02. > :10:05.arm of Shinnie. Robson goes down. Better play again. We talked about
:10:06. > :10:34.working the ball wide. Dean Brill was forced to save again.
:10:35. > :10:46.That was the best effort from Robson so far. Aberdeen have had by far the
:10:47. > :10:55.best chances in the game. Aberdeen have everyone back except Niall
:10:56. > :11:07.McGinn. Richie Foran thinks he was fouled. Steven Maclean is not
:11:08. > :11:22.interested. I thought it was Andrew Considine.
:11:23. > :11:29.That is a goal kick. I thought Josh Meekings had touched that
:11:30. > :11:37.originally. A massive chance goes begging. The defender does well to
:11:38. > :11:50.put him under pressure and he tries to lift it over him. I think he has
:11:51. > :12:02.to do better. Jack has not had a look in, really.
:12:03. > :12:12.Nicky Low is asking why he did not get the pass. I think at this stage
:12:13. > :12:31.of the game he just wanted to get the shot away.
:12:32. > :12:44.That is the first real save of the match that Jamie Langfield has had
:12:45. > :12:51.to make. It might have been going past anyway. Just three times before
:12:52. > :13:01.a penalty shoot out has settled the League Cup final.
:13:02. > :13:13.Saved by the Dons keeper! Advantage Aberdeen. No mistake from Barry
:13:14. > :13:31.Robson! Greg Tansy scored in the semifinal,
:13:32. > :13:39.but he puts it over. It is going horribly wrong in the shoot out for
:13:40. > :13:51.the Highlanders here. Nicky Low is a substitute. What a moment this is
:13:52. > :14:06.for him. And he scores! They are very close now are at the red Army.
:14:07. > :14:25.He's got to score and he does. That certainly didn't lack conviction. A
:14:26. > :14:33.great penalty kick Scott Vernon against Brill. A wonderful spot kick
:14:34. > :14:39.from Vernon. If this misses, Aberdeen have won the League Cup.
:14:40. > :14:51.Oh, it's cool as you like. There's still life in this shoot out, but
:14:52. > :15:00.for how much longer? Aberdeen are so close to that long, long awaited
:15:01. > :15:09.trophy. Addianroomy with a chance to win the Cup for Aberdeen. And he
:15:10. > :15:17.does! The almost two decades of pain, hurt and, at times, ridicule
:15:18. > :15:23.at the hands of others is over for Aberdeen feb Club. They've been
:15:24. > :15:31.guided to silverware within a year of the new manager taking the job.
:15:32. > :15:40.The sleeping giant of Scottish football has finally woken from its
:15:41. > :15:45.slumber. And we can now speak to Barry Robson, one of the heroes. You
:15:46. > :15:52.did it the hard way, but you did it. How does it feel? We won the game,
:15:53. > :15:58.that's the most important thing. I don't care how we won it or how we
:15:59. > :16:05.played, we just won the Cup. You won it the hard way, how do you feel?
:16:06. > :16:12.Ecstatic. You can see how much it means to so many people. We had a
:16:13. > :16:17.job we took on and it was a tight final, but we had the better
:16:18. > :16:24.opportunities and once it comes down to penalty kicks, you have to back
:16:25. > :16:30.yourselves and play with confidence. It's unfortunate for Inverness, it
:16:31. > :16:38.was a good final and it was a tight game, but we wanted to win the game,
:16:39. > :16:45.no matter how we did it. And after almost 400 appearances for the Dons,
:16:46. > :16:51.he's from the granite city and in just a second or two, Russell
:16:52. > :17:02.Anderson stands free and lifts the 2014 Scottish League Cup, which has
:17:03. > :17:10.been won by Aberdeen. An absolutely fantastic day for an Aberdeen. Those
:17:11. > :17:15.scenes say it all. Absolutely magnificent for the club. Billy you
:17:16. > :17:28.won it almost 20 years ago, what does victory mean? It's huge. It's a
:17:29. > :17:33.platform for them. The penalties, it could have gone horribly wrong for
:17:34. > :17:38.them. There was a good mentality to get through that game today, because
:17:39. > :17:44.there was a lot of text and pressures, but they came through. It
:17:45. > :17:49.wasn't a great game to watch from a neutral perspective, why was that?
:17:50. > :17:55.It was that tension and pressure, it took away from the game. But it was
:17:56. > :18:01.still exciting because there was so much tension and the fans brought
:18:02. > :18:10.the pressure as well. So nerves played a part, but the set-up? After
:18:11. > :18:16.the last two results, 5-0 against cellic, I think the team were spot
:18:17. > :18:25.on. They were compact and hard to beat and they sat deep and it was
:18:26. > :18:32.hard for them to be broken down. And they're hunting in packs. They're
:18:33. > :18:38.not letting anybody in behind them. Johnny Hayes unfortunately got
:18:39. > :18:43.injured but the way Inverness were set up today, they were not letting
:18:44. > :18:54.Aberdeen in behind them and it worked well for them And how much
:18:55. > :19:04.was the loss of Ross to the gape? That was massive for them. And they
:19:05. > :19:10.lost Johnny Hayes. Right now he's got nobody to pass to, so he's
:19:11. > :19:18.delaying it and delaying it and eventually somebody gets into the
:19:19. > :19:25.box. And again, Barry Robson is putting one in the box and there was
:19:26. > :19:32.only one person there. And losing Hayes right at the start, did that
:19:33. > :19:38.affect them? Yes, it has to. You can see, they've plenty of ball and
:19:39. > :19:47.possession and usual usually those two will give them the chances, but
:19:48. > :19:53.again, no focal point. Inverness defend in their 18 yard box. That
:19:54. > :19:59.was their game plan, defend deep and don't let them in behind and they
:20:00. > :20:05.let them have possession in areas where they shouldn't. Should
:20:06. > :20:11.Inverness have had a penalty due to man handling? This was a certainly
:20:12. > :20:18.pent for me. As much as Aberdeen had a lot of pain over the years, they
:20:19. > :20:26.got lucky with this. Because Foran still wants to get his head on it,
:20:27. > :20:33.he doesn't go for the ball and I think the referee's made up his
:20:34. > :20:39.mind. A fantastic evening for Aberdeen. In the granite city they
:20:40. > :20:44.can now celebrate this magnificent victory. Billy, you spent a large
:20:45. > :20:50.part of your career there. What does it mean for the city? It's huge
:20:51. > :20:55.because of what's gone on and the pain they've suffered. You can see
:20:56. > :21:03.what it means to them. There will be a few sore heads tomorrow. They just
:21:04. > :21:08.wanted to do well in the League and compete for silverware and it's nice
:21:09. > :21:14.to see them getting it back, because they have had some Cup shocks along
:21:15. > :21:20.the way. And a lot of pain, but now the fans are really enjoying it.
:21:21. > :21:29.Let's hear from the Caley Thistle manager. They were at it and at it
:21:30. > :21:35.and the fans brought it along. The two sets of support supporters were
:21:36. > :21:39.fantastic out here and we ran them close. We played our part and I
:21:40. > :21:45.could have been here standing talking to you as a winning manager,
:21:46. > :21:54.but not to be. We'll get going again, but that's what football is
:21:55. > :21:58.all about. And Aberdeen are so happy and Caley Thistle are hugely
:21:59. > :22:03.disappointed. How do they bounce back? They haven't much time because
:22:04. > :22:12.they've another game on Tuesday night. But I'm sure the manager will
:22:13. > :22:19.have the team fired back up for Wednesday, because he has huge
:22:20. > :22:26.passion for it. But they'll get on with it. Four important matches were
:22:27. > :22:32.played over this weekend, and we start with Mirren. Could they pick
:22:33. > :23:03.up vital points against Dundee United?
:23:04. > :23:12.Thompson battles for it and wins it. In with a chance. It was a short one
:23:13. > :23:22.and tame in the end. Showing good pace that time, Stephen Thompson.
:23:23. > :23:32.Good movement from St Mirren. That's a good cross from Stephen Thompson
:23:33. > :23:40.and the keeper happy to see that go wide. Thompson causing problems
:23:41. > :23:48.again. The long ball and McGowan is free and he scores. The third of the
:23:49. > :23:55.season for Paul McGowan and his first since October. He twisted
:23:56. > :24:04.awkwardly but did really well to get this away from the goalkeeper.
:24:05. > :24:16.Looking to build on their lead, St Mirren. Newton is still going.
:24:17. > :24:28.Blocked and McGowan will try a shot. Well, they've started so well and
:24:29. > :24:34.are causing lots of problems. Into the net it goes. A typical striker's
:24:35. > :24:44.goal. You've got to be in the right place at the right time. Stephen
:24:45. > :24:51.Thompson wheels away in celebration and St Mirren are 2-0 ahead. They
:24:52. > :25:07.need some inspiration, Dundee United. Oh, that's a great ball.
:25:08. > :25:13.Naismith trying to track him back. Just three away wins in the league
:25:14. > :25:19.this season, St Mirren, as they come forward again. Thompson from
:25:20. > :25:31.McGowan. The build-up play has been fun to watch.
:25:32. > :25:39.No communication, and it's sent wide. It wasn't reaching the goal
:25:40. > :25:49.goalkeeper and it was poke the over the top and wide.
:25:50. > :26:06.McGowan spins the ball out idea. A chance again. Kenny has a sweet left
:26:07. > :26:25.foot but that one was too wide. Oh, there was venom in that. He
:26:26. > :26:33.managed to get across and it had real zip in it. A good save from the
:26:34. > :26:40.keeper. That looked offside. They continue to go, but Graham wants it
:26:41. > :26:46.in the middle. He looks offside but it's given. And Dundee United are
:26:47. > :27:00.back in the game with 11 minutes to play. St Mirren desperately unhappy
:27:01. > :27:10.at the decision. There's a different feel now to Dundee United. Armstrong
:27:11. > :27:19.and united looked down on it to all intents and purposes, but two goals
:27:20. > :27:24.in five minutes, since one from Shaun and there's six minutes still
:27:25. > :27:31.to play. St Mirren will be kicking themselves that United have got it
:27:32. > :27:41.back to 2-2. They'll have to be careful here. What a come back from
:27:42. > :27:49.done dean United and now, as he has done in the previous three years,
:27:50. > :27:56.finds the back of the neck. United with a tremendous come back. Yes, a
:27:57. > :28:04.good win. I thought the first half the other then were far superior to
:28:05. > :28:13.us. Every second ball it look us a while to get into the match. You
:28:14. > :28:20.might not look at the video again, but would concede that one goal was
:28:21. > :28:26.well off side. Yes, the player that pushes the ball was offside but
:28:27. > :28:32.sometimes when you're at the wrong end of it and this sort of mix, then
:28:33. > :28:41.these decisions are more difficult to take. A devastating outcome for
:28:42. > :28:47.St Mirren. But, be honest, was the first goal offside. When you look at
:28:48. > :29:08.it here, I think there are three players offside here. You I?
:29:09. > :29:15.Ampullitis I think he looks on side Obviously after that, St Mirren
:29:16. > :29:21.basically crumbled, is that how it felt to you? We didn't crumble on
:29:22. > :29:25.the pip, but if we did score the third goal, it was going to be
:29:26. > :29:33.massive and if we got that we'd go on and win the game. To be honest, I
:29:34. > :29:38.didn't think it would take as long as the first nine minutes to score
:29:39. > :29:50.the first goal. When we got the second goal we knew we could go on
:29:51. > :29:57.and get another. And fair play to the boys, they got on the score
:29:58. > :30:15.sheet again. A devastating blow for St Mirren. You could see what it
:30:16. > :30:20.meant for Danny Lennon. It has to be a big hit me up from him and he has
:30:21. > :30:24.to get his players going again. As the scramble to avoid the play-off
:30:25. > :30:27.place heats up, we check on the progress of Partick Thistle, very
:30:28. > :30:29.much in the mix. But could their opponents, Hibernian, still be
:30:30. > :30:37.sucked into the relegation equation? Terry Butcher sounded a battle cry.
:30:38. > :30:45.You are looking at the top six, so let's have a go at this. You
:30:46. > :30:50.organise the boys and sometimes it is too much. Ross County are also
:30:51. > :30:53.very much in the play-off place mix. They had a Saturday evening match
:30:54. > :30:57.against St Johnstone and already knew St Mirren had slipped up. Could
:30:58. > :31:02.they make up valuable ground on their rivals? St Johnstone one at
:31:03. > :31:38.Tannadice by 4-0. Ross County make one change due to
:31:39. > :31:48.injury. Two dabbles in his first two matches. No goals since then. Not
:31:49. > :32:04.quite testing the goalkeeper, but good technique. -- doubles.
:32:05. > :32:13.De Leeuw took the first touch brilliantly and the second was good
:32:14. > :32:20.as well. He has made such an impact. He called for it and he wanted it.
:32:21. > :32:26.The goalkeeper got a touch on it, but could not keep it out. Ross
:32:27. > :32:27.County arrowhead. Concern on the face of Tommy Wright, the St
:32:28. > :32:38.Johnstone manager. Jordan Slew is yet to score for his
:32:39. > :32:59.club. That was a great run at the back
:33:00. > :33:05.post, Dave McKay coming forward and nobody picked him up. He was all
:33:06. > :33:10.alone, but he could not guide it on target. Derek Adams is happy enough.
:33:11. > :33:26.His side are playing well. It was Filip Kiss who made the
:33:27. > :33:51.clearance. Under pressure and he almost stepped
:33:52. > :33:59.on him as well. It is a free kick to St Johnstone. Plenty of players
:34:00. > :34:11.forward, but great height in defence for Ross County. That was Stevie Mae
:34:12. > :34:12.and that is a good save. St Johnstone's top goal scorer this
:34:13. > :34:32.season. Unbeaten in the last nine against
:34:33. > :34:35.Ross County at home. That was awkward on the ankle. But he knew it
:34:36. > :34:50.was a chance. St Johnstone are just not
:34:51. > :35:07.functioning today the way Tommy Wright would have liked.
:35:08. > :35:15.Brown with the fingertips once more. It was spending into the top corner
:35:16. > :35:26.and the deflection made it difficult. Alan Mannus is having to
:35:27. > :35:43.get back quickly. Anderson goes down and the referee sees no advantage.
:35:44. > :35:51.Stephen Anderson has rescued a point for St Johnstone, but it might not
:35:52. > :36:00.count. The referees will be conversing. It will not count. The
:36:01. > :36:04.first header produced a fine save. But it came off his hand and that is
:36:05. > :36:13.what St Johnstone did not want to see. Ross County remain ahead. We
:36:14. > :36:18.are delighted with the start to the game we had and we are positive and
:36:19. > :36:25.the team were ambitious and it paid off for us. The number of times this
:36:26. > :36:30.season we have been able to do that. The midfield three played really
:36:31. > :36:35.well. The first half was as bad as it has been at the club since I have
:36:36. > :36:39.been in charge, but we are still in a great position. We will pick
:36:40. > :36:45.ourselves up and have a clear week to get ready for Hibs next week. We
:36:46. > :36:53.have got that top six to play for and we are still in the driving
:36:54. > :36:58.seat. De Leeuw has popped up with a few important goals this season.
:36:59. > :37:04.That was his sixth. Could he dig Ross County out of the situation
:37:05. > :37:09.they are in? He could, it seems to be. He has got great technique. He
:37:10. > :37:20.sets himself up with a great touch and that was low and hard on the
:37:21. > :37:25.ball, the technique is great. It is a great touch and the finish was
:37:26. > :37:31.phenomenal. How do you rate Ross County's chances overall to escape
:37:32. > :37:36.the play-off places? They have to put a run together, and they are
:37:37. > :37:41.capable of it, and they are too inconsistent this season. But that
:37:42. > :37:46.was great for them to win that game and give them a boost to get away
:37:47. > :37:50.from the relegation play-off. It looked like St Johnstone were going
:37:51. > :38:00.to get a point. Was it rightly chopped off? That was some spot from
:38:01. > :38:09.the linesman. It was an unnatural position from his arm. That linesman
:38:10. > :38:15.was 40 yards away and he spotted that. It is the right decision and
:38:16. > :38:22.good on him for having the bottle to make it. But it took us a few times
:38:23. > :38:30.to see it. It definitely comes off his arm. He has hardly scored two
:38:31. > :38:36.goals in his career! We would have to say it was a handball. What I St
:38:37. > :38:41.Johnstone's chances of staying in the top six? They beat you the other
:38:42. > :38:47.night. I fancy them to go into the top six. After a disappointing
:38:48. > :38:52.result you would expect them to bounce back strongly. Is that how
:38:53. > :38:59.you see it? The top six and the bottom six are all but done.
:39:00. > :39:04.With a first home win finally recorded this season Partick Thistle
:39:05. > :39:08.were looking for more of the same when they faced Hibs who had only
:39:09. > :39:11.managed one single win in their last ten matches, but the beleaguered
:39:12. > :39:16.Hibs fans remain optimistic. One more game still to come tonight. Is
:39:17. > :39:23.it too early to look ahead to next week
:39:24. > :39:37.some of them are not good enough to play for Hibs. He needs another
:39:38. > :39:43.transfer window, to be honest. Thistle are looking for back-to-back
:39:44. > :39:51.home league wins. Chris Doolan returns. There is still no sign of
:39:52. > :39:59.Muirhead and Osborne. Terry Butcher's Hibernian have not won in
:40:00. > :40:08.four matches. Youngster Jason Cummings starts. This is a big game
:40:09. > :40:15.for both teams for different reasons. Partick Thistle are trying
:40:16. > :40:21.to stay above the water line. Hibs are looking to push St Johnstone for
:40:22. > :40:27.that top six place. That was Higginbottom. He draws a great save
:40:28. > :40:29.out of Ben Williams. Partick Thistle's number 23 is a man in
:40:30. > :40:55.form. James Collins is still trying to
:40:56. > :41:03.live up to the transfer fee. Higginbottom looks like the most
:41:04. > :41:09.likely is it for Partick Thistle. That was brilliant from Partick
:41:10. > :41:22.Thistle! A wonderful finish from Chris Erskine. It was all because of
:41:23. > :41:27.the dummy from Chris Doolan. It is his first on loan from Dundee
:41:28. > :41:31.United. Hibs are having to respond. They have not won away from home
:41:32. > :41:51.since Boxing Day. It is something they want to put right.
:41:52. > :42:07.Look at the amount of space Higginbottom has. He had options and
:42:08. > :42:09.he went himself. Higginbottom has got team-mates asking, where was the
:42:10. > :42:28.past? The Thistle boss was sent off mid
:42:29. > :42:41.week. He had a go at the referee. Suddenly it is two. Lee Mayor's last
:42:42. > :42:45.goal for the Saints came in September, 2012. He has doubled the
:42:46. > :43:09.Jags' advantage. Within a couple of minutes Hibs are
:43:10. > :43:16.back in this. The man on loan from Sunderland. It is just his third
:43:17. > :43:18.appearance for the club. He put that are beyond the outstretched Paul
:43:19. > :44:11.Gallagher. It is a fine finish. It is a corner for Hibernian. Danny
:44:12. > :44:22.Haynes went for glory himself. It's getting to be now or never time. And
:44:23. > :44:29.it's Watt moor, e again. But he puts it over the bar. Partick Thistle so
:44:30. > :44:35.close to another home win. They couldn't buy one a week ago, but now
:44:36. > :44:42.they have a covariance and he finishes it. Wonderful! He rightly
:44:43. > :44:46.celebrates. This was a tremendous goal. He had a similar opportunity
:44:47. > :44:55.earlier on in the second half, which he didn't take. But, boy, has he
:44:56. > :44:59.taken that one. Four in four for hiking Higginbotham. It's good for
:45:00. > :45:04.the lads and good for their confidence. We just have to go and
:45:05. > :45:11.build on it now. We've a rough run of games, like the rest of the teams
:45:12. > :45:18.around us, but we know we've got to capitalise on the result. We haven't
:45:19. > :45:27.done enough either end again. We've conceded three goals. It's baffling
:45:28. > :45:34.for me and you organise these boys and set them out and you say, "Go on
:45:35. > :45:41.and play," and some of them don't. It's just too much for them. He's
:45:42. > :45:49.talking about dumping his first team players and playing the youth team
:45:50. > :45:56.against St Johnston, and the Hibs players are simply not good enough
:45:57. > :46:01.at the moment? You have to say that. They go back into their old habits
:46:02. > :46:10.and they're not performing. Is it bad decision making? There's a bit
:46:11. > :46:16.of greediness and selfishness. He's driving, but just put them in there
:46:17. > :46:22.and he takes a shot, so it is bad decision making. Does that mean
:46:23. > :46:28.you're not good enough? Well, it's either a confidence thing but
:46:29. > :46:34.they're not consistent. They have options there, but they clearly take
:46:35. > :46:45.the wrong option. They're lacking a real leader for me. When the leader
:46:46. > :46:52.is not in the side they lack someone of the right quality to drag the
:46:53. > :47:00.team through, that's it for me. Suddenly two home win wins for
:47:01. > :47:07.thistle and they will boost them as they get off the play-off place?
:47:08. > :47:13.Yes, I was there. And it was as if they won the World Cup final that
:47:14. > :47:21.game against Aberdeen and sudden suddenly they took that performance
:47:22. > :47:30.into the game against Hibs. Partick Thistle are in a good place to avoid
:47:31. > :47:38.the relegation position. And that's it for me, Higginbottom, if he's
:47:39. > :47:43.play playing into the final third and driving at players, he's hard to
:47:44. > :47:46.stop. One more game still to come. Is it too early to look ahead to
:47:47. > :48:15.next week yet? On Friday night, just ahead of their
:48:16. > :48:20.match with cellic, it was announced that the chairman of Kilmarnock was
:48:21. > :48:27.standing down. They were another team trying to avoid a play-off
:48:28. > :48:29.place as well. Could they pick up anything against the champions
:48:30. > :48:46.elect? Cellic gave a start to a
:48:47. > :48:53.17-year-old, with Henderson making his first start.
:48:54. > :49:08.The title countdown continues for cellic. Johannsen's pass. Stokes has
:49:09. > :49:15.the ball in the net but it's not going to count. Cellic almost ahead
:49:16. > :49:18.in the opening minute. It was here, as it was flick the on, the flag
:49:19. > :49:36.went up. No goal. A useful ball in. Adam Matthews
:49:37. > :49:40.struggling to deal with it as well. And Michael Gardine taken by
:49:41. > :50:01.surprise as well. Greaves with a shot on target. He
:50:02. > :50:08.was certainly on target last time out. A hat trick against Inverness.
:50:09. > :50:17.Not that time, not adding to his total. Commons, a good shot a great
:50:18. > :50:37.save and tiedied up by Slater. Kilmarnock can ill afford lost
:50:38. > :50:45.possession. It came off Lee Ashcroft, who has been own goal to
:50:46. > :51:04.cellic already this season and he doesn't want to do the same again.
:51:05. > :51:09.Sampson wasn't going to hold that and happy just to turn away a
:51:10. > :51:22.blistering strike. Charlie Mulgrew ups the tempo for
:51:23. > :51:30.cellic. Collins continues the run and opens the scoring -- Commons.
:51:31. > :51:35.Well, they haven't played like champions up till now but Celtic
:51:36. > :51:59.suddenly switch on. 57 minutes, 1-0. Matthews fires it in and Chris
:52:00. > :52:05.Commons is there again, with his 25 Goal of the Season. He doesn't play
:52:06. > :52:12.as an out and out striker, but he certainly has a stricter's instinct
:52:13. > :52:14.in front of goal, sniffing out the opportunity and making the most of
:52:15. > :52:28.it. Oh, it's a good try from Anthony
:52:29. > :52:37.Stokes and it wasn't far away. Curling and dipping towards the far
:52:38. > :52:47.post. Just wide. Can Kilmarnock bring this game back to life?
:52:48. > :52:49.Edemenko finding Boyd and here's Chris Johnson. A little shimmy and a
:52:50. > :53:13.shot across the bows. Room for the drive into the box. It
:53:14. > :53:17.is in off Commons, but it is not a hat trick. It's another offside
:53:18. > :53:31.flag. Cellic cruising at the moment to
:53:32. > :53:39.another three points, another step closer to clinching the title. And
:53:40. > :53:52.it's Chris Commons who completes his hat trick. Make that 26 for the
:53:53. > :53:58.season. And in for 3-0 cellic. We spoke at half time that cellic were
:53:59. > :54:11.really fangs with the counter attack. But obviously they had two
:54:12. > :54:22.many people forward. I thought there was misunderstanding at times and
:54:23. > :54:32.the only real penetration we got was good and I enjoyed watching us at
:54:33. > :54:36.the in. Friday night was a big night for Kilmarnock, not just on the
:54:37. > :54:40.pitch but off it as well. Wiping out that department. A fresh start,
:54:41. > :54:46.almost, for the club. That's great. In terms of the first-half
:54:47. > :54:50.performance, did you see signs of positivivity for them? Yes, it's
:54:51. > :54:57.been like that over the past couple of weeks and they lookedals though
:54:58. > :55:05.they were coming tock as a team. You see the players all circled all
:55:06. > :55:14.working hard off the ball and deny denying a lot of space. Kilmarnock a
:55:15. > :55:23.side that have improved to are, for you, over the season? Yes, they were
:55:24. > :55:32.going at it and trying to show the players down the first half. Look,
:55:33. > :55:38.really tight. And obviously, the second half, when they tire, and
:55:39. > :55:48.that's when cellic get a bit more space. It was cellic's game in the
:55:49. > :55:57.second half and Chris Commons, 26 goals now for the year, is he your
:55:58. > :56:05.pick of Footballer of the Year. He's a great example so think youngster.
:56:06. > :56:13.As soon as he takes his touch he whats whatses it aloaning. And watch
:56:14. > :56:24.this, he gets the ball and passes it wide. And as soon as he's passed it
:56:25. > :56:29.on it's dangerous. And the third one is so intelligent because it's so
:56:30. > :56:35.difficult to pick up. And he just drives it at the defenders and they
:56:36. > :56:45.don't know whether to come to the ball or not. Is he in the running
:56:46. > :56:50.for Player of the Year? Well, I love creative players, forward thinking,
:56:51. > :56:53.I have to say. I think he's been excellent and I think he will be
:56:54. > :56:58.Player of the Year, no problem. Thank you very much for the moment.
:56:59. > :57:06.Let's look at the Scottish Premiership table as it stands this
:57:07. > :57:28.evening and let's focus on the bottom of the table feet.
:57:29. > :57:36.Celtic 24 points ahead of Aberdeen, not that Aberdeen care all that much
:57:37. > :57:41.tonight. The sleeping giant of Scottish football is awake once
:57:42. > :57:45.again. Congratulations to Aberdeen, from all of us here at Sportscene,
:57:46. > :57:55.good night.