:00:55. > :00:59.Hello and welcome to our pre-Hogmanay Sportscene spectacular.
:01:00. > :01:04.The final football fling of 2013, and what a way to go out. Some great
:01:05. > :01:08.goals tonight, meaty talking points as always and two top pundits.
:01:09. > :01:14.Steven Thompson and Pat Nevin join me for this last highlights show of
:01:15. > :01:16.the year. A poignant start tonight. Six years ago yesterday the
:01:17. > :01:20.Motherwell captain Phil O'Donnell died on the pitch during a match
:01:21. > :01:23.with Dundee United. It was always going to be an emotional day for all
:01:24. > :01:26.involved with Motherwell Football Club. They were at Firhill to play
:01:27. > :01:34.Partick Thistle. Commentary comes from John Barnes.
:01:35. > :01:41.Alan Archibald makes only one change to his starting line-up. Stephen
:01:42. > :01:50.O'Donnell returns at full-back in place of Jordan McMillan.
:01:51. > :01:53.Francis-Angol is back in alongside McFadden, so John Sutton is on the
:01:54. > :02:11.bench. And Partick Thistle get an early
:02:12. > :02:18.lead! He scores against his old club. Craig insisted on a plate for
:02:19. > :02:45.Lawless. Terrific save their by the
:02:46. > :02:50.Motherwell goalkeeper, Twardzik. It is Lawless again, looking for his
:02:51. > :02:59.second. A good start for Alan Archibald.
:03:00. > :03:09.And Motherwell equalise! It's their captain, Leslie. Excellent skills
:03:10. > :03:25.from James McFadden. And good awareness to spot Leslie on the run.
:03:26. > :03:46.It is blocked away by Twardzik again.
:03:47. > :04:00.And Francis-Angol puts Motherwell 2-1 in front! And it's his first
:04:01. > :04:01.ever goal for the Fir Park club. He slots it away with his least
:04:02. > :04:15.favoured foot. A deft flick from James McFadden,
:04:16. > :04:18.increasing Motherwell's lead. Back in the starting line-up and on the
:04:19. > :04:26.scoresheet for the second time this season. Good hold-up play from
:04:27. > :04:29.Anier. Pick should have done better but McFadden was there to pounce. --
:04:30. > :04:40.Piccolo. Great strike from James McFadden,
:04:41. > :04:59.tried to catch out Scott Fox. The keeper was up to the challenge.
:05:00. > :05:02.Thistle were looking for a penalty as the Motherwell players slid in.
:05:03. > :05:21.The referee says no. A good effort from another former
:05:22. > :05:34.Motherwell player. Twardzik, once more, doing well to turn it over.
:05:35. > :05:47.Ainsworth! That is number four for Motherwell. Ainsworth's third goal
:05:48. > :05:51.in three successive matches. Partick Thistle, caught out at the back
:05:52. > :05:56.again and this time, Lasley the provider, Ainsworth with the finish.
:05:57. > :06:05.A good day out for the Motherwell supporters.
:06:06. > :06:09.Scott Fox, happy to grab that one, but McFadden, returning to something
:06:10. > :06:26.like his best this afternoon. Once again, Partick Thistle are
:06:27. > :06:33.punished at the back! Slack defending there. Not keeping his eye
:06:34. > :06:34.on the ball, and Sutton, the substitute, scored his ninth of the
:06:35. > :06:50.season. Scott Foxton eyes Ainsworth. --
:06:51. > :06:56.denies Ainsworth. This will be their biggest win in the new top-flight.
:06:57. > :07:05.I thought we were a bit fortunate to go in at half-time 3-1, Thistle had
:07:06. > :07:09.a really good go and played some good stuff first half, but we showed
:07:10. > :07:12.a good deal of character and some good football to take the lead and
:07:13. > :07:20.then go ahead. Second half, it was a case of hip on the break. Very
:07:21. > :07:28.disappointing to start the going so well, we were looking good, and then
:07:29. > :07:33.it was bad decision-making. I think, try and keep going, but we don't
:07:34. > :07:34.really organise and there are mistakes for the goals as well,
:07:35. > :07:43.individual errors. It was a big day for Motherwell and
:07:44. > :07:47.a fantastic win. It was great to see James McFadden playing like that
:07:48. > :07:55.again. Absolutely. I would argue he is the most talented footballer of
:07:56. > :07:59.his generation for Scotland. He gets this from a throw in, there is
:08:00. > :08:06.nothing on here at all. He has such vision. He wasn't looking, he is
:08:07. > :08:10.absolutely sure that Lasley will make the run. They have known each
:08:11. > :08:17.other since they were young, but he is learning the intelligence side of
:08:18. > :08:21.the game. When he sees the gap, and that is one hell of a gap between
:08:22. > :08:28.the centre backs! We will get back to that later. But we're now seeing
:08:29. > :08:36.him the way he was. Very few players think of scoring from throw ins.
:08:37. > :08:42.When he looks fit, and his knees are fine, he is a joy to behold. That
:08:43. > :08:48.was the James McFadden of old. He is a sensational talent. I spoke to him
:08:49. > :08:52.last week in the tunnel, he was despondent, he hadn't got on, but it
:08:53. > :08:57.just shows you, a week in football is not a long time at all. Hopefully
:08:58. > :09:02.that gives him the shot in the arm he needs because if it James
:09:03. > :09:05.McFadden is a real asset. You alluded to some poor Partick Thistle
:09:06. > :09:15.defending. Let's look at it at more detail. One of those guys has got to
:09:16. > :09:20.get in there. Get in, close down the space. No one is going near him. And
:09:21. > :09:25.you can't do that at this level. Here, it's very simple. They it
:09:26. > :09:30.inside, just don't lose the ball. Because Ainsworth is sneaking up the
:09:31. > :09:38.back there, and he isn't so much space, so you can't take chances if
:09:39. > :09:43.you are the final man. You certainly don't pass it to Lasley, he is
:09:44. > :09:48.having a great season. I can't really speak about this, any ideas?
:09:49. > :09:53.I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say he lost the ball
:09:54. > :09:58.in the floodlights! This one is interesting. 18 metres between the
:09:59. > :10:04.defenders, that amount of space, you wouldn't get that very often. You
:10:05. > :10:08.are generally looking to get a yard of space, not 18 yards! Alan
:10:09. > :10:16.Archibald was disappointed with the defending. Partick Thistle on
:10:17. > :10:22.getting the services of Lyle Taylor, a good signing? Definitely, he got a
:10:23. > :10:26.lot of goals for Falkirk last season. He plays on the shoulder, he
:10:27. > :10:32.may be the missing link for Partick Thistle. They face Celtic in the New
:10:33. > :10:35.Year. Next we're off to McDiarmid Park where goal-shy St Johnstone
:10:36. > :10:38.were up against Dundee United. The last Saints goal had come in
:10:39. > :10:42.November. In contrast Dundee United had been goal crazy in recent times,
:10:43. > :10:45.but their superb run of form had come to a shuddering halt with
:10:46. > :11:02.defeat to St Mirren on Boxing Day. Commentary comes from
:11:03. > :11:29.Edwards found room for the shot. He made a difference when it came off
:11:30. > :11:33.the bench against Celtic and he is off to us rightly start here. -- ace
:11:34. > :11:49.rightly start. That is a penalty! And that was also
:11:50. > :11:54.a red card. He wasn't convinced the header was reaching the goalkeeper.
:11:55. > :12:02.He had a towel, it wasn't much, it was enough for a dismissal early on.
:12:03. > :12:08.Stevie May scores his 15th of the season. And St Johnstone are ahead
:12:09. > :12:22.against their rivals. He doesn't look too pleased, he
:12:23. > :12:26.should be! It was hooked off the line by Andy Robertson. A towering
:12:27. > :12:42.header, the keeper was beaten. That was a good effort from the St
:12:43. > :12:44.Johnstone midfielder. It was really good build-up, quick passing and
:12:45. > :12:50.movement. Looking for a response from his
:12:51. > :13:06.team, Jackie McNamara. It's grammar clear by Dundee United.
:13:07. > :13:09.-- scrambled clear. They are happy at the moment to be still in the
:13:10. > :13:23.game under real pressure. That was close from Wilson! Good
:13:24. > :13:39.effort from the full-back am just moved to much, I think.
:13:40. > :13:57.The shot from the former Partick Thistle man, always rising.
:13:58. > :14:01.Running a long way with the ball, David Wotherspoon, and a stinging
:14:02. > :14:19.shot at the end of it. Steve May scores again! It has gone
:14:20. > :14:25.right through the goalkeeper, it is a double for St Johnstone. He should
:14:26. > :14:36.not really have been scoring from that position. The goalkeeper was at
:14:37. > :14:44.fault as well as the defender. Good ball from Nigel Hasselbaink.
:14:45. > :14:55.Agonising! He not that across goal, but there was just too much on it
:14:56. > :15:05.for Steve May to make contact on the hat-trick hunt. Stephen Anderson.
:15:06. > :15:18.He can set up Steve May! Hat-trick for the 21-year-old Saint Johnstone
:15:19. > :15:26.striker. It is his 15th goal of the season. We started the game really
:15:27. > :15:28.well and I just hope the performance is not undervalued because of the
:15:29. > :15:33.sending off because I thought we were by far the better team up to
:15:34. > :15:37.that stage. We emphasised the point that we wanted a high tempo game,
:15:38. > :15:42.press them high up the pitch, and we did that, but I thought we also
:15:43. > :15:46.played some good football. For me, that is a disappointing thing, the
:15:47. > :15:50.concentration, the decision-making at times, to get the penalty in the
:15:51. > :15:55.first instance for me was per decision making. It was a fantastic
:15:56. > :15:59.victory for St Johnstone. How big was the sending off and was the
:16:00. > :16:04.right decision? It is a game changer, a sending off is always
:16:05. > :16:08.going to be a huge point in a game and for me it is a sending off,
:16:09. > :16:13.without a doubt. He has his hand on his shoulder and at the last-second
:16:14. > :16:18.peoples and back. It is a definite sending-off and unfortunately it is
:16:19. > :16:26.a goal-scoring opportunity. Pat, do you agree? No option whatsoever for
:16:27. > :16:31.the referee, so well done. Ten men, eight changes, away from home, not
:16:32. > :16:35.much of a surprise. It is all about how you react. A lot of the talented
:16:36. > :16:41.Dundee United youngsters were on the bench for various reasons. Lots of
:16:42. > :16:45.scouts in the stands would have been disappointed. They did see Steve May
:16:46. > :16:49.scoring a hat-trick. How difficult will it be to keep hold of him in
:16:50. > :16:53.January? There will definitely be people looking at him. That was his
:16:54. > :16:58.15th goal yesterday, after his hat-trick. He has a bit of
:16:59. > :17:04.everything, he has been pivotal for St Johnstone. He can turn on either
:17:05. > :17:09.fruit. Good finish. He has been a big player for St Johnstone and they
:17:10. > :17:12.will be having to fend off teams because he has been sensational. He
:17:13. > :17:19.has really lit up the Premier League. The only thing that has made
:17:20. > :17:24.him bad in some peoples eyes is his unorthodox look and style. He looks
:17:25. > :17:30.bulkier than he actually is, he is really quite quick. He is quite
:17:31. > :17:35.scruffy but he is a superb player. Let us talk about Dundee United.
:17:36. > :17:40.People were surprised when Saint Mirren turned them over. Thanks.
:17:41. > :17:46.People will be saying the bubble has burst. Not at all. They have lost
:17:47. > :17:52.two in a row, seven goals conceded and two sendings off. But before
:17:53. > :17:56.that they were absolutely superb. It is just a wee blip and they have too
:17:57. > :18:02.much talent in their squad. Plenty of us looking forward to the Dundee
:18:03. > :18:06.United clash against Aberdeen. Aberdeen were playing Ross County
:18:07. > :18:09.yesterday. A few changes to the says, with Mark Reynolds replacing
:18:10. > :18:15.Russell Anderson. Barry Robson was dropped to the bench. As for Ross
:18:16. > :18:22.County, despite their recent struggles, they had never ever lost
:18:23. > :18:24.to Aberdeen. In fact one of their three victories was to Aberdeen in
:18:25. > :18:36.October. There is not many better ways to
:18:37. > :18:42.announce your return to the team than taking a free kick like this.
:18:43. > :18:45.Nicky Low making virtually the entire stadium jump as Aberdeen took
:18:46. > :18:51.the lead in just the second minute of the match.
:18:52. > :18:57.And just ten minutes later it got even better for Aberdeen, when Peter
:18:58. > :19:06.Pawlett was brought down in the penalty area. Good skill, no doubt
:19:07. > :19:10.about the decision. Scott Vernon took the penalty responsibility, it
:19:11. > :19:16.was a fine save from Michael Fraser to keep the score at 1-0.
:19:17. > :19:26.Scott Vernon promptly got over his disappointment for another goal. And
:19:27. > :19:30.the turn but the short distance -- good turn but the shot drifted wide.
:19:31. > :19:35.Ross County had made changes from the side that lost to Hibs. They
:19:36. > :19:39.were calling for a penalty and they might have had a case with the way
:19:40. > :19:44.Mark Reynolds's handmade contact with the ball. Nothing was given and
:19:45. > :19:48.Aberdeen were causing problems again for the side second bottom of the
:19:49. > :19:54.Premiership. Scott Boyd deflected Niall McGinn's cross against his own
:19:55. > :20:02.post. Some need play set up another Aberdeen chance. For once, Niall
:20:03. > :20:06.McGinn's aiming was off. Overall, Aberdeen were the better side, as
:20:07. > :20:11.they geared up for the New Year new firm derby. Cameron Smith with a
:20:12. > :20:15.shot saved as it finished 1-0. I felt we were in total control of the
:20:16. > :20:20.match. I was really enjoying watching my team played today. We
:20:21. > :20:22.have been wasteful of good opportunities, getting into good
:20:23. > :20:27.areas, and we have been there before. Missed penalties have come
:20:28. > :20:32.back to bite us and thankfully it did not today. We did not do well
:20:33. > :20:36.enough offensively today. Defensively, we kept their good
:20:37. > :20:40.players quiet, and they are a very good side. Deserve to be where they
:20:41. > :20:43.are in the league. It has been a difficult start to the season for us
:20:44. > :20:48.and we are just having to hang on in there and trying to replace and
:20:49. > :20:53.taking players in January. Nicky Low with his first league start. Also
:20:54. > :20:57.his first senior goal in football and what a strike it was. Wreck to
:20:58. > :21:07.Reef Derek McInnes's side halfway through the season, what you make of
:21:08. > :21:10.this? -- a victory for them. He has been sensational. He has got a real
:21:11. > :21:16.positivity about the club that had been missing. Big crowds coming to
:21:17. > :21:21.the game, 11,000, semifinal of the, but it will not be enough for Derek.
:21:22. > :21:27.He will see this as the start of his journey. Let's look at the report
:21:28. > :21:35.card so far. Makes for pretty impressive reading. Played 19 games,
:21:36. > :21:40.35 points, and have won 11 of them. What do you make of those? Superb
:21:41. > :21:43.but not surprising in anyway. Aberdeen have underperformed for so
:21:44. > :21:49.many years but I think a lot of people within the game looked at
:21:50. > :21:51.them and thought, you got lucky getting him because he was very
:21:52. > :21:58.unfortunate with what happened to him down south, many other teams
:21:59. > :22:02.were interested, I think it took a little while to convince some
:22:03. > :22:07.supporters but I think almost all of them are on board now. So many
:22:08. > :22:10.people are looking forward to the derby between Dundee United and
:22:11. > :22:17.Aberdeen, how do you see that going? It will be brilliant, cracking game,
:22:18. > :22:22.3-3. I just want both teams to play at their best. If Dundee United play
:22:23. > :22:27.at their best, this will be some game, if this little blip continues
:22:28. > :22:33.it will be great. It will be goalless. Plenty more to come and
:22:34. > :22:38.with New Year dear, up 1% of pictures -- a lot of fixtures are a
:22:39. > :22:53.small while away. Some mouthwatering derby day
:22:54. > :23:07.matches. After the horror show start to the
:23:08. > :23:14.season, Kilmarnock had turned a corner in recent weeks. They made it
:23:15. > :23:19.three wins out of four games. They were back in the capital to face
:23:20. > :23:21.Hibs. Another victory would bring them level on points with the Easter
:23:22. > :23:33.Road side. Hibs unchanged from their victory in
:23:34. > :23:39.Ross County. They seek Terry Butcher's first home win. Kilmarnock
:23:40. > :23:44.defeated Hearts last time out. The manager names the same side that
:23:45. > :23:51.took to the field at Tynecastle. Sombre moment of reflection at
:23:52. > :24:13.Easter Road in memory of the youth player David Paul who passed away.
:24:14. > :24:23.One-handed save from Craig Samson. Good early play from Hibs. Stevenson
:24:24. > :24:36.with that in well. Was heading to the top corner. Paul Hanlon got
:24:37. > :24:39.free! Hibs ahead after 12 minutes. Another header from a corner and
:24:40. > :24:45.this time it is Paul Hanlon. Kilmarnock would have been aware of
:24:46. > :24:49.the fact that Hibs had scored from two corners against Ross County.
:24:50. > :25:03.Hibs gather through Stevenson. Forcing the save from Samson. Lewis
:25:04. > :25:12.Stevenson picked up on this clever little ball. He tested Craig Samson.
:25:13. > :25:31.What a great run from the midfield from Scott Robertson. The ball was
:25:32. > :25:34.not dealt with by Kilmarnock. Rattled the bar and James Collins
:25:35. > :25:51.could not get it back on target. Kris Boyd has scored in his last
:25:52. > :26:02.four games, he will be disappointed with that effort.
:26:03. > :26:21.Worth a shot. Foreword to Robertson. Good stuff from Hibs.
:26:22. > :26:29.The referee was well positioned. He waves away the protests of the Hibs
:26:30. > :26:36.players. That was clever from Paul Cairney.
:26:37. > :26:54.Hibs will break, James Collins leading the charge.
:26:55. > :27:17.Some good end to end stuff in this game. Out why to Lewis Stevenson.
:27:18. > :27:22.Shown the inside, and that is a mistake as he cannot finish. 13
:27:23. > :27:51.minutes to play. Lewis Stevenson rise and get the
:27:52. > :27:57.goal! Only his second in just over 200 appearances for Hibs, he rounds
:27:58. > :28:04.of the afternoon in style. Cracking strike from Lewis Stevenson. I think
:28:05. > :28:09.we have had seven goals and seven different goal-scorers. Spreading
:28:10. > :28:13.the goals around. I don't mind that. If they keep working hard then goals
:28:14. > :28:18.will come and they certainly did today. They made it difficult for
:28:19. > :28:21.us. We have got to defend the corner better in the first place, the first
:28:22. > :28:25.goal, especially when you see the week before they scored two goals
:28:26. > :28:30.from corners. It is a poor goal to lose. We are all starting to detect
:28:31. > :28:36.slight evidence of the Terry Butcher difference at Hibs. What do you see?
:28:37. > :28:44.Good organisation, particularly set pieces. We will have a look at what
:28:45. > :28:47.they showed us last week. All the players sitting in that really tight
:28:48. > :28:54.area but what what happens when the ball comes in, there is a marker on
:28:55. > :28:58.the scorer. In actual fact, for all this, the same game, but when they
:28:59. > :29:04.split, the ball comes in, there is still a marker on the scorer, so
:29:05. > :29:09.this is about desire, yes it is a clever little trick, the same again
:29:10. > :29:11.yesterday we know what is going to happen, they are going to go a
:29:12. > :29:16.different way, just that bit of confusion but once again, there is a
:29:17. > :29:20.marker Hathaway -- have a yard away. You need the desire to win
:29:21. > :29:26.that ball and I keep on using the word desire and that is the perfect
:29:27. > :29:33.word to describe Terry Butcher. That is what he has brought to heads so
:29:34. > :29:37.far. Seems to be more conviction. Yesterday, a threat would have been
:29:38. > :29:41.Kris Boyd and Chris Johnson and clearly that was snuffed out.
:29:42. > :29:45.Definitely, in the last five weeks they have been in top form, main
:29:46. > :29:50.players for Kilmarnock, and Hebburn and managed to snuff them out. In
:29:51. > :29:55.terms of Terry Butcher bringing organisation, you can see that
:29:56. > :29:59.coming through. The battle is getting into the top six. Yes, they
:30:00. > :30:03.need to score more goals, looking better now, the most important thing
:30:04. > :30:09.is, 16 goals they have lost this season, only Celtic have lost fewer.
:30:10. > :30:12.Next we're off to St Mirren Park where Steven Thompson's side were
:30:13. > :30:15.hoping to carry on where they'd left off after their superb 4-1 victory
:30:16. > :30:19.over Dundee United on Boxing Day. Just the one change to the team with
:30:20. > :30:22.Danny Grainger coming in for Kenny Mclean. And St Mirren's chances of
:30:23. > :30:26.another home win looked pretty good as they were up against the side
:30:27. > :30:27.rock bottom of the Premiership. Hearts had lost their last five
:30:28. > :30:34.matches. The only bit of real good news for
:30:35. > :30:38.Hearts was that their last two wins had both come away from home. With
:30:39. > :30:48.the story of the match in Paisley, here's Brian McLauchlin.
:30:49. > :30:54.Steven Thompson has had no problem in finding the net. He gives Saints
:30:55. > :31:06.the perfect start after three minutes. The Hearts defence in a
:31:07. > :31:11.real model. -- model. His 11th goal of the season. The former Scotland
:31:12. > :31:18.striker almost set up a second for the Saints. This is is through ball
:31:19. > :31:21.to Naismith. His shot was parried away by McDonald, Granger just
:31:22. > :31:27.failed to connect with the rebound. Hearts have lost their previous five
:31:28. > :31:31.matches and scored just one goal but their equaliser is a contender for
:31:32. > :31:37.goal of the season. Walker's Cross, initially cleared by the defence
:31:38. > :31:49.only to Jamie Hamill. A thundering 30 yarder into the roof of the net.
:31:50. > :31:58.Jim Goodwin has been in the news recently, he felt he had claims for
:31:59. > :32:03.a penalty. The ball certainly struck the teenager, but not with intent,
:32:04. > :32:09.thought the referee. Another chance for Thompson. Naismith with the
:32:10. > :32:17.shot, Thomson's effort, just wide of goal. Jamie Walker has also had an
:32:18. > :32:22.eye on goal this season for Hearts, this effort was also the wrong side
:32:23. > :32:26.of the post, though. One final chance for Hearts in the final
:32:27. > :32:34.minute stop substitute Smith with a run down the right, his cross met by
:32:35. > :32:38.Pettersson only for the keeper to deny him. Both sides picked up a
:32:39. > :32:47.valuable point. I thought today we made some poor
:32:48. > :32:55.decisions on the ball at times, that was uncharacteristic of us. I don't
:32:56. > :33:02.expect those mistakes from the group players we have. We never turned up
:33:03. > :33:05.on Boxing Day, they were some choice words after that game and I think
:33:06. > :33:12.the players responded in the right manner. It was important we put in a
:33:13. > :33:17.performance for the fans. Whatever static strike from Jamie Hamill. It
:33:18. > :33:23.has been a morale sapping few weeks for Hearts. How much will that have
:33:24. > :33:28.meant for them? It's lovely that they can get that, but it won't help
:33:29. > :33:33.them enough. It's the same thing every time, a bit of sympathy, not
:33:34. > :33:37.pity, but simply because they are always having to deal with hard
:33:38. > :33:45.times. But they never seem to give up fighting. You are absolutely
:33:46. > :33:54.prolific it seems! We're going to focus on the man on the other end of
:33:55. > :34:01.the pitch, Kello. He has been early on, he is making three, four,
:34:02. > :34:07.top-class saves again. I know he is in contract talks with us at the
:34:08. > :34:15.minute to renew his contract, if you are watching, hurry up ! You know
:34:16. > :34:23.it makes sense! But he is a sub superb keeper. Some news for St
:34:24. > :34:26.Mirren, Jim Goodwin has accepted a two match ban following this
:34:27. > :34:34.incident on Boxing Day against Dundee United. St Mirren,
:34:35. > :34:39.disappointed about Dundee United flagging this incident up on social
:34:40. > :34:45.media, what is your take on it? The SFA will deal with it, they dealt
:34:46. > :34:50.with it fairly lightly, two matches, it could have been a lot worse. But
:34:51. > :34:54.there is no point to add fuel to the fire. It's been dealt with, it was a
:34:55. > :35:05.terrible thing he did, no excuse at all. Anything to add? I thought that
:35:06. > :35:11.might be the reaction. We finish with Inverness versus Celtic. The
:35:12. > :35:14.reigning Scottish champions - and surely champions elect - have been
:35:15. > :35:18.untouchable this season in domestic football. Top of the league and so
:35:19. > :35:21.far unbeaten. For the largest part of the season they'd been pushed
:35:22. > :35:24.hardest by Caley Thistle, but in recent weeks the Highlanders had
:35:25. > :35:27.lost their grip on second place. How would they get on yesterday?
:35:28. > :35:34.Commentary comes from Alasdair Lamont.
:35:35. > :35:42.Bill Mackay is in fine form, eight goals in his last seven games.
:35:43. > :35:46.Celtic make just one change, James Forrest coming in for Fisher stop
:35:47. > :36:15.--. An early chance for Kris Commons!
:36:16. > :36:19.Taken with some aplomb. A lovely 1-2 with Samaras, and a delightful
:36:20. > :36:25.finish. Through the legs of the keeper. Celtic, within three
:36:26. > :36:34.minutes, are in front against Caley Thistle.
:36:35. > :36:44.Caley Thistle will look to respond quickly. That was done around, he
:36:45. > :36:45.shot straight at Fraser Forster. A comfortable save in the end for the
:36:46. > :37:04.England keeper. Stokes tried it all the way across
:37:05. > :37:09.goal. -- dragged. I think he was looking to shoot there. John Hughes
:37:10. > :37:11.and Lincolnshire in conversation, then that to get their side back on
:37:12. > :37:21.level terms. Billy Mackay is usually so deadly in
:37:22. > :37:24.that edition but on this occasion, his header was a rather weak one,
:37:25. > :37:44.easy for Fraser Forster. That was a really powerful hit by
:37:45. > :38:06.Shinnie. And again, Shinnie brings out a good
:38:07. > :38:08.save from Fraser Forster. He has looked at Caley Thistle's most
:38:09. > :38:31.potent threat, the full-back. Kris Commons was nipping in front of
:38:32. > :38:32.the defender, almost clipping in the second goal of the afternoon. Good
:38:33. > :38:51.movement from the front man. It almost came off. He has looked
:38:52. > :38:54.really lively, Kris Commons. This was really good intelligence, just
:38:55. > :39:17.an inch or two to five. -- too high. Brown flashes it wide. It was a
:39:18. > :39:18.lovely Celtic move. Allowing for all, almost producing their second
:39:19. > :39:41.goal. -- flowing football. It was worth a try, the ball was
:39:42. > :40:03.moving. Straight into the arms of a grateful
:40:04. > :40:15.Brill. Good play by Stokes. Brown didn't have the accuracy.
:40:16. > :40:23.How did he miss that! Linesman's flag was up, but almost a dream
:40:24. > :40:35.debut. He wasn't offside, Christie. Disappointed to lose a goal so early
:40:36. > :40:41.on and after that put so much effort into the match and come away losing.
:40:42. > :40:45.That is disappointing, but in terms of ball retention, passing it, very
:40:46. > :40:52.good. Celtic knew they were in a game. We were off to a great start,
:40:53. > :40:55.that seemed to settle us down a bit, but going forward, we could have
:40:56. > :41:00.done better with the amount of the session we had. But six clean sheets
:41:01. > :41:07.in a row domestically, we are playing very well. It was a good
:41:08. > :41:10.start from Celtic. We're going to focus on the good and maybe the
:41:11. > :41:18.slightly bad that we noticed in this match. Even historically, Celtic are
:41:19. > :41:24.always good at intricate play through the centre of teams, even
:41:25. > :41:31.back in the 80s. When Collins is involved, they always are. --
:41:32. > :41:36.Commons. That is the oldest one in the book. But look how many players
:41:37. > :41:49.test taken out of the game, four players have. It is intricate, quick
:41:50. > :41:55.play, step overs. Countless Celtic teams have done it over the years. I
:41:56. > :42:00.love watching them do that but it always has that guy Kris Commons
:42:01. > :42:04.involved. A slight disappointment they didn't score more goals
:42:05. > :42:10.yesterday. We're nit-picking now, but some of the defending at times
:42:11. > :42:18.could have been tighter. Six and a half games since they lost a gold
:42:19. > :42:26.domestic league. But if you do turn off, you pay for it eventually. Look
:42:27. > :42:36.at Ambrose, he has just left him. It's a free header. Again here, back
:42:37. > :42:42.post, three players, massive chance. Last minute of the game as well. I
:42:43. > :42:46.have seen this creeping into the game and eventually will affect them
:42:47. > :42:51.and it did against the much but it seems in Europe. Having said that, I
:42:52. > :42:59.suspect they might still win the league! Your side face them soon.
:43:00. > :43:02.Yes, on Sunday. It's always a very difficult game against them,
:43:03. > :43:07.considering they have six clean sheets it's a difficult task. I
:43:08. > :43:14.always enjoy the games against Celtic, a bigger atmosphere. It will
:43:15. > :43:18.be a tough test for sure. A shocking incident in this match, I couldn't
:43:19. > :43:29.believe this. This was a pushing incident on the referee. Crawford,
:43:30. > :43:35.not very happy about it. I just can't believe it! It's funny, but it
:43:36. > :43:40.would never crossed my mind to push the referee over. It's hilarious, he
:43:41. > :43:51.has just pushed him over. Could have been a red card! It was like Paolo
:43:52. > :43:55.Di Canio! I don't think so, I think the players within his rights here.
:43:56. > :44:02.Get out of the way, I need to close him down! Emits me, I would push him
:44:03. > :44:06.out of the way. -- if it was me. He is in my way, you shouldn't be
:44:07. > :44:13.there. Get out of the way of the play. Did you ever do anything like
:44:14. > :44:17.that? No, but I would have. The most important thing is you stop the
:44:18. > :44:22.goal, you do whatever you can. That's why the referee didn't book
:44:23. > :44:25.him. As he knows it's not deliberately offensive, nasty
:44:26. > :44:37.thing, he's only trying to slow the way down. You are looking at me... !
:44:38. > :45:01.Done it. Controversial stuff. The final table looks like this.
:45:02. > :45:06.From everyone here, have a happy Hogmanay. Until next year, good
:45:07. > :45:09.night!