The Bhoys Get Back On Track At Fir Park

Celtic Closes Gap With Rangers To Just Four Points

By Tony Quinn

It was a return to form for Celtic on Sunday at the horizontal sand dune that is Fir Park against Motherwell. The Hoops took the lead in the 17th minute through a Stephen McManus header. The Celtic captain then scored at the other end in the 24th minute, knocking Ross McCormack's shot into the empty net to level the scores.

However, former Motherwell striker Scott McDonald scored his 27th goal of the season to restore the Bhoys' lead. And Dutch international Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink completed the comfortable victory with two, the first a powerful header just before half-time and then a fine finish from 12-yards in the 57th minute.

In his post-match interview Gordon Strachan was full of praise for the Bhoys' efforts. "The football was a joy to behold at times last week but the commitment today was a joy. Performance-wise, in terms of playing football that's the worst we've played in the last five games - and it's not easy to play football out there," he said, in reference to the poor playing surface at Fir Park.

After the game a much-relieved Paul Hartley said. "We had to win this game against Motherwell and we managed to do that. The spirit has always been good, we have just not been getting results. Motherwell went up the park once last week and managed to score. We had numerous chances but we managed to take those chances. Sometimes it's just about putting the ball in to the net and we did that."

After watching his side beat Motherwell 4-1 on Sunday Gordon Strachan has hit out at some supporters' and the media reaction to Celtic's recent run of poor form. He said: "After Sunday's game someone told me it was a great performance. It was a fully committed performance but it just shows you what goals can do. I have to stay above the emotion. Some people might not like that but I've told the players they are doing a lot of things right... We can now breathe a little easier and not spend the next few days scratching our heads and wondering what's going wrong. That's what we've been doing after the last five games where we have been wondering what more we can do to win a game of football."

Defender Lee Naylor hopes Rangers' demanding run of big games proves too hard to handle and allows the Hoops to claw back the deficit in the SPL title race. Naylor admits the congested fixture list which Rangers face could work in Celtic's favor. "That's what we've got to count on," the 28-year-old said. "If they see us winning and getting the points, even though they've got games in hand, it's going to be difficult. We accept that someone else has got to do something to help us and we have to do our job at the same time, first and foremost. But we have belief. If you don't have that belief then you shouldn't be here."

Rod Stewart has revealed the two players that he would sign for Celtic if money were not object as he stated that Lionel Messi and Carlos Tevez would be his dream frontmen. The world famous singer is an avid fan of the Bhoys and was asked by Argentinian sports daily 'Ola' who he would sign if he had the choice and he chose the two Argentine internationals. "I want Lionel Messi and Carlos Tevez to sign for Celtic. Either of them would be fantastic signings for our team," he said. "We have suffered against Messi in the Champions League and Tevez has continued to perform at Manchester United."

Burnley and Preston could battle it out for Celtic's out-of-favor Derek Riordan after his latest outburst against Gordon Strachan. The Celtic boss is believed to be ready to release Riordan at the end of the season after he was subjected to an outburst by the ex-Hibs player. The 25-year-old has been frustrated over his lack of opportunities under Strachan and faces showdown talks with the manager over an unpaid club fine and his comments to the media, according to reports.

The SPL has confirmed the kick-off time for the April 27 meeting with Rangers at Celtic Park. The top of the table clash will kick-off at 7.30am EST on Sunday April 27.