Maloney Returns To Paradise And The Bhoys Go Top

Celtic 3 Falkirk 0

By Tony Quinn

Two goals from Georgios Samaras and one from Bhoys skipper Stephen McManus helped Celtic to a 3-0 win over Falkirk at Parkhead and back to the top of the SPL.

It was the return of Shaun Maloney, on for the injured Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink in the first half, which helped turn the game for the Hoops.

The former Aston Villa player, signed on Friday after an 18-month spell in the midlands, won the free-kick from which came McManus's 31st minute opener.

He then set up Samaras either side of the interval for the Greece international to open his account for the season. Maloney was awarded man of the match.

During the game Celtic supporters paid tribute to the legendary Billy McNeill on the 50th anniversary of his debut for the club. Cesar, captain of Jock Stein's Lisbon Lions and one of the most successful managers in Celtic's history, took a bow at half-time during the win over Falkirk as almost 60,000 fans gave him a standing ovation.

Scotland manager George Burley has said Maloney is in line for a national team recall for the World Cup preliminaries in Macedonia and Iceland. After Maloney's display against Falkirk Burley said: "I was at the game and Shaun was excellent, so he certainly comes back into my thoughts. It looks as if he has had a new lease of life. I am going to announce the squad on Wednesday and he comes into consideration. I didn't forgot about Shaun; the problem was he wasn't playing at Aston Villa. He's back playing, which is the important thing. If you're not playing then it is very difficult to maintain sharpness."

Celtic could be without their first-choice strike force for Sunday's Glasgow derby. Scott McDonald has a groin injury and Vennegoor of Hesselink is a doubt after being stretchered off in the Falkirk game.

Dougie McDonald has been selected to referee Sunday's Glasgow derby. McDonald will take charge of his third clash between Celtic and Rangers when the teams meet at Parkhead. In the previous encounters McDonald issued seven bookings. Celtic won both games, a 3-0 home triumph against an Alex McLeish side in November 2005 and a 2-0 victory in September 2006 when Kenny Miller notched his first goal in the hoops.

Former Celtic midfielder Thomas Gravesen is yet to make a decision regarding his next move. The Danish star was released over the summer, leaving him without a club as the transfer window draws a close. His agent, John Sivebaek, confirmed there has been plenty of interest, but at the moment the 32-year-old continues to weigh up his options. "It's still new to him and he is still over in Scotland until he finds out what will happen," Sivebaek told Sporten.

There are reports that Wolfsburg defender Alexander Madlung is close to finalizing his transfer to Celtic. The fee is reported to be in the region of £2.5 to £3 million. Last week Madlung said: "I would be happy to play for Celtic, that would be no problem. It's a great club with lots of tradition and a big reputation in European football."

The SFA has extended the summer transfer window by 24 hours to next Monday, 1st September. "A significant number of associations have decided to move the closure of their window," read an SFA statement.

"It would seem to make sense to assist our clubs and ensure that they are not disadvantaged in any way when trying to sign players prior to the deadline." After the 1 September deadline has passed, the transfer window will re-open on Thursday 1 January.

Japan coach Takeshi Okada has called up Celtic playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura for the World Cup qualifier at Bahrain on Sept 6.