SOCCER/Clyde - 2 Celtic - 1: The world, his cameraman and a Celtic supporters' bus from Co Donegal came to Cumbernauld yesterday and this Lanarkshire new town did not disappoint. The occasion was described beforehand as a circus as often as a Scottish Cup tie, with the pictures beamed from Cork to China.
The reason was Roy Keane's debut for Celtic. But this was far better than anything Billy Smart could have staged. To say it was entertaining is an understatement that may not be beaten in the remainder of 2006.
This is the sort of place readers of Irvine Welsh might recognise but yesterday it was all sunshine and smiles. Not from Keane, though. This performance from Celtic was of the variety that made Manchester United's 4-1 defeat at Middlesbrough in October look measured.
Keane's vitriolic reaction to that United effort ended with his departure from Old Trafford and explained why here in the land of Glasgow overspill he was participating in the famous Celtic huddle at five to one on a Sunday afternoon.
In historic terms Celtic, the cup holders, have only to go back six years to recall a day of equal humiliation but it is hardly consoling. That was the 3-1 home defeat in the same round of the same competition by Inverness Caledonian Thistle. It generated the "Super Caley Go Ballistic Celtic Are Atrocious" headline and spelled the end of the Kenny Dalglish-John Barnes management dream team.
Under Martin O'Neill Celtic lost again to Inverness in the Scottish Cup two seasons later - in the Highlands. But uncomfortably for O'Neill's successor Gordon Strachan there is a more recent gauge of embarrassment, this season's 5-0 defeat in the Champions League qualifier by Artmedia Bratislava, Strachan's first game.
Strachan described Celtic's first-half display yesterday as "worse" than against Bratislava. There were no public words from Keane, just a few silent handshakes on the final whistle and a gestured promise to exchange his number 16 jersey in the tunnel. Keane may have been contemplating the shock of the new.
Wearing an all-green strip as opposed to Celtic's hoops, Keane had got his first touch in Scottish football after two minutes. That was the same minute he administered his first complaint. It was directed at Stephen McManus, one of Celtic's centre-halves.
The Chinese loan signing Du Wei was McManus's partner and, like Keane, Du Wei was making his Celtic debut. An indication of how traumatic Du Wei found Clyde came in the question to Strachan afterwards about whether Du Wei would be retained.
Strachan was diplomatic but the answer is surely "no way".
Du Wei was replaced at half-time yesterday. Celtic were 2-0 down and they were lucky it was not 3-0. Clyde had one legitimate goal disallowed, another correctly ruled out for offside and they missed a penalty.
The referee Kenny Clark gave Celtic the benefit of doubt all afternoon. Du Wei was twice the recipient; in the 15th minute he was shoulder-charged off the ball fairly by Tom Brighton - or Super Tommy Brighton as the Clyde fans know him. Having seen off Du Wei, Brighton slid the ball into the back of the net only for Clark to give a free-kick to Celtic.
That was a bad decision but not as poor as some of those being made by Celtic's players. Relatively advanced at times in front of Neil Lennon, Keane might have been questioning his own decision-making. Real Madrid were playing Villarreal yesterday. And just how good are Burton Albion? Soon Keane would be displaying that familiar arms-outstretched pleading pose.
Then as he scurried to rescue a worrisome Clyde attack caused by John Hartson's careless header, Keane's tackle on Stephen O'Donnell inadvertently took the ball into the path of the left-back Eddie Malone.
Malone delivered a great cross but it was missed by everyone including the Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc. At the far post, however, Craig Bryson stole in to nod Clyde in front. All of Broadwood Stadium, well most of it, nodded at the justice of it.
That was the 32nd minute; three more passed before Du Wei upended Brighton in the Celtic area. Unquestionably it was a penalty, but would Clark dismiss Du Wei? No. Clyde fumed and the steam emerging from their ears roared out when Boruc dived to his right to save O'Donnell's penalty.
But a corner followed, O'Donnell took it and Clyde had their second when Malone connected beautifully with the cross. A rasping volley left Boruc with no chance. Clyde's fans who had baited their rivals Partick Thistle from the kick-off now sang "Keano for Thistle".
Celtic had to improve in the second half, but it was marginal. With seven minutes left Maciej Zurawski pulled one back but there was to be no equaliser.
Clyde, managed and organised superbly by Graham Roberts, had their victory and a fourth-round tie with another rising club, Gretna. The circus will have left Cumbernauld by then. For Keane it will continue a while yet.
Guardian Service
CLYDE: Cherrie, McGregor, Higgins, McKeown, Malone, Bryson (Bouadji 82), Masterton, O'Donnell, McGowan, Williams (Miller 81), Tom Brighton (Arbuckle 89). Subs Not Used: Hunter, Jarvie. Goals: Bryson 32, Malone 36.
CELTIC: Boruc, Telfer, Du (Virgo 45), McManus, Wallace (McGeady 55), Nakamura, Lennon, Keane, Pearson, Hartson (Zurawski 71), Maloney. Subs Not Used: Marshall, Lawson. Booked: McManus. Goals: Zurawski 83.
Referee: K Clark (Scotland).
