SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Hamilton 1 Celtic 1:YOU COULD make a decent soap opera out of Celtic's season to date. Their latest colourful encounter was also a damaging one, Hamilton belying their status as the Scottish Premier League's bottom-placed team to hold their more illustrious opponents to a draw.
Only a 90th-minute Anthony Stokes penalty denied Hamilton their first win over Celtic since 1989.
Hamilton ended the game with nine players to Celtic’s 10.
The visitors’ James Forrest was harshly dismissed, four minutes after the interval, before Hamilton’s Jim McAlister also saw red. Simon Mensing, who upended Emilio Izaguirre for the crucial spot-kick, was sent off for that.
The strong scent of cordite provided the backdrop to this game. Open warfare has again broken out between Celtic and the Scottish Football Asosciation, after the governing body imposed a six-game touchline ban on Neil Lennon.
George Peat, the SFA’s president, has pointedly asked Celtic to desist from complaining about matters of officialdom.
“Celtic’s policy of airing their grievances in public is becoming tiresome,” said Peat.
“Perhaps Celtic should devote more time to their own responsibilities and discipline than questioning others.”
On matters relating to football, Lennon also had cause for concern. He had only one fit striker for this match, with Anthony Stokes turning out as a lone forward.
Fittingly, Hamilton’s opener arrived in controversial circumstances. At the time of their 28th-minute free-kick, dubiously awarded in the first place, the home player Martin Canning appeared to be offside.
Canning’s positioning was enough to irritate the Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Forster, whose block of the set play only allowed Simon Mensing to head home.
By the 44th minute, Lennon had earned a lecture over his conduct from the referee Willie Collum.
There was merely a shake of the head from Celtic’s manager as his team were reduced to 10 men. Collum, seemingly on the advice of his assistant Tom Murphy, showed red to Forrest after a tackle on David Buchanan. Albeit the young winger was late, a booking would have been a more legitimate punishment.
McAlister’s dismissal looked more clear-cut. The Hamilton substitute, on the field for only 35 seconds and having not touched the ball, stupidly left a boot into Mark Wilson.
Collum had little option but to level up the teams, especially taking his Forrest red into account. Amid all this madness, Celtic were showing little hint that they would claw themselves back towards parity.
Guardian Service
HAMILTON: Cerny, McLaughlin (McAlister 62), Graham, Canning, Mensing, Flavio Paixao, Buchanan, Gillespie (Wilkie 83), Skelton, Imrie, Hasselbaink (Casalinuovo 82). Subs not used: Murdoch, Marco Paixao, Elebert, Antoine-Curier.
CELTIC:Forster, Wilson (McGinn 66), Rogne, Majstorovic, Izaguirre, Forrest, Kayal (Brown 59), Ledley (Ljungberg 75), Mulgrew, McCourt, Stokes. Subs not used: Zaluska, Juarez, Crosas, Towell. Booked: Wilson, McGinn.
Referee:W Collum (Scotland).
