In the world of journalism, or more accurately sub-editing, any late goal against Hearts is inevitably a heart-breaker with Glenn Loovens the latest in a regular stream of Celts to pop up with a late winner against the Jambos.
The inquest into another lost opportunity to go clear of Rangers would have been long and painful if Loovens hadn’t scored, the build-up to the October 4 clash at Ibrox would have started already.
Beating Hearts created a little bit of breathing space after a difficult week which re-opened a number of issues with the team wilting away to Hapoel Tel Aviv against a backdrop of poorly timed comments from Gary Caldwell.
A last minute or injury time winner is one of the sweetest feelings in football, the elation of the goal is matched by the knowledge that there’s virtually no likelihood of conceding with victory secured.
HINDSIGHT
Under the first three years of Gordon Strachan’s management Celtic made a habit of scoring late goals, often supporters or pundits would say that they could feel a goal coming but that’s always in hindsight, at the time a goal seems unlikely as the clock races by with points slipping aside.
Most Celtic supporters would associate Mark McGhee as a chief heart-breaker and it’s true that he did have the happy knack of finding the net against the boys in maroon.
The semi-final of the Scottish Cup in the Centenary season was McGhee’s greatest moment against the Jambos.
CENTENARY
A dodgy goal from a combined Brian Whittaker/Dave McPherson effort looked like killing the centenary double dead in it’s tracks with Frank McAvennie missing a hatful of chances as Billy McNeill’s side chased an equaliser and a reply.
McGhee came off the bench to equalise in the 86th minute as Henry Smith dropped a corner invitingly at his feet before setting up Andy Walker for a last minute winner and the rest is history.
Looking back at that game McGhee is generally credited with both goals, he certainly changed the match and had the Hearts defence in a state of panic but it was Walker that scored the winner.
Possibly the most significant heart-breaker was an equaliser at Tynecastle on the opening day of the 1985/86 season. Former Celt John Colquhoun had given Hearts the lead, in truth Celtic were barely in the match, but in the final minute the Maestro drilled in an equaliser which gained extra significant when Albert Kidd made a telling substitute appearance at the end of the season…
Five Great Heartbreakers
No 1. Brian McClair. 20 March 1985 Celtic 3-2 Hearts
With the league title almost certainly destined for Aberdeen there wasn’t much at stake in this game except for the brewing rivalry between the two clubs with Hearts fielding a number of ex-Rangers players recruited by the management team of Alex MacDonald and Sandy Jardine.
I’ll need to dig out the details soon but Hearts did go two goals up and as expected used every time-wasting tactic possible. Brian McClair was thrown on as a substitute as Celtic forced the game and in the days before boards were held up to indicate injury time the former Motherwell striker grabbed the winner in the third minute of injury time after Murdo MacLeod and Mo Johnstone had pulled Celtic back into the match.
No 2. Mark McGhee. 12 August 1987 Celtic 1-0 Hearts
The first big test of the Centenary season saw Hearts visit Celtic Park after the boost of an opening day 4-0 win away to Morton featuring an Andy Walker hat-trick.
It was a tense game with few chances for either side but in the dying minutes McGhee used his bulk to brush off two Hearts defenders to win a high ball before sending the ball past Smith and setting off on his celebrations.
Wallace Mercer was far from happy with the goal, he moaned long and loud about the decision which basically ended the career of Kevin O’Donnell as a referee. His route to the top ended there and then as he was eased out of the picture over a marginal decision.
No. 3 Andy Walker. 9 April 1988 Celtic 2-1 Hearts
With the league title a few points away attention had turned to the Scottish Cup as the double loomed in the centenary season.
The dream looked to be dead as Hearts led going into the last five minutes but the appearance of substitute McGhee had shaken Hearts up with Smith dropping a corner for the striker to equalise with Andy Walker firing home the winner to book Celtic’s final date with destiny in the 1988 Scottish Cup Final.
No. 4 Craig Gordon. 4 November 2006 Celtic 2-1 Hearts
The Scotland keeper came up with an incredible own goal, one of the strangest ever seen at Celtic Park.
On the back of a 3-0 defeat from Benfica in the Champions League the last thing that Celtic needed was to go behind against Hearts but that’s what happened when Andrius Velicka found the net in the 72nd minute.
Jiri Jarosik equalised with four minutes left to play before Gordon started fumbling around in the final minute before slipping the ball into his own net to give Celtic the win.
Glenn Loovens. 20 September 2009 Celtic 2-1 Hearts
Trailing from the fifth minute when a save-able shot from Suso Santana squirmed past Artur Boruc Celtic equalised early in the seco
nd half through a Chris Killen header.
nd half through a Chris Killen header.
Referee Dougie McDonald body swerved a clear penalty for a foul on Niall McGinn in the 85th minute before finding four minutes of injury time.
Danny Fox’s inswinging corner was weakly punched by the Hearts keeper, Aiden McGeady sent a looping header into the six yard box with Loovens rising highest to nod the ball into the net.
Not a winner but as important was Paul McStay's last minute equaliser in the centenary season.
2-0 down and drew 2-2 at home.
YIC
LoTW