In February Ryan Bowman tried to end his career and got words of sympathy from referee Don Robertson and a very reluctant yellow card.
In March Kieran Tierney watched Kenny Miller fly in with both feet off the ground at Stuart Armstrong. Good guy Bobby Madden decided to let the game flow.
Later in the game Jason Holt flew in on Patrick Roberts, wrapped both legs round the young Celt and sent him crashing to the deck.
Bobby Madden waved play on.
Earlier this month at Pittodrie Hayden Stockley put a marker down on Tierney with a swinging elbow that caught the side of his face.
‘Don’t do it again big man,’ from Steven McLean wasn’t much of a deterrent.
Yesterday Stockley struck gold- and Gordon Strachan is counting the cost.
Knowing you can get one free strike at a Celtic player Stockley knew exactly what he was doing.
Seconds earlier he’d watch Madden allow one of his lumbering team mates to deck Leigh Griffiths and go unpunished.
With a quick swing of his arm and fist clenched Stockley connected perfectly with Tierney and the young full-back’s season was over.
A five minute delay enabled Tierney to go off without any further pain. Mission accomplished for Stockley, the journeyman’s journeyman.
With a key player removed from their opponents ranks it looked promising for Stockley, the surprise choice in Derek Medicines’ side.
Celtic however had the last laugh as Callus McGregor turned in an outstanding performance at left-back and Tierney’s replacement Tom Logic scored a stoppage time winner.
Stockley can now cherish his runners up medal as he returns to the brutal circuits of Leyton Orient, Woking, Accringtom and Exeter where his style of play is best suited.
As Patrick Roberts takes his body out of the firing line and Tierney misses Scotland’s departure from the World Cup qualifiers perhaps someone in an SFA think tank may consider getting referees that apply the laws of the game to allow players to flourish.
