On this day a year ago, Celtic fans discovered the loss of a legend. Billy McNeill had passed away, closing over the most incredible chapter in the club’s history.
The giant from Bellshill had been involved in almost a third of the clubs’ trophy successes. Lisbon, 9-in-a-row, the 4-2 match and the Centenary season, and many, many more.
In his role as a club ambassador McNeill looked on with pleasure over many more successes, April 22 has hosted two of the most memorable Celtic occasions this century.
Down in Ayrshire in 2007 Celtic were struggling a bit towards lifting the SPL title having built up a massive lead earlier in the season.
Gordon Strachan’s squad was hammered by injuries with a back four of John Kennedy, Steven Pressley, Gary Caldwell and Darren O’Dea listed to play Kilmarnock.
Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink opened the scoring in the 25th minute but Colin Nish equalised five minutes into the second half.
The party looked like it would be delayed but in stoppage time the King of Japan stepped up to curl in a trademark free-kick to trigger incredible scenes of celebration.
Five years later the scene turned to Fir Park, a week after another title triumph at Rugby Park.
It was a poor game, it looked like the players had partied too hard through the week when a kid from Coatbridge replaced Pawel Brozek in the 59th minute.
Within seven minutes everyone was asking about Celtic’s two goal hero Tony Watt, before the end of 2012 he had scored one of the most famous Celtic goals of the century.
On this day in 2007, Celtic wrapped up the Premier League title with four games to play thanks to a stunning injury-time free-kick from Shunsuke Nakamura. pic.twitter.com/fhnxsUD3uC
— CelticLisboa (@CelticLisboaa) April 21, 2020
What a free-kick, perfectly timed to kick off another Rugby Park title party
22nd April 2012, Motherwell 0:3 Celtic.
Watt(2) and Cha. @32watto_ @robotdr22
Double for Watt on his debut. pic.twitter.com/4jVAwFphqf
— Li’l Ze (@LilZe85) April 21, 2020
If you are to have a brief Celtic career you’d want it to be Tony Watt’s, later that year he scored a very famous goal
