Talk about a tale of two halves. Hamilton absolutely owned my Bhoys for the entire opening stages of the game before the cream finally decided to rise to the top, as Celtic finished 3-1 victors. The win not only keeps us perfect, but sees Celtic needing just one win against Dundee to go into the 10/24 match against Rangers undefeated.
Just 3 minutes in, Hamilton had reason to celebrate. Earning a corner, the ball was sent long to the head of a Hamilton attacker and he headed the ball back to the middle of the box where it was tapped in for a goal. While you can blame the defense for not covering the deep man, the bigger question was why an Accie right in front of the goal was left completely unmarked. All the Green & White defenders were standing there, watching him put it in. The Hamilton pressure didn't stop there. Forster was forced to make save after heart stopping save. First, a complete breakaway came in on him, and he brick walled it. Later, a corner set up another chance for Hamilton that Forster stopped. Outside of letting in the single goal early on, the Newcastle loan boy was really, really on his game. In the 25th, he'd get a breather. Celtic earned a corner, and almost repeated what Hamilton had done 22 minutes earlier. The cross was played deep and headed back toward the middle, only we were flashier, as Shaun Maloney dove through the crowd, head first, to connect and send the ball into the net. It was a huge first goal of the game for the good guys, it would send Hoop Nation into a frenzy, and it would stay 1-1 through the first 45.
The second half continued to be all Celtic. Samaras had a solid chance early on, but had his blast stopped by the Accie keeper. Then, 20 minutes off the half, Celtic was on the attack. A ball was popped up just outside the box, and the Hammie defender decided it was better to simply grab and hug Scott Brown than to play defense. Celtic earned the free kick. Shaun Maloney stepped up and launched a perfectly curling ball into the upper left hand corner of the net, beyond the reach of the diving keeper, giving him a double and his squad the 2-1 lead. We weren't done yet, though, and just 7 minutes later we were on the ball again. A Hamilton defender attempted to get out of his own side of the field, but Gary Hooper straight stole the ball, and was on the break in on net. Just inside the box, H88per blasted a low shot right into the net, and sealed the deal for Celtic. After a tough start, we were off with a 3-1 victory.
Let's look at the lineup that kept this perfect start alive:
G: Fraser Forster- I'll be the first to admit that I felt replacing Zaluska after all we'd been through was a bad call, but clearly the Newcastle loanie was a great choice. Forster looked magical out there, and is making a great case for getting his stay extended.
D: Majstorovic, Loovens, and Cha Du-Ri- Playing just 3 back shows a lot of faith in these guys, and obviously they were up to the task...after the first 25 minutes. I know Juarez was playing defensive minded midfield, but it was still an interesting call.
M: Juarez (Stokes 63), Brown, Ledley, Ki- This midfield was solid. Ledley is my boy, Holy Guacamole is a stud, and Brown's effort led to Maloney's free kick goal. Nice to see Ki getting more time, as well.
F: Maloney, Samaras (Murphy 78), Hooper (Crosas 78)- Rolling three strikers is also a little un-Celtic like, but it worked. My boy H88per was strong, getting his goal, and what can you say about Shaun Maloney that hasn't already been said about Michael Jordan (outside of his gambling addiction and Hitler mustache on that Hane's commercial)? Samaras starting was a must. If anyone has earned that honor around here, it's the Gorgeous Greek, and we need to stop pretending otherwise, Neil Lennon.
At 7-0-0 after 7 games (21 points, +13 goal differential), Celtic are currently in first place in the SPL. The hated 'Gers are also 7-0-0 to start, but hold just a +12 GD, so they sit in second. We are now faced with a week off before the next SPL game, which is the only league test standing in between an undefeated Old Firm Derby match between Celtic and Rangers on 10/24. Oh man, that game going to be so huge. Celtic must stay focused on the task at hand if they want to make that dream come alive, though, and the task at hand is our 10/17 clash with Dundee United. At 3-2-2 (11 points and a -4 GD), The Terrors are #4 in the SPL, are coming off of a 2-1 win over Killy, and would love to spoil Celtic's perfect start. Also known as "The Tangerines," Dundee is supported by a fan base known as "The Arabs." Well, I think naming your supporter group something like "The Arabs," is downright prejudice, and I'm ready for Celtic to straight crush these guys into submission. Of course, always referring to Rangers as "The Hated Protties," while supporting a club that chants IRA songs during matches isn't without it's prejudice either, but that's a whole different story.
Let's crush the Crocs!
Hail! Hail!
-- Sent from my Palm Prē
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