With Kieron Bowie now plying his trade abroad and Spurs loanee Dane Scarlett leading the line Hibs looked ready to go again. The match however failed to live up to the hype and in all honesty a draw looked the most likely outcome, in a game of only three shots on target (2 Hearts 1 Hibs) it’s difficult to pad this out. A 88 min winner from Hearts' Magnusson sealed the points for the home team sending the majority of the 19000 crowd home happy.
Wednesday saw a hard fought victory for Kilmarnock over St Mirren. A hat trick from Killie's John Jules making it a night to remember for the striker. The final result 4-3.
Another young man who’ll remember the 11th of February 2026 is Falkirk's Ben Broggio, the 19yr old scoring his first goal for his team and indeed the only goal of the night, resulting in a win for Falkirk over Dundee.
Rangers faced a trip tricky trip to Fir Park to face Motherwell and a chance to close the gap on Hearts before the clash with the league leaders at the weekend. Rangers came out flying and a beautiful through ball found the diminutive Raskin with only the ‘Keeper to beat he finished nicely, putting the Rangers 1-0 ahead and looking dangerous. Motherwell however had their chances but some wasteful efforts and brilliant goalkeeping from Butland in the ‘Gers goal kept the home team at bay. Both sides had their chances though and not to be outdone some world class keeping from Motherwell's Ward kept the bears at bay.
Controversy is never away in Scottish football and I’m still baffled as to how what looked a clear hand ball from Rangers' Souttar went unpunished when Celtic's Ralston committed the same “offence” against Rangers in November and this was deemed a penalty kick. Consistency is not a word in the Scottish ref's dictionary.
One decision that they did get right (after a VAR check) was the sending off of Motherwell's Fadinger whose reckless and dangerous tackle on Rangers' Moore fully deserved a red. A terrible tackle and to be honest the lad is lucky he didn’t suffer serious injury.
Motherwell down to ten, Rangers 1-0 with a full team three points looked destined to return to Ibrox but the Steelmen had other ideas and a header met the boot of on loan Celtic player Welsh in the 89th minute to secure a share of the points and giving Sundays top of the league clash with Hearts even more importance.
Livingston now under Marvin Bartley a former player for the club and Hibs (to mention a few) faced a formidable task against title chasing Celtic. A nervy looking Celtic. However what nerves among the almost 59.000 fans and the team were eased somewhat in the 15th minute when a blistering strike from Saracchi screamed past Prior and from 19 yards made its unstoppable way into the net. 1-0 to the Hoops. There was little more action to report in the first half.
The second however saw Livingston battle and they were rewarded with a spot kick in the 57th minute when Hatate made what was a stupid challenge in the box. The Livi number 9 Robbie Muirhead drilled past a despairing Schmeichel to level the scores, and the nerves returned.
Stoppage time 6 mins and once again I sat with head in hands again bemoaning a lack of bite in the Celtic forward line. However fairy tales are to be written at special places like Celtic Park and this was pure Hollywood. Celtic having only just signed Alex Oxlade Chamberlain gave the former Liverpool player a twenty minute run out. It was good to see the boy on the park but what transpired left us speechless. Time running out, once again a season looking lost in the 94th minute, up stepped “The Ox” who’s right foot shot from the corner of the D whizzed past Prior, and Parkhead went into meltdown. A new hero is born.
A special mention however must go to Livingstons ‘keeper Jerome Prior whose saves (nine in all) kept the visitors in the game. The Frenchman was outstanding in goal for Livingston and is still only 30 years old.
Saturday 14th - Valentine’s Day (apparently)
Three fixtures in the SPL go ahead while some games elsewhere fell foul to the weather in the lower leagues. Inverness now find themselves five points clear in the League One title race, a solitary goal by Alfie Bavidge enough to take home the points from Hamilton's Broadwood stadium.
St Johnstone also find themselves with a five point cushion at the top of the championship and look set for a return to the SPL after a 1-0 away defeat of Airdrie on Friday night.
The spoils were shared at Dens Park on Saturday where a miraculous fightback by Livingston from 2-0 behind after 8 mins saw them take a point in a 2-2 draw. Whilst it’s difficult to see Livi surviving, Manager Bartley must have been glad to see fighting spirit in his team.
Falkirk welcomed Dundee Utd to the Falkirk Stadium for an intriguing match up. It didn’t take long though for in form Falkirk to break the deadlock as a shot from Broggio in the 17th minute put the bairns ahead however on this day of exchanging gifts with loved ones Falkirk keeper Bain made a terrible mess of what looked like an easy save which was gratefully received by Graham and, with precision, slotted the ball into the net. 1-1 at half time was a fair reflection of the game.
Falkirk again took the lead in the 53rd minute with a goal from Lissah only then to see this cancelled out a mere 2 mins later by a Sibbald shot. The turning point, as in so many games, however saw Falkirk's Henderson wipe out United's Watters. After a VAR check the yellow was upgraded to red and Falkirk were down to ten. To their credit they battled though and it looked for all the world like a draw was on the cards until Uniteds substitute Eskesen found himself in space in the 18 yard box and fired home and 3 points back up the road.
Hibernian faced struggling St Mirren and with Hibs home form for all to see this was a fairly straightforward task for the team from the hometown of James Connolly. Goals in either half from Elding and Suto secured the points for a Hibs side brimming with confidence.
Sunday 15th. Motherwell did what Motherwell inevitably do and took care of a dire Aberdeen who are languishing in the bottom 6, safe from relegation but far from the team once challenging for titles. Goals from Just in the 28th minute and an own goal by the Dons' McIntyre in the 93rd minute sent Aberdeen fans off home licking their wounds and back to the granite city deflated.
Now I pondered long and hard about the Glasgow two but eventually decided I’d report in order of kick off times. So Rugby Park and a Kilmarnock side managed by former Hearts and Rangers player Neil McCann looking to drag themselves away from danger and perhaps also put the boot in Celtic's title pretensions. While the Celtic fans were in good voice “here we go again, we’re on the road again” the team were completely out of tune and once again looked like they’d been picked up at random stops along the way and asked to play for 90 mins with lead in their boots and with no knowledge of who was beside them. Twenty mins in and Killie's man of the moment John-Jules outdid Trusty and fired past Schmeichel into the bottom left hand corner of the net and McCann's men into a deserving lead. Kilmarnock's second came from new boy Hugill whose header looped past Schmeichel leaving the keeper looking far from international class.
Some choice words were typed on social media platforms re Celtics “style” or indeed lack of and as I personally filled the “swear box” with coins at half time thoughts turned once again to the tragedy that was Nancy and the dark days of Wilfred. Killie were 2-0 up and cruising. The second half though belonged to Celtic. A bullet from Tounekti in the 55th minute restored some hope and even the most ardent of Celtic fans must have been hoping for a draw at this stage, thinking it would keep us in touch with Hearts and the Rangers. Minute 63 and there it was, the equaliser from the man himself Benjamin Nygren. Suddenly what seemed impossible only 20 mins previously looked within the grasp of O’Neill's men. Chances galore fell Kilmarnock's way with John Jules hitting the bar with a fabulous effort.
Stoppage time, seven mins, just hold on. That was the thought at least it was mine. Do nothing stupid and let’s get out of here with a point. A point will do thinks I as the clock ticked round to 96 mins when a cross by Stan the man Cvancara was bundled past the despairing Killie keeper by Julian Araujo that sparked wild celebrations amongst the Celtic faithful and groans on at both ends of the M8. They’d done it, again, another stoppage time winner. Great for viewing, awful on the heart. I’d settled for the draw they had different ideas. That’s why we love this game right?
Ibrox 4-30pm and the clash of the big two a match that absolutely lived up to its billing and one any neutral would have loved.
As I positioned myself comfortably in front of the TV I found the words of Steve R ringing in my ears “a hat trick for Chermiti will do”, and whilst I dreamt of the impossible (that both would lose) I’ll be paying heed to his predictions from here on in.
Wasn’t all plain sailing for the Rangers though as a terrible lapse in the Blues' defence was intercepted and eventually turned in by Hearts' Leonard. In the 19th minute though the Ibrox men were level when after some amazing reaction saves from Hearts' Schwolow what originally looked like a leveller for Naderi was instead shown to have been put into his own net by Hearts Steinwender. Steinwender then looked to have made amends as his cross was met by the head of Braga and jubilation amongst the Jambos. 30th min Rangers 1 Hearts 2. Every good story has a hero though and for the Rangers theirs came in the formidable frame of Chermiti. His first on 39 mins a low shot slid past the Hearts' keeper and Ibrox erupted.
They say football is a game of two halves and this certainly lived up to it. The second half belonging to the big Portuguese forward who single-handedly tore apart Hearts, blowing a massive hole in the title race. His second a simple header at the near post and finally the Rangers were in front for the first time in the match. I say finally because anyone who watched it with an unbiased eye would have agreed on the balance of play Rangers looked the most likely to score. Rangers 3 Hearts 2. However by this time Chermiti sensed his hat trick and delivered in the 91st minute for a final score of Rangers 4 Hearts 2.
Performance of the weekend? Has to be Chermiti but Prediction of the season? The words of Steve R “a Chermiti hat trick will do” and do it did.
Title race on.
Til next time .. . .
🐼 Gary Robertson is the TPQ Scottish football correspondent.
No comments