Gers can land a Hayemaker
Drinks insists Bellew’s big-fight win proves every underdog has his day & backs his old team to beat Celts
WRITTEN off by punters and pundits and yet still strong enough to deliver a knockout blow against all odds.
David Haye was left reeling in London on Saturday night – it could be the turn of David Hay and his fellow Celtic fans to be left punch drunk on Sunday in the east end of Glasgow.
Former Rangers striker Kevin Drinkell helped end the longest wait in modern history for a Light Blues’ victory at the home of their arch rivals.
He wouldn’t be surprised to see Lee Wallace and Co leave Parkhead this weekend with a victory few would predict and no Rangers player would dare promise.
Drinkell’s opener in a 2-1 win on April 1, 1989 was the first time Rangers had defeated the Hoops on their own patch since Alex Miller’s injury-time winner handed them a victory, also 2-1, on August 23, 1980.
That was a total of 3143 days between wins – and Celtic are fast closing in on setting a new standard as Rangers head across town this weekend, still smarting from a 5-1 defeat earlier in the season.
Gers have not triumphed in a competitive fixture at Parkhead since October 24, 2010 when they came from behind to win 3-1, courtesy of a Kenny Miller double. If they win this time around they will break a winless streak of 2331 days, although that’s still way short of the record established by the Ibrox club almost a century ago. As our table shows Celtic fans in the 1920s and 30s went more than 15 years without seeing their favourites win at their arch rivals - a staggering total of 5,376 days. Drinkell said: “You couldn’t have anticipated David Haye not winning the boxing on Saturday before Tony Bellew forced the stoppage in the 11th round. “It’s nonsense to say you can’t be beaten - you can, I’ve been involved in too many games in which we were stone cold certainties and yet still walked off at the end as losers.
“Rangers players have been told they have no chance but they have to believe in themselves. After all, Lincoln City recently beat Burnley, so there are no certainties.
“Football has thrown up enough surprises over the years. Few would argue Celtic are the better team but games can turn on a goalkeeper error, a red card or an injury to a key player. I’m not a betting man but I wouldn’t write Rangers off completely.”
Rangers travelled to Celtic 16 times in the 1980s without any joy – they lost 10 and drew six – before Graeme Souness rolled up to take on the Double winners on their own patch.
Drinkell bulleted a header off a Ray Wilkins free-kick beyond Packie Bonner early on before the Irish keeper failed to hold an Ian Ferguson howitzer and Ally McCoist bundled the ball over the line, just to make sure.
Celtic hit back through Andy Walker before Joe Miller missed a penalty.
Drinkell, now a sales executive with Mercedes, said: “I scored in my first Old Firm game, the 5-1 victory at Ibrox earlier that season, and this was the first time I’d netted at Parkhead.
“My abiding memory was Ally’s attempt to steal Fergie’s goal - he stretched his neck to get a touch, then ended up in the net. His celebration was the quickest I ever saw him run.
“We knew it had been a long time since the team won at Celtic and a result like that only enhanced our delight. We laid a marker, it was the first year of nine-in-a-row.
“It’s marvellous to know I played a little part in helping set it all off.”
But Celts have now put distance between the clubs and Drinkell doesn’t see that changing in the short term. He said: “Man for man, the Celtic squad is better and it’ll take a long time to turn it around.
“But it can happen – few would have predicted Celtic stepping up to stop 10-in-a-row under Wim Jansen.”