SPLIT DECISION
Celtic can clinch title at Easter Road But Old Firm date looms large
BRENDAN RODGERS’ call for an Old Firm title decider fell on deaf ears last night after the SPFL kept Celtic and Rangers apart in the first round of post-split fixtures.
Just one win away from being crowned champions, the Parkhead side will instead have their first chance to claim seven-in-a-row when they play Hibs in a lunchtime kick-off at Easter Road on Saturday, April 21.
Police have been keen to avoid a Celtic-Rangers decider for fear of potential crowd trouble but, should Rodgers’ men fail to beat Hibs, they could still potentially seal the title against Rangers at Celtic Park the following Sunday, April 29. Celtic’s last
three games of their five remaining fixtures are against Hearts away, Kilmarnock at home, and Aberdeen at home on Sunday, May 13, when they will, as expected, be presented with the Premiership trophy. Rangers’ first game after the split is at home to Hearts on Sunday, April 22. After the Celtic match, they host Kilmarnock and then travel to Aberdeen and Hibs. The Pittodrie club will enjoy home games against both of their rivals for second spot when they host Hibs and Rangers in the third and fourth round of fixtures. Hibs boss Neil Lennon had been unhappy at the prospect of a third trip to Ibrox this season but that did not materialise. Instead, Hearts and Kilmarnock will both head to Govan for a third time this season. Hearts, who host Hibs on the evening of Wednesday, May 9, last night described their post-split fixtures as ‘imbalanced’ and ‘unacceptable’ but explained in a statement to fans that the ‘disappointing’ additional trip to Rangers was due to the fact Craig Levein’s sixth-placed side are not involved in the race for Europe. A Hearts spokesperson said: ‘In an ideal world, each team would complete 19 home and 19 away league fixtures per season. Due to the structure of the league, however, this is not always possible. ‘Depending upon which teams are in the top and bottom sections of the split, the situation can arise which causes an imbalance. ‘In order to make the best of this less than perfect situation, some broad guidelines are followed in setting post-split fixtures. In simple terms, where an imbalance is inevitable, “mid-table” teams are those that potentially lose out by having an uneven split of home and away games across the full season. ‘This recognises that the top-four teams are potentially fighting for top spot or a place in Europe and the bottom four teams may well be fighting to avoid relegation/play-offs. ‘While unacceptable, it is felt to be the “least unacceptable” option. ‘It is the club’s understanding that Kilmarnock was disadvantaged in the post-split fixtures during the 2014-15 season. Again previous imbalances are taken into account when determining the fixtures. ‘Hearts are, therefore, in the position of having to play three of the remaining five matches away. ‘Whilst the club is disappointed about this situation, it is a consequence of the inherently imbalanced system that the SPFL clubs have elected to operate.’ At the bottom of the table, it looks like a four-way fight between Hamilton, Dundee, Ross County and Partick Thistle to avoid either outright relegation, or a place in the play-offs by finishing in 11th spot. That battle will conclude in the final round of post-split fixtures on May 12 when Dundee host Partick, Motherwell welcome Hamilton and St Johnstone host Ross County. An SPFL spokesman said: ‘We want to thank supporters for their patience during the compilation of the postsplit fixture schedule. Working with the 12 clubs, Police Scotland and our broadcast partners to produce a set of fixtures that meets everyone’s requirements can be a complex and time-consuming process.’