THE PAIN GAME
Ex-Celt Hartson will never get over Old Firm final loss
FOR footballers, some psychological wounds are so deep that even the balm of the passing of time is redundant in the healing process.
Assessing where the 2003 League Cup final between Celtic and rangers ranks in terms of career disappointments he endured, John Hartson speaks as a man who will probably never fully come to terms with how it all unfolded.
His angst stems from two defining moments that went against him: An erroneous linesman’s flag that prevented him from wiping out the two-goal half-time advantage rangers enjoyed. And his own failure to hit the target from the penalty spot as extra-time beckoned.
‘I was robbed,’ said Hartson. ‘I scored a perfectly good goal during that game, two yards onside. Proven.
‘It was two yards. It wasn’t one centimetre. Talk about clear and obvious.
‘Then we got a penalty. Henrik (Larsson) was the penalty-taker, but he had only just come back into the team after breaking his jaw against Livingston in an SPL game. While he was out of the team, I had scored two or three penalties for Celtic.
‘So being the consummate professional that he was, he chucks me the ball.
‘He said: “You’ve been taking the penalties. You’ve been scoring”.
‘Stefan Klos goes one way, I put the ball a yard past the post the other way. It was as low as I felt during my football career.
‘Losing the play-off with Wales against russia in Cardiff to go to Portugal 2004 in the Euros was similar.’
The regret Hartson still harbours to this day goes beyond the fact that he was central to that single defeat for Martin o’Neill’s side. That fateful March afternoon at Hampden had repercussions for the remainder of the campaign.
With Celtic also occupied by a run to the UEFA Cup final in Seville, an emboldened rangers side were able to claim the title on the final day and the Scottish Cup against Dundee the following week.
Hartson has often wondered how differently matters may have played out had his goal stood or his spot-kick gone the right side of the post.
‘It can bring momentum,’ said the 44-year-old the day after a first old Firm final in eight years was confirmed.
‘With there being nothing between them in the league so far, it can make a big difference to get that first piece of silverware early in the season.
‘It would be a major coup for rangers to win a final. But they have to find a way to stop Celtic.
‘Celtic are just ridiculous at the moment with their domination.
‘Nine trophies out of nine is almost embarrassing. rangers are trying to find a way.’
In many respects, the Glasgow rivals find themselves in similar positions to that duel in the sun in 2003. For all Alex McLeish’s side had won both cups the previous season, defeating Celtic in the final of the Scottish, an 18-point gap in the league was enormous ground to make up.
Fast-forward to the present era and the fervent hope among rangers fans is that history might be about to repeat itself.
The nine-point gap that separated the old Firm in May is now down to a single goal after the first round of fixtures.
For the first time in years, Hartson feels the outcome of a Hampden showdown and the league race cannot be called with any great certainty.
‘I think there’s a challenge there this year — a better challenge. I think that’s good for the league and the clubs,’ he offered.
‘I think Celtic will welcome a challenge. We know all about what rangers are trying to do this year in terms of where Celtic are.
‘Steven Gerrard was brought in to try and improve the situation where Celtic were miles ahead in every department.
‘He’s been given funds to buy quality players. He’s brought them in, for sure, and some good experience.
‘rangers have improved vastly. You can’t deny (Alfredo) Morelos’ goals no matter what you say about him. He scores for fun — two again on Sunday (against Hearts).
‘They’ve got two good strikers there and some quality elsewhere. They’ve spent £7million on ryan Kent, which is a big fee for him.
‘I also spoke recently with my old Wimbledon team-mate Marcus Gayle, who had Joe Aribo at Staines as a young boy. Marcus was at rangers for a while as well and he thinks Aribo is a great prospect.
‘So the rangers support now think they’re watching a good team again and they haven’t had that for a while.
‘I know rangers beat Celtic twice last season — once after the league had already been clinched — but I don’t think that their supporters really believed they could properly challenge them.
‘From their point of view, you want to be confident that your team can go toe-to-toe with your biggest rivals and they have more belief now than they’ve had in recent years.’
The other part of a fascinating dynamic in the city is that, for all rangers have markedly improved this season, so have Neil Lennon’s Celtic.
Three points better off than they were at this juncture last year, top of both the Premiership and their Europa League group and into the final of the Betfred Cup, those who felt the Northern Irishman’s return was a retrograde move after Brendan rodgers left for Leicester have been forced into some swift revision.
‘Celtic are riding the crest of a wave,’ added Hartson.
‘rangers have added some quality but Celtic have always had it. The challenge from rangers will be stiffer this season but whether it’ll prove to be enough, only time will tell.
‘Mohamed Elyounoussi looks a top player and I hear that Celtic will try and turn his loan into a permanent deal if they can. Odsonne Edouard is a big-game player who’s proved he can score in cup finals.
‘The final will be decided by Edouard, a (ryan) Christie or a Morelos — or maybe even a (Jermain) Defoe coming off the bench to smash one in. It will be a big player who decides it. That’s what normally decides these games.’
John hartson was presenting a cheque for £25,000 on behalf of his Foundation to Breast Cancer now. the hartson Foundation is entering its tenth year and will continue to raise money throughout 2020 for worthy causes.