CHEERS & TEARS
On weekend that would have marked the final round of Premiership games, we take a look back at some memorable last-day dramas
THIS weekend should have seen the final curtain fall on the 2019-20 Ladbrokes Premiership season.
The 38th and last round of fixtures were due to be completed across today and tomorrow, with the league trophy raised, relegation confirmed and play-off fixtures finalised.
But the coronavirus crisis put paid to all that, leaving Scottish football in lockdown since March 13.
With football fans denied what is usually a dramatic climax to the campaign, Sportsmail instead serves up some of the classic final-day moments from years gone by. TITLE TRIUMPHS AND TRAUMA
Rangers 6 Dunfermline 1 Kilmarnock 0 Celtic 4 May 25, 2003.
THE problem of how to conclude an unresolved top-flight campaign may seem unprecedented in 2020.
But 17 years ago this month, the footballing authorities were staring at that uncomfortable prospect.
Going into the 38th and final league match of the SPL season, Rangers and Celtic were locked so closely together that 52,000 tickets were printed for a one-off decider at Hampden in June — just in case.
Celtic, beaten UEFA Cup finalists against Porto in Seville the midweek before, raced into a 3-0 lead at Rugby Park with two goals from Chris Sutton and a penalty from Alan Thompson.
At this stage, Martin O’Neill’s men were on top in the title race. They would go on to win 4-0, with Stiliyan Petrov rounding off the scoring after Thompson had missed another spot-kick.
Rangers scored early through Michael Mols before the Pars’ Jason Dair silenced Ibrox with an equaliser.
But goals from Claudio Caniggia, Shota Arveladze, Ronald de Boer and Steven Thompson left the league title on a knife edge
Mikel Arteta’s stoppage-time penalty kick ensured that Alex McLeish’s side were crowned champions by a single goal. A day of drama ended with Sutton bitterly accusing Dunfermline of ‘lying down’ to the Ibrox side.
Dundee 2 Hearts 0 St Mirren 0 Celtic 5 May 3, 1986.
BBC commentator Archie Macpherson set the scene beautifully at Dens Park, saying: ‘Who, way back in August, blessed with the second sight of the seventh son of a seventh son, could have foreseen that Hearts, on the very last day of the season, would be playing for the Championship requiring only one point?’
The Tynecastle team were, indeed, that close to lifting their first title since 1960.
However, with just seven minutes left, Albert Kidd plunged a dagger into Gorgie hearts by scoring, then grabbed a second just for good measure.
As Hearts fans wept, Celtic snatched the unlikeliest of titles in Paisley with doubles from Brian McClair and Mo Johnston and a goal from Paul McStay.
Kidd’s brace earned him death threats from Hearts fans, the delivery of excrement in sealed envelopes and letters containing £1 coins from grateful Celtic fans. He emigrated to Australia in 1987 but May 3, 1986, went down in history as Albert Kidd Day. RACE FOR SECOND PLACE
Hibs 5 Rangers 5 May 13, 2018.
HIBERNIAN needed to beat Rangers by six goals to have a chance of finishing second in the
Premiership. After just 20 minutes, Neil Lennon’s men were 3-0 ahead thanks to Flo Kamberi, Scott Allan and Jamie Maclaren.
But James Tavernier and Jordan Rossiter pulled two back before Bruno Alves made it 3-3 at half-time with a stunning free-kick.
Incredibly, the Ibrox side moved 5-3 ahead in the second half thanks to goals from Jason Holt and Josh Windass.
After Holt was sent off, however, Maclaren scored twice, completing his hat-trick in stoppage time — on the day he found out he had not been selected for the Australia World Cup squad.
That was Lennon’s cue to run around the Easter Road turf in an aeroplane-style celebration. The real winners, though, were Aberdeen, who defeated champions Celtic 1-0 at Parkhead to clinch second place ahead of both Rangers and Hibs. RELEGATION BLUES
Livingston 1 Dundee 1 May 21, 2005.
WITH just three games remaining in the season, Dunfermline legend Jim Leishman returned to take charge of his beloved Pars. A 5-0 home battering of Dundee and a 1-0 win at Tannadice meant the seemingly doomed Fifers had all but clinched survival with a match to spare. The Dark Blues had looked safe but, while Livingston rallied post-split, the Dens men picked up just one point from 12, leading to a nail-biting final-day showdown in West Lothian. Dundee needed to win and Calum MacDonald gave them the lead before Craig Easton levelled for the home side. In the 95th minute, Tam McManus had the chance to be the hero for the visitors. But his smacked left-foot shot hit the inside of the post, trickled along the line and was scooped up by goalkeeper Roddy McKenzie.
Despite the efforts of 5,000 travelling fans behind the goal to suck the ball into the net, the Dark Blues went down.
Inverness CT 0 Falkirk 1 May 23, 2009.
TRAILING Inverness by two points, Falkirk headed to the Highlands needing to win to stay in the top flight. A draw would have been good enough for Caley Thistle to stay up.
Falkirk goalkeeper Dani Mallo made a terrific save from Richie Foran before Ross Tokeley was sent off for the home side.
With just 22 minutes left, substitute Michael Higdon met Jackie McNamara’s cross to score the winner for John Hughes’ side.
Defeat meant Terry Butcher’s Caley Thistle finished level on points with St Mirren and, after five years in the top flight, they dropped into the First Division on goal difference.
There was to be no fairytale for Falkirk the following week when they narrowly lost the Scottish Cup final 1-0 to Rangers, courtesy of a Nacho Novo stunner.