Celtic 3
Dundee 1
League (Premier Division)

Match Report

Newspaper extract from The Sunday Mail.

Celtic manager Billy McNeill must be Cgoing through his most enjoyable spell of the season right now.

He's watching his team win comfortably- and he knows there is still better to come. Celts were again just that fraction short of their best. There was some vital elusive element missing from their play.

But there was never any doubt about the destina tion of the points, al though it took almost an hour for the opening goal to come and another 20 minutes for the final touches to be added.

And at the end of it all, the Parkhead men found they had strenghtened their position at the top of the table.

Throughout a hard but uninspiring first half Celtic had a considerable grip on the game.

The only Dundee offering was just before half time when full back Les Barr let fly with a 35 yarder, which keeper Pat Bonner was happily to tip over

Three times after the break he had to act smartly to save from Fraser, Barr and Cameron.

However, these moments were only interludes in a flow of constant Celtic pressure which started to produce the goals from the 59th minute.

Frank McGarvey, who had hit the post with a left foot drive seven minutes earlier, was on the spot to put the final touch to a secession of headers after a Provan corner.

The second goal came in the 81st minute when a vicious Conroy shot hit a defender and dipped under the 'keeper's body. Six minutes from time came the best of the lot. A throw-out from Bonner was touched on to Burns by McCluskey.

The red-haired midfield man, making a competent return after injury, held the ball until the right second before releasing it to McGarvey.

Frank was left in the clear and easily beat "keeper Blair.

Dundee were rewarded for their persistence with a goal in the final seconds when Eric Sinclair steered a Cameron cross past Bonner.