Celtic 1
Dundee 0
League (Premier Division)

Match Report

Was it a penalty? That was the question both team bosses were asked after the Celtic-Dundee game at Parkhead.

In 61 minutes Ray Stephen dispossessed Frank McGarvey who tumbled in the box. The referee pointed to the spot and Mark Reid scored the only goal of the game.

"It was a penalty," said Celtic manager Davie Hay in his office. He said it with a smile which suggested some lack of conviction. He also said- quickly!-that he was satisfied with two points from a side difficult to break down.

In came Donald Mackay who countered the question by saying he never criticised referees' decisions.

If he had believed the award was justified, of course, there would have been no need to talk about criticism!

Later he said three things players should not rely on were the weather, the He went on to say that the only two goals Dundee have lost in their last five games were from penalties, the other being against Hearts.

He did not have to say the awards which brought both goals were clearly in the doubtful department and did not mention either that Hearts were awarded a second controversial penalty which Bobby Geddes saved or that, six games ago, Aberdeen got into the contest at Dens Park through a penalty award over which there was a big question mark.

You could say Dundee are paying a heavy penalty these days!

And Donald thought Dundee should have had a penalty on Saturday when Walker McCall was brought down.

He also thought that when McCall put the ball in the Celtic net in the first half it reached him from a Celtic player, so there should have been no offside decision.

It was a day when big, free-scoring McCall deserved sympathy, particularly when his header was headed off the line by Danny McGrain.

"We tell youngsters to head the ball down. McCall did just that and it bounced up so that the defender could clear," said a rather rueful Mackay who had seen his side's run of success halted because their luck ran out.

Donald was angry that Peter Mackie, Cammy Fraser and Bobby Glennie were booked. All will be disciplined because their bookings were for dissent.

Tommy Burns, Mark Reid and Danny McGrain of Celtic were also booked and all the names, except that of Mackie, were taken in a hectic, hot-blooded few minutes after that penalty award.

McGrain was booked following a captains' clash with Fraser which the referee did not see because he was booking Burns. He heard of the incident from a linesman. McGrain was clearly still upset about it as he walked off at the end and when he got to the dressing-room he apologised to his boss.

Dundee did well in the first half and looked dangerous again in the closing stages. But at the start of the second half they surprisingly fell out of things and this disappointed Mr Mackay.

The man sent on to try to improve the midfield performance on Saturday was young Colin McGlashan, who replaced Ray Stephen. He proved he is right on the fringe of a first team place.

Match report written by The Courier