Celtic claim 40th Scottish crown
Wednesday, April 5, 2006
Article summary
A solitary goal from John Hartson after four minutes proved sufficient for Celtic FC to secure the Scottish title with a 1-0 win against Heart of Midlothian FC.
Article body
Bednár chance
Hartson, 31 today, got the home side off to the perfect start on four minutes with a speculative 30-metre volley that wrong-footed goalkeeper Craig Gordon. It was the Welsh striker's 16th league goal of the season and should have settled Gordon Strachan's team, but instead it was Hearts who took control and almost levelled moments later when Artur Boruc was forced into a tremendous save from Roman Bednár.
Tense finish
Hearts, who needed a victory to maintain their slender championship hopes, thought they had equalised just after the restart when Andy Webster bundled Christophe Berra's header over the line only for the effort to be ruled out for offside. Aiden McGeady and Stilian Petrov squandered opportunities to put the result beyond doubt in a tense finish, but Celtic held on to regain the crown they lost to Rangers FC on the final day of last season.
Happy Hartson
"It's a fantastic way to celebrate your birthday," said Hartson. "It didn't really matter where the goals came from tonight. We're pleased to have won the title by so many points and I'm so happy for the players and the supporters."