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O'Neill salutes 'fantastic gesture'

Thursday, May 1, 2003

Celtic FC have extra time to prepare for the UEFA Cup final after a league fixture was brought forward.

Celtic FC manager Martin O'Neill will have seven days to prepare his side for the UEFA Cup final after a Scottish Premier League match against Dundee FC was brought forward.

Generous offer
The Glasgow club were originally due to face Dundee on Saturday 17 May - just four days before taking on FC Porto in Seville. But following Dundee's generous offer to the Scottish Premier League, Celtic have decided to move the game to Wednesday 14 May.

Free weekend
The match will be played at Celtic Park, with a kick-off time of 19.45GMT (20.45CET), to give the Hoops a free weekend ahead of the UEFA Cup final. A Dundee spokesman said: "Celtic have accepted our offer to play on the Wednesday and I hope it works. A Celtic victory is good for all of Scottish football."

'Fantastic gesture'
A grateful O'Neill said: "First of all we need to say a big thank you to Dundee Football Club because it was a fantastic gesture from them. It gives us a bit more time now to prepare for what is a massive match. It's a great gesture from them and one which is much appreciated by everyone at the football club."

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