Celtic Slays the Saints, and more from Saturday

By: Ian Rose | August 22nd, 2009

It was a lively Saturday in Scottish football, and as we all look to the domestic game for some of the quality we’ve so famously lacked in Europe, there were some very good matches to keep us entertained and help us forget about that nasty little word “coefficient”.

SPL: Celtic 5-2 St. Johnstone
With two consecutive 3-goal wins to start their season, Tony Mowbray’s Celtic are off to their regular strong start. Conceding two at home to newly promoted St. Johnstone won’t be seen as exactly a defensive masterclass, but two goals each from Shaun Maloney and new Bhoy Marc-Antoine Fortune, plus one from Skippy McDonald, made it a pretty fine home opener for Celtic anyway. Celtic Offside match report here.

Elsewhere in the league:
Falkirk 1-3 Hibernian
Hamilton 0-3 Aberdeen
Motherwell 3-1 Kilmarnock
St. Mirren 0-0 Dundee United

First Division: Dundee 2-2 Caley Thistle
A great back-and-forth match between two of the four most legitimate contenders for promotion to the SPL, and both will be happy not to have lost, and to have gained a point on both Ross County and Partick Thistle. Dunfermline took the league lead with their win, and sit top by a single point. Caley Thistle Offside match review here.

Elsewhere in the league:
Ayr 0-2 Morton
Queen of the South 1-0 Partick Thistle
Ross County 0-1 Raith Rovers
Dunfermline 2-0 Airdrie

Second Division: Dumbarton 3-3 Clyde
It was all Clyde early, with two first-half goals from an unlikely source in defender Alan Lithgow. But that all turned around when Clyde had their keeper sent off, and they were lucky in the end to get away with a road point.

Elsewhere in the league:
Cowdenbeath 1-1 Alloa
East Fife 1-1 Arbroath
Peterhead 2-2 Stenhousemuir
Stirling Albion 1-0 Brechin (the only winner in the league!)

Third Division: Stranraer 2-0 Annan
Stranraer got a much-needed home win as their financial future remains uncertain. Goals from McColm and Moore on either side of the halftime interval secured the points and brought Stranraer to mid-table on four points from their opening three matches.

Elsewhere in the league:
Berwick 1-0 Livingston
East Stirling 1-1 Elgin
Montrose 1-2 Forfar (Forfar2 is one of my favorite scorelines)