Monday 15 January 2007

Celtic 2 Dundee Utd 1 - 10th March 1996, Scottish Cup QF

Having seen off Whitehill Welfare and Raith Rovers in the previous two rounds of the Scottish cup, Celtic were given this home tie against first division Dundee Utd in the quarter final. Despite playing in the lower division, United had a team full of experienced Premier league players. They were also unlikely to forget Celtic's part in their relegation the previous season.

United were to make a real game of it. Early Celtic pressure failed to produce a goal, and United began to become more confident. With just under 30 minutes on the clock, a United break led to Gordon Marshall giving away a penalty, which Owen Coyle converted to give the Arabs the lead.

It was a lead they looked like holding. Celtic began to struggle and, as seconds ticked by, a major shock was on the cards. But as has happened so often in the past in games against United, a last gasp rally saved the day. With only 90 seconds left to play, Pierre Van Hooijdonk grabbed a dramatic equaliser with a powerful header. And before the Celtic fans have a chance to settle back into their seats, Andy Thom bursts through the United defence to fire Celtic into the semi final.

Of course we'd lose in the semi final to Rangers, so maybe it wasn't worth the bother.







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