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CIS Cup : Celtic and Rangers edge through

Nervy Celtic survived a St Johnstone comeback at McDiarmid Park to book themselves a place in the semi-finals of the Co-operative Insurance Cup with a 4-3 win.

An Anthony Stokes double and a Niall McGinn strike had the visitors three goals up after only 13 minutes and seemingly cruising but Sam Parkin reduced the deficit before the break.

Saints midfielder Murray Davidson headed in the second in the 54th minute to promise a remarkable fightback and, seconds from the end, the Hoops had keeper Fraser Forster to thank for avoiding extra-time when he pulled off a great save from substitute Jennison Myrie-Williams, who had replaced Steven Anderson at the interval.

However, while Parkin missed a decent chance to level earlier Celtic also passed up opportunities to draw further ahead.

Andrew Little grabbed his first goal of the season as Rangers moved a step closer to retaining the cup with a 2-0 win over Kilmarnock.

The Northern Irishman - making his second start this term - handed the holders a first half lead after Kilmarnock had an early effort ruled offside.

Steven Naismith then continued his fine form this season when he netted in the second half to put the quarter-final tie beyond the Ayrshire side.

Anthony Stokes celebrates his second goal of the night for Celtic

 

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Gers end Kerkar interest over compensation claim

Scottish champions Rangers have ended their attempts to sign French-Algerian winger Salim Kerkar.

The player impressed Rangers manager Walter Smith during a lengthy trial spell and tried to sign him under the impression he was a free agent.

However, French third division club Guegnon are seeking compensation for Kerkar, who left them in the summer.

"Unfortunately for the lad we can't get a decision from FIFA in terms of compensation," Smith told the club's website. "Guegnon have released him but they are still claiming compensation.

"So, while this situation remains the same, we won't be taking him."

Walter Smith: Handed trial to Salim Kerkar.

 

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Kilmarnock 0 - 2 Rangers

Andrew Little grabbed his first goal of the season as Rangers moved a step closer to retaining the Co-operative Insurance Cup with a 2-0 win over Kilmarnock.

The Northern Irishman - making his second start this term - handed the holders a first half lead after Kilmarnock had an early effort ruled offside.

Steven Naismith then continued his fine form this season when he netted in the second half to put the quarter-final tie beyond the Ayrshire side.

Youngster Gregg Wylde made his first start for Rangers as they made five changes from the Old Firm derby. Goalkeeper Allan McGregor was swapped for Neil Alexander, while Vladimir Weiss, Kirk Broadfoot, Little and Wylde were also drafted into the side.

But there was no place for the luckless Andy Webster, who had been expected to make only his second appearance of the season but missed out amid suggestions he was injured.

Kilmarnock made just one change from their defeat to Inverness at the weekend, with Mehdi Taouil starting ahead of David Silva, who was named on the bench.

Kilmarnock posed more of a threat in the opening spell and thought they had taken the lead when they had the ball in the back of the net after just seven minutes.

Alexei Eremenko won a free-kick just outside the box and dusted himself off to play the ball short to Craig Bryson who flighted into the box where Liam Kelly was waiting to nod home but the effort was ruled offside.

Rangers had a decent chance of their own when Wylde's corner found David Weir at the back post but the skipper was denied the opener when his header was smothered by goalkeeper Cammy Bell.

Ben Gordon then lost possession to Naismith in a dangerous area and he set up Little for the shot only for the Northern Ireland international to fire across goal and well wide of target.

The Rangers pair combined well again and had more luck this time when Naismith nodded on for Little and he sent a superb half-volley into the top corner of the net to hand the holders the advantage with 25 minutes gone.

Killie could have drawn level when Kelly slipped into the path of Jamie Hamill and he squared across goal for Taouil but the danger was cleared by Weir before he could unleash the shot.

Conor Sammon then raced past Steven Whittaker into the box only to have the ball snatched from his feet by Weir as he, too, was denied the chance to even trouble Alexander in the Rangers goal.

However, the goalkeeper was called into action to confidently deal with a Manuel Pascali header just before the break.

With just one goal in the tie, Kilmarnock emerged for the second half determined to haul themselves back into the game. Sammon tried his luck with an ambitious shot from distance that took a deflection and fell just wide of the upright.

Alexander then produced a superb save to tip Pascali's header just over the crossbar, before the same player saw his shot fizz past the post from the resultant corner.

But it was Rangers who left the back of the net bulging after 60 minutes when Wylde's pass was collected by Naismith and he dispatched a low shot past Bell into the bottom corner.

The home side could have pulled a goal back soon after but Kelly could only look on in disbelief as his shot cracked off the upright and the chance was lost.

The last thing Kilmarnock wanted to see was the sight of Rangers' top goalscorer Kenny Miller being thrown into the action, along with Kyle Hutton, for the last 20 minutes.

But it was Mixu Paatelainen's men who could have found the net when substitute Rui Miguel squared for Sammon with the goal at his mercy but his shot crashed off the turf before bouncing just over.

Rangers were able to see out the rest of the clash at Rugby Park to ensure their names would be in Friday's draw for the semi-finals.

Rangers' Andy Little (r) and Kilmarnock's Ben Gordon battle for the ball.

 

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Smith hails youngsters

Boss Walter Smith praised his younger players as Rangers booked their place in the semi-final of the Co-operative Insurance Cup with a 2-0 win over Kilmarnock.

He said: "One of the awkward things about Andrew Little is pinning him down to one position because he can play in so many. It was a fantastic goal from him and all the younger players acquitted themselves well tonight. I was pleased for them. They are all keen to be involved and I'm happy they are doing well enough.''

The win means Rangers join Celtic, Aberdeen and Motherwell in Friday's draw for the semi-final, with the Ibrox side still unbeaten in all competitions so far this season.

Smith said: "I was pleased to get through the game. We made a few changes and it's not always easy when you do that so I was pleased with the result. We seem to be going well just now and it's just a matter of keeping that going.''

The 2-0 win was not quite as comfortable as Rangers would have hoped for, with Kilmarnock having an early effort ruled offside, hitting the post and spurning several other decent chances. Boss Mixu Paatelainen rued those missed opportunities but remained confident their luck will change soon.

"If you take your chances, defend well and keep a clean-sheet, you will win matches,'' he said. "There were plenty of positives in our play but we didn't put away our chances. To be fair, their first goal was fantastic, take nothing away from that, but we must do better. That's where we are - we need to improve. It's a slow curve but we will get there eventually.''

 

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St Johnstone 2 - 3 Celtic

Nervy Celtic survived a St Johnstone comeback at McDiarmid Park to book themselves a place in the semi-finals of the Co-operative Insurance Cup with a 3-2 success.

An Anthony Stokes double and a Niall McGinn strike had the visitors three goals up after only 13 minutes and seemingly cruising but Sam Parkin reduced the deficit before the break.

Saints midfielder Murray Davidson headed in the second in the 54th minute to promise a remarkable fightback and, seconds from the end, the Hoops had keeper Fraser Forster to thank for avoiding extra-time when he pulled off a great save from substitute Jennison Myrie-Williams, who had replaced Steven Anderson at the interval.

However, while Parkin missed a decent chance to level earlier Celtic also passed up opportunities to draw further ahead.

The visitors were looking to bounce back from their home defeat by Rangers at the weekend and they began in promising fashion when they raced in to a three-goal lead after only 13 minutes.

Stokes, who was playing through the middle with Gary Hooper, broke the deadlock in the eighth minute.

The former Hibernian striker played the ball out to Ki Sung-yueng on the right and when the Saints defence failed to clear the South Korean's cross, Stokes quickly dispatched a low drive past Perth keeper Graeme Smith.

Moments later Smith had to make a fine save to prevent Stokes grabbing his second. However, in the 11th minute, after pulling off a decent save from a Ki free-kick, the keeper was helpless to prevent McGinn squeezing the loose ball in from the angle.

It seemed too easy for the Parkhead men and two minutes later the tie appeared over when McGinn, making his first start of the season, took a Hooper pass and played the ball across to Stokes who beat Smith from close range, the ball going in off the post. It looked like free-flowing Celtic could score at will as St Johnstone struggled to get any sort of foothold in the game.

Parkhead midfielder Joe Ledley had the ball in the net after racing on to a Hooper pass which split open the home defence only to be ruled offside, television pictures casting doubt on that decision.

However, in the 31st minute the Hoops' defensive frailties, which cost them dear against Rangers, were evident again when Parkin was allowed time and space to drive a left-footed volley past Forster from 16 yards. Seconds before the break Forster was forced in to a fine block from Parkin after some more hesitancy in the Celtic defence.

St Johnstone boss Derek McInnes brought on Myrie-Williams for Anderson for the start of the second half and immediately the Perth side set about reducing the deficit further. But in the 52nd minute, after good work by McGinn on the right, it was Ledley who came close when his drive from 16 yards was deflected wide of the target for a corner which came to nothing.

However, in the 54th minute Saints were right back in the game when Danny Grainger's corner was met by the unmarked Davidson who powered a header high in to the net.

Celtic looked stunned but moments later, with Saints chasing the leveller, Stokes released Hooper with a wonderful cross-field pass to put Hooper clean through but the former Scunthorpe player curled his shot from the edge of the box high and wide.

In the 61st minute, though, Saints might have been level.

Georgios Samaras initially lost possession but when Davidson set up Parkin, unmarked at the edge of the box, his right-footed shot was saved by Forster. At the other end, in a Celtic, breakaway, McGinn forced Smith in to a decent save with a low drive.

In another Celtic breakaway which laid open the home defence, Hooper slipped as he tried to round Smith inside the penalty area and the chance was lost. The home side kept up the pressure and forced several corners but the Celtic defence appeared more concentrated, if little more convincing.

There was a lot of desperation about the Perth men in the closing stages but in the last Forster pulled off a tremendous save down to his right from Myrie-Williams's long-range effort to prevent extra time.

Anthony Stokes celebrates his second goal of the night for Celtic.

 

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Lennon brands Hoops ''wishy-washy''

Neil Lennon urged his Celtic side to stop being ''wishy-washy'' after they survived a St Johnstone comeback at McDiarmid Park to book themselves a place in the semi-finals of the Co-operative Insurance Cup.

The Hoops' boss said: ''I don't want us to be wishy-washy. I want us to be resolute at times and see games out. We've done that tonight but we had to be thankful for a three-goal start.

''It can always suck you in to a false sense of security, being three goals up after 15 to 20 minutes. But the game is never done and if you give teams encouragement or lifelines then you are asking for a bit of trouble.

''We have to cope better with the physical side of the game at times and we didn't do that well enough for my liking. You work on set pieces and people can talk about man-to-man marking or zonal marking but at the end of the day once the ball is in that area you have to go and head it and it is costing us goals at the minute.''

He added: ''We got off to a breathtaking start and some of the football in the first 25 minutes was fantastic. But again we conceded two poor goals and we missed two gilt-edged chances to put the game away and when you do that it makes like difficult.

''Losing goals is a concern, particularly the first one and one from the corner as well. But that's a negative. I'm thrilled to be in a semi-final, I'm thrilled with the reaction of the players after Sunday.''

Lennon praised Forster for his brilliant save down at his right-hand side, saying: ''It was an incredible save and he made one in the first half as well.

''I don't know how much he has seen of the ball, he couldn't have seen it until late, I think it got a deflection as well, so it was wonderful. But again we have to better at closing down crosses and shots, throwing our bodies at things.''

After writing to the Scottish Football Association asking for explanations for refereeing decisions made in the previous two games, Lennon praised the performance of Craig Thompson - although Joe Ledley was denied what looked a good goal for offside when the visitors were leading 3-0.

The Celtic boss said: ''It is a perfectly good goal from where I stood. It was a good ball and a well-timed run. The official got it wrong - but we will leave it at that. I thought the referee had a very good game.''

The investigation into referee Dougie McDonald's decision to rescind a Celtic penalty at Tannadice last week, which led assistant referee Steven Craven to quit, has been passed from the SFA to their referee committee which will meet on Friday.

Lennon said: ''We would like a definitive finding on it and see what comes out of it.''

Saints boss Derek McInnes tried to take the positives from the game, saying: ''Nobody would have given us a chance after 15 minutes. To lose three goals so early is totally disheartening and there was a sense of astonishment.

''You have to credit the players for the whole second half, they kept going an another five minutes we could have forced extra time. I thought the shot at the end was past their keeper and we had done enough to force extra time. But we need to learn to respond better when we go behind.''

 

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Lennon warned ref criticism is stoking fan anger

Former referee Kenny Clark believes Neil Lennon has much to answer for as Scottish officials come under fire.

Willie Collum received death threats after he awarded Rangers a controversial penalty during the Old Firm derby last Sunday, and Lennon said after the game that Collum had "a lot of questions to answer".

Fears have been expressed that officials could walk away from the game in response to the threats they have faced from the more extreme supporters, and Clark feels managers have a responsibility to avoid exacerbating the anger.

"There is no question that what the clubs do stoke the fires of the fanatics and they don't need to be wound up any more," he told the Daily Record. "It's a sorry state of affairs when clubs are wanting explanations about individual decisions.

"It would be a strange world if a referee was to ask a club why their star striker missed a penalty . Could he talk us through it? The striker wouldn't be able to explain how he did it.

"Referees are never going to get agreement on everything, with both teams happy about every decision after a highly-charged game."

He added: "From time to time, there is no doubt in my mind managers throw up criticism of referees as a smokescreen.

"You feel as if the morale (among officials) is dropping a little and they feel they are in a siege situation. It's more like Japanese water torture. The longer it goes on the more difficult it becomes for the officials in the front line.

"I'd like to think everyone will take a step back and show a bit of restraint in the comments they make about match officials. If any young man was contemplating taking up refereeing, then I'm sure after this week their family are trying to dissuade them. Retaining referees is also a problem."

Neil Lennon has expressed his concern over recent refereeing decisions.

 

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Referee cleared over Celtic penalty decision

Dougie McDonald has been cleared over his decision to rescind a penalty awarded to Celtic during their 2-1 victory over Dundee United but the referee has accepted his match report was not up to standard.

The Scottish Football Association's referees committee unanimously decided that McDonald was correct to order a drop ball after initially pointing to the spot following United goalkeeper Dusan Pernis' challenge on Gary Hooper.

But the findings of an SFA inquiry ruled that the "post-match administrative process" was not completed to the usual standard, a point McDonald has accepted.

Assistant referee Steven Craven, who was consulted by McDonald before the referee reversed the decision, quit the professional game amid the furore after being cast as the instigator of the U-turn.

Craven felt he had been made a scapegoat and tendered his resignation after he and his teenage sons were reportedly subjected to threats and verbal abuse.

In the days immediately after the incident, which Celtic manager Neil Lennon branded "unacceptable", SFA head of referees development Hugh Dallas explained that Craven had alerted McDonald to his error.

However, the SFA inquiry discovered that McDonald immediately realised he may have made a mistake and approached Craven unprompted. McDonald then changed his decision after Craven confirmed that Pernis had touched the ball first.

SFA chief executive Stewart Regan, who instigated the inquiry, revealed McDonald had been given a "warning" by the referees committee over his failure to properly articulate Craven's role in his report and in discussions with the observer. The observer has also marked down McDonald for his initial mistake in awarding the penalty.

Celtic had written to the SFA demanding clarification over the incident but Regan denied that the correspondence had prompted his investigation.

 

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Ref threatened after Old Firm derby

The Scottish Football Association has confirmed referee Willie Collum received a number of threatening phone calls following Sunday's Glasgow derby at Parkhead.

Collum, 31, made his debut in the fixture and was criticised by Celtic manager Neil Lennon for awarding Rangers a penalty in the second half of the 3-1 win for the visitors.

The official reportedly answered a number of phone-calls at his Lanarkshire home with the caller threatening to "go after him and his wife and children".

It is understood that Collum reported the calls to the police but turned down the offer of protection outside his home.

SFA spokesman Darryl Broadfoot told the Daily Record: "Willie received a number of threatening calls at his home on Sunday night, one of which was taken by his wife. This kind of behaviour is abhorrent and has no place in football."

The incident can only de-motivate further the several top officials who are believed to be considering their futures due to the intense scrutiny they are being placed under.

Assistant referee Steven Craven resigned on Monday after being caught up in a furore over a decision to deny Celtic a penalty at Dundee United last week.

Lennon has confirmed that Celtic have written to the Scottish Football Association for the second week in a row seeking clarification on a refereeing decision.

"There has been correspondence," he said. "We are asking for clarification on the (penalty) decision. We want to see the referee's report and we want clarification on last week's decision as well.

"It's not sour grapes - we just want an explanation for what we feel are strange decisions going against us."

Meanwhile, Celtic assistant manager Johan Mjallby hit out at his players' performance against Rangers, telling the Scottish Sun: "I was disappointed with how we lost the initiative in the second half.

"It was almost like boys against men in the second half. Rangers were very effective, but we did not get a shot on target in the second half."

Mjallby, however, refused to single out any of his players, saying: "We do not comment on individuals. We win and lose as a team, but we gave away goals - and the match - too cheaply."

Willie Collum was criticised for his performance in the Old Firm derby.