Paradise regained

ROY KEANE has been shown a few cards in his career, but nothing like the display which greeted him on his Celtic home debut against Kilmarnock on Saturday.

The hardcore supporters who call themselves the 'Jungle Bhoys' after the old Parkhead terrace, were determined to make the Corkman feel at home, holding up green, white and orange cards to transform the entire Lisbon Lions stand into one giant tricolour. It was a theme reflected all around the ground in the abundance of crisp, new Irish flags bearing the legends 'There's only one Keano' and 'A Celt At Last', many of them waved by the big contingent from the old country who'd filled every last plane seat to Glasgow for a sell-out game which saw Celtic Park filled to its 60,000 capacity.

Of course, Keane had actually been an active Celt last week, but at this most tradition-conscious of football clubs there was almost a sense that the faithful would prefer to erase Clyde's shock cup victory from the official history. After all, the argument ran, this was the real debut - Keane's first appearance in the actual hooped shirt.