O’Neill agony as Celtic collapse on the line

Motherwell 2 Celtic 1

MARTIN O’NEILL refused to answer questions on his future last night, having watched his side throw away the Bank of Scotland Premier League championship at Fir Park.

The Celtic manager seemed to be coasting to his fourth title in five seasons, but his side squandered a whole host of great chances after Chris Sutton’s first-half opener.

And in an unbelievable final two minutes, his side paid the ultimate price as Hoops fan Scott McDonald pounced twice to send the trophy back to Ibrox as Rangers kept their bargain by winning at Hibernian on a dramatic final day of the SPL season.

O’Neill declined to comment on reports claiming he will take a year out of football after the Tennent’s Scottish Cup final against Dundee United to look after his sick wife, with Gordon Strachan standing in at Celtic Park.

O’Neill, who saluted the travelling fans at Fir Park after the game, said: “I have no comment to make on my future. This outcome doesn’t come into my thoughts on my future and I have done that to the away fans for other years win or lose.”

But this was a very dark day for the Glasgow side, having had the trophy snatched from under their noses by their big rivals, whom they beat at Ibrox on April 24.

O’Neill admitted the “devastation” in the dressing room was just as painful as it was when they lost the title to Rangers on the final day of the season 2002-2003 season.

He said: “We have been up there consistently again every single year since being at the football club. We have either won the championship or been battling for it on the final day of the season. But this was as disappointing as 2003 and they are devastated as you might expect, but the team will come back.”

Celtic only had themselves to blame for losing the title having squandered so many chances with John Hartson and Craig Bellamy the most guilty.

O’Neill sighed: “We are very disappointed that we lost the game that we should have won easily. We missed about six or seven great chances to make it 2-0, so when it doesn’t happen there is always a possibility of what did happen. It was one-way traffic in the second half and how we only had one goal to protect, God only knows.”

But O’Neill was gracious in defeat and admitted that Alex McLeish deserved to win his second title in three seasons.

“The championship is over 38 games and we didn’t do it today so Rangers deserved to win it and finish top of the league,” he concluded.

It was a remarkable finish to the SPL season and former Rangers captain Terry Butcher, now Motherwell manager, summed up what had happened having watched his injury-hit team do the unthinkable.

“I don’t know what the helicopter with the trophy did in the dying minutes,” joked the Englishman. “The pilot probably has air sickness.” The Motherwell supporters waited for the Celtic staff to board the team bus to rub salt into the wounds. But Butcher played down what he had done for Rangers while offering words of sympathy for O’Neill.

“I have not been in a position when I have lost it on the last day, but Martin has been there twice,” he said. “So I can’t imagine what he will be feeling. I really do feel for them because they are nice guys but Celtic have had a great season. Rangers have had a great season and we have had a great season. It’s been a great season for the SPL but it is a major disappointment for them.

“Scott McDonald had mixed emotions because his parents support different teams, so he is flying out of the country.

“I am going to keep my phone off because I might be getting calls from these unknown Rangers fans but I have not done it for Rangers, we have done it for Motherwell.

“Any celebrations were for our own fans - it’s been a wonderful season for us.”

MOTHERWELL: Marshall, Corrigan, Craigan, Kinniburgh, Fagan, Foran, Kerr, Fitzpatrick (Clarkson 88), Paterson, Scott McDonald, Hamilton (Britton 85).

CELTIC: Douglas, Agathe, Balde, Varga, McNamara, Petrov, Lennon, Sutton, Thompson, Hartson (Beattie 75), Bellamy.

Ref: H Dallas (Scotland).