AS the destination of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League title comes down to brass tacks tonight, we take a look back at some of the dramatic final-day deciders in the history of Scotland's top flight.
2005CELTIC went into the final day with a two-point advantage but an inferior goal difference to second-placed Rangers. Preparations were dampened by news that Martin O'Neill would be leaving to care for his ill wife Geraldine, b
ut Chris Sutton's goal against Motherwell appeared to have set them on their way. Only when Scott McDonald struck twice for the Fir Park side in the last three minutes of the game did Nacho Novo's goal for Rangers against Hibs at Easter Road become significant, handing Ibrox manager Alex McLeish a second last-ditch title.
2003McLEISH'S first championship in charge at Ibrox came in similarly nervous circumstances. Celtic had returned from a narrow defeat in the Uefa Cup final by Porto to face Kilmarnock at Rugby Park knowing they had to outperform Rangers, who were playing Dunfermline at Ibrox. The pilot of the helicopter carrying the SPL trophy must have been dizzy by the time Mikel Arteta's penalty for Rangers finally settled its destination, their 6-1 win bettering 'only' a 4-0 Celtic triumph.
1986HEARTS carried a two-point lead, a superior goal difference, as well as an unbeaten streak of seven months, into their final-day encounter with Dundee at Dens Park. It appeared Celtic's title push would fall just short, despite a thumping 5-0 win at St Mirren. That was until Albert Kidd came on for Tosh McKinlay (who would later play for both Hearts and Celtic) and scored twice in the last ten minutes for Dundee, gifting the title to Celtic.
1965HEARTS' previous last-day agony came in 1965, when they again topped the league before facing second-placed Kilmarnock in the final game of the season. With goal average the deciding factor, a 1-0 win would not be enough for Kilmarnock to overturn their deficit. It had to be 2-0 exactly. In front of 36,000 at Tynecastle, they achieved just that thanks to goals from Davie Sneddon and Brian McIlroy.
1962BOB Shankly's Dundee built up a seemingly invincible lead at the top of the First Division table before Christmas, helped by a brilliant 5-1 win against Rangers at Ibrox. Their form then deserted them, and Rangers took over pole position before losing to Dundee United and Aberdeen in the closing weeks. That allowed Dundee to clinch the title on the final day with a 3-0 win over St Johnstone, which also relegated the Perth club.
The full article contains 458 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
