If this was an advertisement for Scottish football then it is easy to see why
the Old Firm are having to break for the border.
Rangers chairman David Murray's pre-match claims that they and Celtic could be
invited to join the Nationwide League next season would have fired up the
Aberdeen players and supporters.
The champions were certainly there for the taking as Martin O'Neill brought in
the kids with so many stars missing and the home side looking for a win to
finish in third place.
But it was youngster Shaun Maloney who rose above everything else with a
brilliant free-kick to give Celtic 103 points for the season and help Livingston
claim third place.
The Aberdeen players certainly looked up for it at the start with the bad
blood between the two sides in previous encounters spilling over into this one.
Aberdeen were charged up early on and the end-of-season feel disappeared after
just three minutes when Russell Anderson was booked by referee Stuart Dougal for
a clumsy challenge on Boyd.
The home side almost gave their supporters a goal to celebrate in the 12th
minute when Ben Thornley curled a 27-yard free-kick just over Robert Douglas'
crossbar.
But the champions, with Tom Boyd playing what could be his final game for the
club and winning a title medal, responded by carving out the first great
opportunity of the game five minutes later.
Steve Guppy swung in an inviting cross from the byline and Momo Sylla's header
from six yards looked destined for the net, but Ryan Esson pulled off a great
save to deny him the opener.
The visitors, whose skipper Derek Whyte was also saying an emotional farewell,
again put a good move together in the 20th minute to slice open the Aberdeen
defence.
Sylla found Jamie Smith and Shaun Maloney managed to get on the end of his
pass, but Esson again did well to save his shot.
Tempers flared again between the two sides in the 27th minute as Jamie
McAllister clashed with Maloney and Sylla, but Dougal was quick to diffuse the
situation without taking action.
But the referee was forced to brandish the yellow card again on the half-hour
for Petrov's cynical challenge on Leon Mike.
McAllister and Maloney needed to be spoken to again by the referee as their
long-running spat continued.
But Aberdeen should have scored in the dying seconds of the half as Darren
Mackie squared to Darren Young in the area, but Boyd made a vital block to keep
the scores level at the break.
Celtic stepped up a gear after the break and just seconds into the second
half, the champions should have broken the deadlock.
Sylla beat the offside trap to run onto Maloney's throughball, but Esson again
did well to deny him with a save to his left.
The youngster again threaded the ball through to Sylla four minutes later, but
the former St Johnstone man was rightly flagged offside on this occasion.
But Balde wasted the next glorious chance to put Celtic ahead moments later
when he rose unmarked in the box to meet Guppy's corner, but his glancing header
went agonisingly wide.
McAllister's season was ended prematurely in the 65th minute when he limped
off to be replaced by Kevin Rutkiewicz.
But tempers flared up again in the 69th minute when Thornley reacted angrily
to a challenge from Sylla and Dougal again had to intervene to calm the
situation down.
The referee gave the free-kick to the champions and Maloney stepped up to curl
a brilliant right-foot effort into the top corner from 30 yards for his 10th
goal in five starts.
Sylla could have wrapped up the points in the 77th minute when he rose to meet
Guppy's cross, but he headed just over the bar.
But despite the defeat Aberdeen can still look forward to at least a trip into
Europe next season while Celtic and Maloney could be set to embark on an all-new
adventure to England.
Teams:
Aberdeen: Esson, Anderson, McGuire, Whyte,
McAllister (Rutkiewicz 65), Derek Young (Tiernan 78),
Darren Young, Bisconti (Clark 81), Thornley, Mackie, Mike.
Subs Not Used: Peat, Michie.
Booked: Anderson, Thornley.
Celtic: Douglas, McNamara, Balde, Boyd, Sylla, Wieghorst,
Petrov, Guppy, Maloney, Smith, Healy.
Subs Not Used: Gould, McGovern, Fotheringham, Wallace, Kennedy.
Booked: Petrov, Sylla.
Goals: Maloney 71.
Att: 15,332
Ref: S Dougal (Scotland).
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