JACK and the Beanstalk has just started at the civic centre along from Fir Park.
But pantomime villain Scott Sinclair took centre stage again to write another controversial spotkick script against Motherwell.
He had been the player who had hit the deck to win the crucial penalty in Sunday’s League Cup win over Well. And at Fir Park he stepped off the bench to save Celtic’s unbeaten run after Callum McGregor had been bundled in the box.
Until then Mikael Lustig had looked like being remembered as the guy who gifted the goal to end the Hoops’ unbeaten run at 65 games on the day his kids’ Christmas presents were nicked from his motor. But with just two minutes left – and with Well looking like becoming the first club to shut out Celts for 20 months – Collum pointed to the spot after Andy Rose’s challenge. It looked a soft award again, with McGregor going away from goal as he tumbled.
Once again it saw a whistler being surrounded by claret and amber at full-time. You felt for Well too after standing up to Celts for long spells.
When Lustig slipped on 78 minutes then skewed home Craig Tanner’s free-kick the ground went wild. But three days after Cedric Kipre’s disputed foul and red card there was more disbelief amongst Well fans.
In freezing conditions they had withstood the heat and refused to keel over. Sinclair started on the bench after his weekend being caught up in controversy. It didn’t stop his name being booed by home fans and cheered by the visitors when it was read out. The teams emerged to the stirring soundtrack of the video Well played before the Hampden final.
The home side started brightly too with Carl McHugh seeing a header drop just over. At the other end Leigh Griffiths – recalled with Moussa Dembele crocked – saw a shot deflect wide after Allan Campbell had gifted possession. Patrick Roberts was starting his first game after a month out but his night lasted just 11 minutes.
At the end of a mazy he pulled up holding his troublesome hamstring.
After hobbling around for a couple of minutes he hit the deck and was replaced by Tom Rogic.
Ref Craig Thomson had been at the epicentre of the showpiece spotkick saga on Sunday.
Last night Collum was the man entrusted with things.
Kipre started with his Hampden red card ban applying to next year’s League Cup.
Hoops No2 had claimed his lunge at Dembele could have ended the striker’s career.
The giant Frenchman showed he wasn’t going to be put off by his early bath and Collum kept his cards in his pocket when he mowed down James Forrest.
From The Sun
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