The day Celtic stopped their dreaded ten. A day we’ll never forget | OneFootball

The day we stopped the dreaded ten. A day we’ll never forget…

9 May 1998: Celtic Coach Wim Jansen and Murdo McLeod celebrate after a Scottish Premier League match against St Johnstone at Celtic Park in Glasgow, Scotland. Celtic won the match 2-0 to become the league champions. Mandatory Credit: Shaun Botterill/Allsport

27 years ago today – how time flies

27 years ago today we celebrated a title win that was a combination of sheer joy and total and utter relief. That day was of course Saturday 9th May 1998, the day we stopped their dreaded ten. I often highlight this day especially on the anniversary and it’s something I will never tire of recalling.

To say the pressure on everyone involved on the day and the campaign as a whole was enormous would be an understatement, and every single supporter inside the ground or on the streets, in the pubs or wherever they may have been come kick-off couldn’t comprehend anything other than a Celtic victory.

We just had to win, there was no other possible outcome

We just had to win, there was no other possible outcome. Just the mere thought of the Rangers supporters celebrating overtaking our nine in a row record was enough to make us sick to the stomach. We had one hand on the trophy that had eluded us for a decade, a decade of misery and we had the perfect chance to put it all behind us, and even better it was all on our own hands.

9 May 1998: Henrik Larsson of Celtic celebrates after a Scottish Premier League match against St Johnstone at Celtic Park in Glasgow, Scotland. Celtic won the match 2-0 to become the league champions. Mandatory Credit: Shaun Botterill/Allsport

It was our holy grail

Celtic Park was a cauldron of noise well before kick off as supporters arrived early eager to party, and it turned up a notch when just two minutes in Henrik Larsson fired us into the lead with a sublime goal.

Henrik’s goal settled the nerves but we all knew that we needed at least one more to get the party fully started and naturally the players went looking for that elusive second goal in the pressure cooker that was Celtic Park. The tension was incredible and when St Johnstone had a great opportunity to score it was becoming unbearable to watch.

9 May 1998: Celtic players celebrate after a Scottish Premier League match against St Johnstone at Celtic Park in Glasgow, Scotland. Celtic won the match 2-0 to become the league champions. Mandatory Credit: Shaun Botterill/Allsport

That dreaded feeling of losing an equaliser

It didn’t look as if a second Celtic goal would arrive as time agonisingly ticked away, with that dreaded feeling of losing an equaliser firmly planted in the back of our minds. One nil leads are always dangerous but even more so on a landmark day such as this. In those moments it was utter torture and a second seemed like a minute and a minute an hour.

Then on the 72nd minute substitute Harald Brattbakk washed all the agony of that pressure away by scoring to give us some vital breathing space. Paradise erupted like never before.

The Celtic supporters celebrated wildly

The Celtic supporters celebrated wildly through sheer relief if anything to begin with but the realisation soon dawned on us. Grown men would cry that day, shedding tears of joy. For ten years of hurt when we stood with pride and took defeat were slowly being erased as the last twenty minutes passed by. It felt like a lifetime but would’ve felt much longer if Harald hadn’t grabbed that elusive second goal.

9 May 1998: Celtic fans celebrate after a Scottish Premier League match against St Johnstone at Celtic Park in Glasgow, Scotland. Celtic won the match 2-0 to become the league champions. Mandatory Credit: Shaun Botterill/Allsport

When the final whistle sounded our new Paradise erupted

When the final whistle sounded our new Paradise erupted as fans sank to their knees, some even had tears in their eyes. The players celebrated wildly on the pitch, supporters couldn’t contain their emotions and took to the pitch in great numbers to celebrate with those very players who were now classed as legends. The Celtic side that stopped the dreaded ten.

Almost ten years of misery had been evaporated

Almost ten years of misery had been evaporated. Their evil spell over us was broken. For them it was the beginning of the end but we didn’t know it at the time. That would be a celebration for another day well into the future. A season of pressure and uncertainty was over, we could breathe again.

Celtic were the Champions of Scotland once more, something a generation had never experienced. Their Ten in a Row was obliterated. It’s certainly a day I and a lot of supporters will never ever forget and I’ll be writing about it need year too. Mark my words!

Just an Ordinary Bhoy

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The Day We Stopped Their Ten – Quotes on The Celtic Wiki

“It was only 1-0 and St Johnstone had a stramash in our box and we knew that Rangers were winning so it was tight. When Harald scored it was just such a relief. I jumped on John Clark’s back and nearly took him to the ground and thankfully we got over the line.” Simon Donnelly (2018)

“This is one of the very special moments in my career. It was a very hard game and it has been a very hard season. This has got to be one of the highlights of my career as a coach and something I will always remember. I made a very late start with the club in the summer and couldn’t forecast what would happen. It hasn’t been an easy season and it has come down to the last game. But it is over now and we are champions.  I have made up my mind what I will be doing next season, but I will not be explaining it here. The first person to know will be Fergus McCann. This game hasn’t affected the way I’ve been thinking about my future. The only other person to know my decision is my wife.” Wim Jansen Post match

“Scarves, banners, jerseys, green and white hoops raised in triumph. It may not have been a vintage championship but believe me it will taste as sweet to these Celtic supporters as any they have ever secured because they have stopped Rangers from taking away the history book record of ten in a row…” He then says “Perhaps the best tribute should be paid by simply listening to the Celtic fans singing their beloved anthem” all the while you can hear the fans singing YNWA…..” Roddy Forsyth on Radio 5 Live

“It’s perfect!” Wim Jansen

“Very disappointing!” Richard Gough (Rangers captain) GIRUY.

Tell us your memories of the day we stopped their ten in comments below…

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