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WHAT DO MATT O'RILEY, JOHN KENNEDY, JOE HART & LEIGH GRIFFITHS HAVE IN COMMON?

The third Glasgow Derby of the season has come and gone, but not without the usual controversy and drama that surrounds the fixture.


Six goals and two penalties later and Celtic shared the spoils with Rangers in a 3-3 draw, with the match not resulting in the massive pendulum swing a victory for either side would have guaranteed in this enthralling title fight.


As well as all the thrills and spills of a six-goal thriller that some are calling a classic, there was also a repeat of the regrettable scenes that have become an all-too-familiar feature of this derby.


In the aftermath of this encounter, Celtic have issued a response to two separate incidents, both of which involved missiles being directed at Celtic staff.


A glass bottle was thrown in Matt O'Riley's direction as he celebrated his penalty goal, and the Celtic dugout was also targeted with coins and other missiles in the second-half.


A complaint has been made to Police Scotland, with Celtic wondering what else they can do to protect anyone associated with the club who dares to enter Ibrox.


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Leigh Griffiths & the battery


After Dedryck Boyata scored Celtic's fourth goal in a 5-1 hammering of Rangers at Ibrox on 29 April 2017, Leigh Griffiths held aloft a battery that had been thrown from the Rangers crowd at the celebrating Celtic players.


Griffiths was furious and brought the missile to referee John Beaton's attention.


Also during this match, a Rangers fan was seen to make a monkey gesture at Scott Sinclair, who had given Celtic the lead from the penalty spot after seven minutes.


Not content with racist gestures and throwing missiles, a Rangers fan invaded the pitch and attempted to assault Celtic captain Scott Brown.


Joe Hart & the broken bottle


When Joe Hart returned to the pitch after half-time at Ibrox on 3 April 2022, he alerted referee Willie Collum to a broken bottle that had made its way into his penalty area from the Copland Road Stand behind his goal.


Hart told the ref in no uncertain terms that he would order his Celtic team-mates off the field unless the pitch was cleared of shards of glass.


After a five-minute delay in proceedings, Ange Postecoglou's men went on to win the game 2-1 thanks to goals from Tom Rogic and Cameron Carter-Vickers.



Daniel Friel hit with a bottle


During the same match in which Joe Hart discovered broken glass in his goalmouth, Celtic's physio, Daniel Friel, was struck with a glass bottle, which had been thrown from the west enclosure at Ibrox.


The bottle struck Friel on the head, causing a wound that scarred the physio for life.


The Rangers fan responsible was jailed for 12 months.


Celtic fan hit with bottle


During the Glasgow Derby at Ibrox on 2 January 2023, Rangers fan, Lee Findlay, threw a glass bottle into the away crowd, leaving Celtic fan, Owen Murphy, permanently disfigured.


This incident during the 2-2 draw was a contributing factor in Celtic's decision to no longer accept the reduced ticket allocation due to safety concerns.


It is clear from this rap sheet of half-a-dozen offences that anyone associated with Celtic is clearly unsafe when entering Ibrox.


Celtic have alerted Police Scotland, but what will Scottish football's authorities do to curb this ongoing campaign of violence towards the club's players, staff and fans?


Paul John Dykes

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