IT'S a sight the thousands of fans who packed Celtic Park on Saturday will never forget - the moment their heroes broke Rangers' domination of the Scottish League championship. They will also remember it as perhaps the longest day.
From the third minute, when dreadlocked Henrik Larsson crashed an unsaveable shot behind St Johnstone's Alan Main, until 73 minutes, when substitute Harald Brattbakk clinched the title, must have seemed like an eternity to those fans who have suffered a rollercoaster of emotions during recent weeks.
At the end of the day, however, the big party took place. Captain Tom Boyd appeared in the press room, dressed in a towel, jester's hat, boots, and socks. ''Ten years was too long for those fans to wait for this,'' he said. ''In recent weeks we have put the fans and ourselves under so much pressure, but now we have done it and we can all party.
''At the start of the season if we had been told we would be going into the last game of the season at home needing to win to take the title, we would have accepted that.
''I think we handled the pressure well - we got stuck in and defended well, as usual. The players hadn't a clue what was going on at Tannadice. We had it in our own hands to win the title and that's what we concentrated on.
''Did we have any doubts? The only doubts were when we lost the first couple of matches of the season. But once we went on a run and began to put pressure on Rangers, things were looking up. Then when we got our noses in front, we were confident we could do it. There were anxious moments and disappointments, but no doubts.
''Our main target this season was the championship. Now we are all looking forward to the chance of qualifying for the Champions' League.''
Now the one cloud over Parkhead is the future of coach Wim Jansen. ''Wim hasn't told the players whether he is staying or going,'' said Boyd. ''Naturally, we want him to stay. He has steered us to two of the three domestic honours and his organisation has been fantastic.''
Goalkeeper Jonathan Gould revealed that the 50,000 fans singing ''You'll Never Walk Alone'' before the kick-off inspired the side.
''The dressing room was very quiet at that stage,'' he said. ''Everyone was thinking about what lay ahead. Then you could hear the singing drifting back from all parts of the ground.
''You cannot help but be moti-
vated hearing the supporters sing-ing like that and spurring you on.
''These fans are second to none and I am delighted for them we have won the championship. This is another step forward for Celtic after winning the Coca-Cola Cup.
''This is a massive club and the potential for success here is unbelievable. Now we have the Champions' League to look forward to.''
Paul Lambert, who won a European Cup medal with Borussia Dortmund last season, also saluted the supporters.
''This is fantastic for these people,'' he said. ''I am delighted for these brilliant supporters.''
Defender Alan Stubbs added: ''These supporters deserve it. They have waited a long time for the title. I am thrilled we have done it.''
Celtic used 22 players in winning the championship. They were:
Craig Burley (35 appearances, none as a substitute), Jonathan Gould (35-0), Henrik Larsson (34-1), Tom Boyd (33-0), Alan Stubbs (29-0), Jackie McNamara (28-3), Morten Wieghorst (25-5), Marc Rieper (30-0), Simon Donnelly (21-9), Paul Lambert (25-1), Stephane Mahe (23-0), Darren Jackson (9-14), Enrico Annoni (14-6), Harald Brattbakk (11-6), Regi Blinker (13-2), David Hannah (9-6), Andreas Thom (8-7), Phil O'Donnell (6-9), Tosh McKinlay (2-3), Malky Mackay (3-1), Tommy Johnson (1-1), Gordon Marshall (1-0).
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