THERE was an appearance by Lubo Moravcik, the sight of Neil Lennon running out again on the Celtic Park pitch and, typically, a hat trick by Henrik Larsson.

These were cameos for a capacity crowd to cherish in Celtic Legends’ 5-2 win over Manchester United Legends last night, but the poignancy of the game came in the opening moments.

The stadium rose to applaud John Kennedy as he was substituted after a short appearance on the field. The match was arranged to raise money for Oxfam’s East Africa Appeal but it was also an opportunity for the supporters to acclaim a player whose career was cut short through injury.

In a gesture deserving of the crowd’s unanimous praise, Kennedy donated his share of the gate receipts to charity.

Not long before Kennedy departed, John Hartson was also substituted. The Welsh striker — returning to full health after recovering from cancer — stayed on long enough to be involved in the kick-off before also leaving to a warm ovation.

With Pat Bonner hurling his old frame around in goals, Alan Thompson, Tom Boyd and John Mjallby in defence, Sutton and a still lithe Larsson up front, memories of past glories could be rekindled.

Martin O’Neill managed Celtic, while Gordon Strachan took charge of a Manchester United side that included Roy Keane, Dion Dublin, Dwight Yorke and Brian McClair. The celebrities taking part ranged from the sheer footballing ineptitude of the actor Gerard Butler, to the clever, energetic play of fellow thespian Ralf Little.

United scored the opening two goals, through Yorke and Darren Campbell, before Larsson converted a penalty. In the second half, the Swede scored with two crisp finishes before creating the fourth for Bobby Petta, who later ended the scoring with his second of the night. But the occasion was about the spirit of the fundraising, and the selflessness of Kennedy.

 

Sandomierski wants resolution

GRZEGORZ SANDOMIERSKI would be interested in following in the footsteps of Artur Boruc by signing for Celtic. The Parkhead club have already had a bid rejected for the Jagiellonia Bialystok goalkeeper and their scouts watched him against Lechia Gdansk at the weekend.

Belgian side Racing Genk are also keen to land the 21-year-old Poland internationalist, but Sandomierski would seem to prefer a move to Parkhead and follow on from Boruc.

“Artur is a legend at this club [Celtic] and I couldn’t even dream of coming close to matching his status there,” he said. “I cannot be compared to him and I wouldn’t want to be because everyone wants to make their own mark.

“I hope everything will be sorted out soon. One of the most important things for a ‘keeper is to concentrate and when your head is occupied with something else, they begin to make mistakes. I won’t let that happen.

“I am still getting conflicting information about this transfer because the newspapers and television people are telling me something different from the people at the club. Some already have me on a plane to Glasgow, but I am still here so far.

“What I know is that the first offer from Scotland was rejected last week and I don’t know if they will accept another offer. It’s getting a bit ridiculous. I get linked with clubs all the time, but I never seem to move.”

Sandomierski would be in direct competition with compatriot Lukasz Zaluska at Celtic. It is a challenge he would relish after speaking to Grzegorz Szamotulski, the former Dundee United and Hibernian goalkeeper.

“We are mutual friends with Grzegorz, but we are not friends ourselves,” he said. “If we have to compete for the jersey I would be happy with that, but I would have to be very good because Luke is a great goalkeeper.”