In the aftermath of my article earlier, I got a couple of messages from people who wanted to point out a wonderful postscript, something I noticed watching the game again on the other night, and which I’d been smiling about ever since.
Then a post of Facebook (cheers DC Amero) on that very subject sparked a discussion about similar moments in the past, and I knew I had to write about it.
Sunday’s moment was one of near perfection; Sevco fans, in their thousands, relieved beyond measure at having survived an 86 minute long onslaught, broke into a deplorable, disgusting, sewer dredging chant of hate. The vile, evil song fills the air. A moment later, beautiful silence in their end, and an overwhelming outburst of joy in ours as Dembele’s ball hits the back of the net. Could you have asked for or imagined a more perfect GIRFUY?
It was as if the Man Upstairs himself decided “Enough of that shit,” and gave the ball a wee nudge as big Simo took his time to hit the pass. It sailed sixty yard to Griffiths and his pinpoint cross was just perfect, just wondrous, and the finish … out of this world.
It’s not the first time we’ve silenced the more debased element of the Ibrox support in full flow either.
With Rangers just 13 months from the grave that was waiting for them even then, big Sammi got on the end of a long-range Ledley pass as they were bouncing through “Build My Gallows High”. They still had the words in their throats as he put it in the back of the net.
I recall their fans being up to their knees in our blood at Parkhead in May 2004, celebrating a 0-0 draw when Big Sutton silenced the lot of them. That was one of the happiest moments I’ve had a Celtic supporter. It was a magical finish … but that total silence that fell over them was even better, somehow. It fell so suddenly that their mouths might have all snapped shut in the same second. It’s a wonder some of them didn’t choke on the words.
Roy Aitken silenced a bouncing Ibrox in the famous 2-2 draw there, whilst they were in full flow. The footage of that on YouTube shows that entire end of the ground in dumbstruck horror. There were similar looks on their faces that night at Celtic Park in 1997 when Alan Stubbs scored in the last minute to get us a massive (that’s an understatement) draw. They had been in full sectarian flow for most of the game, and that moment was very sweet. I’m sure there are other examples, plenty of them, but these come readily to mind.
There is no better way to silence the Hate Brigade than with a goal.
Sunday’s was a particularly lovely example because of the particularly vile nature of the song that was being sung.
There’s little to beat a moment like that.
Feel free to publish your own examples below.