Today went badly for Sevco. As badly as it was possible to go. The story of the night, following wins for Aberdeen and for Hibs is of a league title that looks almost certain to be decided at Celtic Park and the grisly story of Sevco’s place in the pecking order.
Aberdeen got half the job done today; on Friday night they play Hearts and if even a point will send the title race to Sunday’s deciding game. I don’t expect Aberdeen will settle for a point. The painful truth for Sevco is that Aberdeen are already three points towards the nine I believed will secure them the second spot. By Friday night it’ll be six.
Sevco needs to win tomorrow against Hearts. Let me put it another way, they can’t afford to lose. And yet, horribly for them, losing is the only result that leaves a title decider next Sunday up in the air. Even if Sevco draws you can pencil it into your diaries.
Nobody at Ibrox will be celebrating a defeat if Hearts secure the win. Because Sevco’s league position is too perilous for that. They are in real trouble, real danger of finishing fourth. What started a few months ago as a wee game of “Wouldn’t it be funny if …” is now upon us, it is now in the mix. Sevco might drop another spot from where they were last year.
I personally think as long as Aberdeen keep their cool they’ll finish second now. Hibs, who were quite simply superb today, are a great candidate for third. If Sevco drops anything tomorrow and Aberdeen win on Friday night, Sevco come to Celtic Park on Sunday knowing that if we win we’re champions, but that it also leaves Aberdeen just one win away from being confirmed in second place. If Hibs have beaten Kilmarnock the day before they come in fourth place and would leave without even a bronze medal position.
Their saving grace, if you can call it that, would be that Hibs play Aberdeen at Pittodrie in game 3, but that offers scant consolation if Kilmarnock can take anything at Ibrox … because on the Tuesday night they are Pittodrie and on the last day they’re at Easter Road.
Can you even imagine the turmoil they might be in come that game? And the road is clear for it. The race for second is already most definitely on; the race for third looks like going to the wire. It may well go to that final game against Hibs … and with the way the Easter Road team played today and how they’ve taken Sevco on this season my money would be on them.
Sevco’s barmiest fan site, Ibrox Noise, already sees the writing on the wall for next weekend. They’ve told their team that it will be unthinkable to lose at Parkhead and see us crowned champions. Yet here they are, already thinking about it … and they should be. They think they’re coming to Parkhead to play in a game where we can clinch the title, and you know what? I think they are right.
It will be Celtic – Sevco on Beautiful Sunday II.
Yet that isn’t their nightmare scenario. Their nightmare scenario is coming to Parkhead six points behind Aberdeen and three behind Hibs … as usual they are looking at the wrong part of the big picture. Us winning the league that day is the least of their problems.
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