Scottish Cup final

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Motherwell v Celtic

Venue: Hampden Park, Glasgow Date: Saturday, 21 May Kick-off: 1500 BST
Coverage: BBC Sport website, BBC Radio Scotland, BBC One Scotland, Skysports

Motherwell manager Stuart McCall has no injury worries ahead of the Scottish Cup final.

Darren Randolph is expected to return in goal having missed the league game at Parkhead, with Steve Jennings and Maurice Ross also in contention.

Celtic winger Shaun Maloney is out with a calf strain, but Kris Commons is back after serving a suspension.

Anthony Stokes will be considered having been dropped for the final league match for disciplinary reasons.

Motherwell manager Stuart McCall:


"On Saturday we've got to be looking forward and go at it and give the best we've got.

"It will be down to the players, they have been outstanding this season and if they are at their best we have the chance to cause an upset.

"We've got a lot of young boys but the experience of the European games helped them, as did the two games at Hampden already.

"There should be no stage fright, everyone is really focused."

Celtic manager Neil Lennon:


"Our recent form is very, very good. There's disappointment that we haven't won the title, but we have a cup to win against a very motivated Motherwell team.

"It's a game we are all looking forward to. Hopefully it'll be a good way to finish what has been a very good season.

"It'll hopefully put some silverware in the cabinet.

"It's an important competition for the club, for the supporters and certainly for the players and backroom staff here."

Motherwell: (from) Randolph, Saunders, Ross, Craigan, Hutchinson, Gunning, Hammell, Hateley, Jennings, Lasley, Forbes, Humphrey, Jones, Murphy, Sutton, Jeffers, McHugh, Casagolda, Page, Hollis.

Celtic: (from)Forster, Wilson, Loovens, Majstorovic, Izaguirre, Forrest, McCourt, Brown, Commons, Ki, Mulgrew, Hooper, Stokes, Samaras, Juarez, Zaluska, Cha, Rogne, Murphy, McGinn.
 
mon the well :Clap::Clap:

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Motherwell 0 - 3 Celtic

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Celtic claimed their 34th Scottish Cup with comfortable victory against Motherwell at a rain-soaked Hampden.

Ki struck from distance in the 32nd minute for a sensational opener, then Gavin Gunning shook the Celtic crossbar moments later with a similar drive.

Motherwell captain Stephen Craigan deflected in a Mark Wilson shot in the 76th minute for Celtic's second.

Charlie Mulgrew completed the win with five minutes remaining, confidently striking a free-kick from 20 yards out.

The win marks the first silverware for Neil Lennon in his inaugural season as Celtic manager, closing a turbulent season for the Northern Irishman.

Kris Commons was drafted back into the Celtic side to face Motherwell, with Anthony Stokes was named on the bench having previously been dropped over a disciplinary matter.

Motherwell welcomed back goalkeeper Darren Randolph and Steve Jennings for their first cup final since lifting the trophy 20 years ago.

With just two minutes played at Hampden, Gary Hooper volleyed a Commons ball off the Motherwell crossbar, but the assistant referee had already flagged for offside.

Moments later, Gavin Gunning sent in a cross at the other end, but Daniel Majstorovic made the clearance. The big Swede subsequently earned himself a yellow for a rough challenge on John Sutton. Keith Lasley joined him in the refs book for a similar challenge on Glenn Loovens that could have easily been a red.

The tone of the game was matched by the miserable weather with neither goalkeeper significantly tested in the opening 20 minutes.

A well-worked Celtic move into the Motherwell penalty area ended with a feeble header from Georgios Samaras under pressure from Shaun Hutchinson.

Scott Brown broke free to pounce on to a Commons through ball on the 18-yard line, but Steven Jennings cleared the danger.

Majstorovic needed to be at full stretch to keep pace with Chris Humphrey's darting run down the right wing, then Ki Sung-Yeung was carded for a sliding tackle on Keith Lasley before opening the scoring with a sensational strike from 30 yards out.

The deadlock was broken in the 32nd minute when the South Korean international latched on to a Commons square ball and blasted a right-footed cannonball shot past Darren Randolph in the Motherwell goal.

Three minutes later, Gavin Gunning had the Celtic crossbar shuddering in the wind with a blistering shot from 35 yards out that almost restored parity.

Majstorovic was lucky to escape a red card when he appeared to deliberately handle the ball on the edge of the Celtic penalty area, but referee Calum Murray saw fit to let him away with a sternly-worded warning and a free-kick that Gunning saw cleared by Emilion Izzaguirre.

As half-time approached, Craigan similarly handled the ball on the edge of the Motherwell box and Murray waved play on.

After the restart a lengthy spell of possession for Celtic around the Motherwell penalty area ended with Izzeguire's cross being deflected out, then a Hooper back-heel was cleared by keeper Randolph.

Chris Humphrey tested Celtic keeper Fraser Forster in the 54th minute with a volleyed effort from wide on the right, then Gunning's cross was thwarted on the left wing by Commons.

Samaras should have netted Celtic's second when he drove into the Motherwell penalty area and went to ground too easily under pressure, then Mulgrew's shot was blocked by tom Hateley.

Commons should have done better with a close-range effort in the 65th minute that he toe-poked past Randolph, but Hutchinson was on hand to clear, then the former Derby man fired in a shot that Randolph easily smothered.

Wilson claimed Celtic's second goal of the afternoon when he blasted in a right-footed shot from the 18-yard line that deflected off Craigan into the back of the Motherwell net in the 76th minute.

Five minutes from full-time, Mulgrew stepped up and curled in an inch-perfect free-kick that evaded Randolph and handed Lennon his first trophy as Celtic manager.
 
well done Celtic:Clap: I hope next season is a better one for everybody without all the crap that happened this season...

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STUART McCALL has slammed Scott Brown after he branded Motherwell a bunch of Cup Final cloggers.

And the Well boss says the Celtic captain should be ASHAMED of himself.

McCall is furious after Brown said he had sent his stars out to rough up the Hoops at Hampden.

He hit back at the midfielder and insists he should be embarrassed by his rant.

The Fir Park boss said: "I think he'll be embarrassed by his comments, or at least he should be. If he watches the game again, as I'm sure he will, he'll be embarrassed.

"The comment or suggestion that I send my team out to go over the ball in tackles is quite ridiculous.

"I want my players to be competitive, of course I do. But there's a fine line.

"As much as losing the Cup Final hurt us we were dignified in defeat.

"You've got to take your medicine and we wished Celtic all the best after the game.

"To read that this morning was quite sad to be honest. He should be enjoying his moment because he hasn't had many this season.

"To come out with comments regarding my players and how I send out my team is sad.

"I'm never going to be worried by what Scott Brown says but he should be concentrating on himself."

Brown branded Well midfielder Keith Lasley's challenge on Glenn Loovens disgusting. But McCall says Daniel Majstorovic's tackle on Well striker John Sutton was WORSE.

Five players, three from Celtic and two from Well, were booked as Neil Lennon's men swept to a 3-0 win.

McCall said: "If you watch the tackle Daniel Majstorovic makes on John Sutton then there's no doubt in my mind that it could quite easily have been a red card.

"If he watches Keith's tackle on Loovens again he'll see Lasley goes in to block the ball. His trailing leg, almost his backside, catches Loovens.

"I didn't realise how bad the Majstorovic tackle was until I saw it again but I'm not going to have a go at Neil Lennon for the way the game was played.

"Keith is a totally committed player, like Brown, but he's never gone out to hurt someone. It's sad."

McCall revealed he's offered new deals to skipper Stephen Craigan and back-up keeper Lee Hollis.

He is waiting to hear from Sutton and Steve Jennings, who've also been offered improved contracts in a bid to keep them at Fir Park.
http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scot...#ixzz1NDhtZbIc
 
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