Police pelted with bottles as Celtic fans celebrate Premiership title win

BBC

Bottles and other missiles have been thrown at police as thousands of Celtic fans celebrated the club's fifth successive Scottish Premiership title win on the streets of Glasgow.

Supporters gathered in the Trongate area of the city after a 3-1 win at Parkhead stadium dashed Heart of Midlothian's dream of winning their first top flight league trophy in 66 years.

Police Scotland said officers went into the celebrating crowd to assist with a medical emergency but were met with "significant levels of hostility".

The force said "decisive action" was now being taken to disperse the fans, and people were being asked to leave the area for safety reasons.

Hearts only needed a draw to end the 40-year dominance of Glasgow clubs but two quick goals in the final minutes of the game secured Celtic the win they required.

As the third goal was scored during extra time, there was a pitch invasion with Hearts players ushered to safety down the tunnel by police and officials.

Despite earlier appeals to avoid mass gatherings, fans then headed to Trongate, with some climbing traffic lights and letting off green flares.

Reuters

The match itself was one of the most highly anticipated clashes in recent Scottish footballing history with the Edinburgh side threatening to upend the traditional Old Firm dominance of the trophies.

Despite the Jambos scoring the first goal of the match, Celtic quickly equalised and two late goals - by Daizen Maeda and substitute Callum Osmand - sealed their fate.

Ecstatic Celtic fans poured onto the pitch as the third goal went into the net.

BBC Sportscene pundit Allan Preston said some of the Celtic fans appeared to be targeting Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland.

The match, which was approaching the end of the indicated eight minutes of added time, did not restart after the pitch invasion.

The Hearts players and staff made a hasty exit from the ground, with some players still in their match kit on the team bus as they headed back to Edinburgh.

Asked about reports that fans had assaulted Hearts players, Celtic boss Martin O'Neill said: "If some Hearts players have been accosted, then that's just not right at all.

"I genuinely didn't see the scenes at the end because I thought the game wasn't over, so I'm trying to push some of our fans off the pitch again to play whatever's left."

Earlier, as his team lifted the trophy, O'Neill, now aged 74, said the Celtic players and coaching staff had "given me a reason to live".

Celtic captain Callum McGregor praised the mentality of his players after everyone "wrote us off".

"We knew we would get a chance for sure, this is the way this group is, they just keep going and going," he said.

Many Celtic fans watched the game in bars across Glasgow, among them Ian who followed the match in Connolly's.

"That was exceptional - St Martin of O'Neill delivered for his Celtic famil." he said.

Another Celtic fan, Aidan, said the result had topped the birth of his two children.

"I've never experienced anything like this in my life," he said.

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Fewer than 800 Hearts fans were inside the stadium in Glasgow but thousands had gathered in pubs in Edinburgh to watch on TV, hopeful that their side would pull off a remarkable footballing achievement.

Fiona, who was at the Tynecastle Arms with her 10-year-old daughter Olivia, said she was "proud and devastated" following the result.

"A lot of my friends think it's 11 men kicking a ball around a field but it's more than that for us," she said.

She added that there was "so much to look forward to" and she was hopeful for the future.

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"Whether it's next year or whether it's five or ten years - it will happen eventually," she said.

Many fans gathered at Tynecastle stadium to welcome home the players, despite the disappointing result.

Edinburgh's Lord Provost Robert Aldridge sent his commiserations to the club, saying it was a heart breaking ending for a team that had given "absolutely everything" at Celtic Park.

"The club has had such a great campaign, bringing so much joy, excitement and inspiration to their fans and to the wider community," he said.

'Celebrate responsibly'

There was a heavy police presence in Glasgow both before and after the match.

O'Neill, who last won the title in 2004 during his first spell at Celtic, was among those urging fans to celebrate "safely and responsibly".

"We want all our fans to be safe and ensure that we are mindful of others and our wider community," he had said ahead of the big game.

In recent years some Celtic fans have been involved in anti-social behaviour after gathering in their thousands in the Merchant City and Trongate areas of Glasgow.

As a precautionary measure glass was removed from bus stop shelters on Friday, and the club urged supporters to avoid mass gatherings which have a "high impact" on the city.