Cammy Devlin has said none of the Hearts players were hurt during the pitch invasion at Celtic Park after the final league game of the season.
The Hearts midfielder was on the pitch as Celtic sealed the title with victory over the Tynecastle side, before supporters entered the pitch after full-time.
The scenes led to strong criticism, with claims made afterwards about the safety of Hearts players during the celebrations. Devlin has now given his view.
He said: (SunSport), “It was horrible, to be honest.
“I didn’t envision the last game of the season going the way it did, in terms of the result, and the scenes you all would have seen. That’s not what football is about.
“They won the game, and they were the champions. But just the way it all happened, the kind of last week with some of the decisions and stuff.”
“It puts a bit of a sour taste on the ending to what was such a good season for such a special club. None of the players got hurt, but it wasn’t nice, and it never is.
“But at the end of the day, we didn’t quite get it over the line, which is something that will take a while [to process].”
That line about no players being hurt is the key part. It matters because the aftermath of the game quickly became about what happened once supporters came onto the pitch, rather than just Celtic winning the title.
There is no dressing it up. Fans coming onto the pitch creates a safety issue for players, staff and stewards. It also takes focus away from the football itself, which is never ideal after a title-deciding match.
But Devlin’s comments add a calmer first-hand account from a Hearts player who was involved in the game and experienced the scenes directly.
Celtic won the match, Hearts were left to deal with a painful ending to their season, and the discussion around what happened after full-time has now been given another layer by Devlin’s admission that none of his team-mates were hurt.
Ironically, Devlin is probably the least liked Hearts player by ALL Celtic fans.
But he certainly has earned our respect!
However, now is the time for the SFA, and Police Scotland, to charge the Hearts manager who deliberately tried to incite a riot by blatantly lying about the situation.
He also brought the game into disrepute.
Three days earlier, his lack of sportsmanship and disgraceful unwarranted behaviour and accusations of corruption against John Beaton put the lives of the referee and his family in danger.
He must be brought to justice for his disgusting conduct.