It feels like a lifetime ago now.
With less than two weeks until the new Premiership season gets underway, attention has turned to pre-season and new signings. But Martin O’Neill has looked back on one of the defining moments of last season – and was keen to correct the record.
When Callum Osmand rolled the ball into an empty net deep into stoppage time against Hearts, thousands of Celtic supporters spilled onto the pitch in celebration before the final whistle had officially sounded.
The scenes sparked widespread debate, with Hearts condemning the invasion and calls for stronger action following the title decider.
While O’Neill accepted supporters should not have entered the field of play, he believes the aftermath has been misrepresented.
The Celtic manager revealed the pitch was cleared in under three minutes, dismissing suggestions it took significantly longer.
Speaking to Celtic Player, O’Neill said:
“How long do you think it took to clear the pitch? People were saying 20 minutes – it took two minutes and 50 seconds.
“Yes, I accept the fact that you shouldn’t be on the pitch before the end of the game, but when the voice recorder came through, and Derek [McInnes] said, ‘Let’s end this’, I think that put a different perspective on things. It really did.
“Will there be another pitch invasion between now and the rest of my life? I’m sure there will be.
“If the game had taken its normal course, then maybe the Hearts players could have gone to their own fans and acknowledged the fact that not necessarily for the game, but for the season that they’ve had, which was fantastic.
“But the rest of the things, I don’t see it any differently to the day I saw it.” [The Herald]
The title-clinching victory remains one of the most dramatic afternoons in Celtic’s recent history.
After falling behind and seeing Hearts edge closer to a first league title in more than six decades, Celtic produced a remarkable late turnaround before Osmand’s stoppage-time goal sparked emotional celebrations inside Celtic Park.
O’Neill has never attempted to justify supporters entering the pitch before full-time, but he believes some of the criticism that followed exaggerated what actually happened.
With the new season fast approaching, the focus has understandably shifted to preparing for another title defence.
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