Darren O’Dea quickly shut down Alan Preston’s argument during BBC Sportsound’s coverage of Celtic’s dramatic title-clinching win over Hearts.
With the Premiership race going down to the final day, much of the build-up focused on the possibility of Hearts winning their first league title since 1960 and the fairytale nature of Derek McInnes’ side potentially completing the job at Celtic Park.
During the discussion, former Hearts defender Alan Preston suggested a Hearts triumph would somehow carry greater emotional weight than Celtic winning another title.
Preston said on Sportsound:
“For every person that’s Hearts orientated, it would be really special.
“It would be, as Celtic won’t have an open deck bus round the town tomorrow if they wanted to. And that’s a sad indictment on our game through here in the West.
“I’ve got to say that in Edinburgh will be different.”
But former Celtic defender Darren O’Dea immediately challenged the point and insisted Celtic supporters should not have their own achievement diminished simply because success has become more regular.
O’Dea responded:
“I don’t buy that for a minute.
“I totally get the story of Hearts, and it’s incredible. And if they get it over the line it’ll be an unbelievable story.
“But what I can’t have is that you undermine what Celtic will feel.”
And judging by the scenes at full-time, O’Dea’s point was emphatically proven.
When Callum Osmand fired home Celtic’s third goal deep into stoppage time, Celtic Park exploded. Thousands of supporters flooded onto the pitch while celebrations carried on long into the night across Glasgow.
For large parts of the afternoon, Hearts looked on course to complete one of the biggest shocks in Scottish football history after Lawrence Shankland gave them the lead.
But Celtic eventually found a way through goals from Arne Engels, Daizen Maeda and Callum Osmand to secure a fifth consecutive Premiership title in extraordinary fashion.
Whatever the wider narrative around Hearts’ challenge, the reaction inside Celtic Park showed exactly how much this title meant to Celtic supporters after one of the most chaotic and emotionally draining seasons in recent memory.
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