Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou left perplexed by phone-wielding Pittodrie intruder - 'I don't like that - an all-access pass'

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou was left “baffled” by one bizarre aspect of a dug-out 3-2 win at Aberdeen that allowed his side to retain their one-point lead at the top of the cinch Premiership.

Eary in a second period in which Celtic instantly found a winner through Jota after being pegged back to 2-2 despite taking a two-goal lead into the interval, an Aberdeen supporter raced on to the field and made his way towards Celtic keeper Joe Hart with phone camera on. He then shouted the England keeper’s well-rehashed line “decent” at the 34-year-old – filming all the while with a clip he later posted online. He then appeared to grab a ball at the side of his goal, before he was allowed to saunter back off the pitch, open the gate in the south hand, and stroll up the steps and into the main throng of the crowd.

“I think we all were,” Postecoglou replied, when asked if he was perplexed by the incident. “It was like he had a free pass because he just wondered off and got back to his seat. Fair play to him he’s obviously got some special pass that allows him to do that.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I don’t like that because I always fear that you just don’t know what’s coming. You don’t want players to react to that or get involved. At the end of the day it was harmless enough, over-exuberance. We were all a bit baffled by his entry and exit. He’s obviously got some all-access pass that none of us have.”

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou (L) with Callum McGregor at full time during a cinch Premiership match between Aberdeen and Celtic.Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou (L) with Callum McGregor at full time during a cinch Premiership match between Aberdeen and Celtic.
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou (L) with Callum McGregor at full time during a cinch Premiership match between Aberdeen and Celtic.

Meanwhile, the Celtic manager was content with his team showing a different side to their game in a very different type of victory from the 4-0 and 3-0 drubbings over Motherwell and Rangers in their previous two outings.

“We obviously want to be a team who dominates the game and scores goals,” said the Celtic manager. “But at times over the last three or four months we have had to dig in.

We had to do that again today, we’ve had two tough away games since the derby and we’ve taken six points from them. From our perspective that’s a positive but the second half showed we still have things to improve on.

“We dominated the game in the first half and had a couple more chances to score. You always know you are going to get a reaction, particularly away from home. We were handling it okay but it was disappointing to lose goals from set pieces. There were no real threats for us out there but they got one, got a reaction from the crowd and caused us problems with another one.

“After that, we needed to be a bit more calm to control the game better. We still had some chances but even then we were rushing things. Everyone was good in the first half but in the second we had to take control of it better. It’s not an easy place to come and win – it was important to come here and continue our form.”

Read More
Celtic goal controversy: Aberdeen boss Stephen Glass 'told not to approach Willi...

A message from the Editor: Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers. If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.