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mackinmacki · 6 years

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The Lightning Strikes

Rating: M

Word Count: 4104

Summary: After the near-dissolution of her marriage, Kanan has been doing her best to be the perfect wife. However, the return of her previous flame puts her best to the test. (A sequel to The Thunder Rolls)

Pairing: KanaDia, KanaMari

Links: (FFN) | (AO3)

Kanan was sitting in the living room watching TV when her phone buzzed. She lazily picked it up to see who was texting her, not having much energy that afternoon. As soon as she saw the number on her screen, however, she became much more alert. It felt as if her blood had frozen over as she stared at that very familiar number on her screen. She stared at it so long that the screen went dark, but she hurriedly unlocked her phone after a quick, furtive glance around the room. Dia wasn't home, of course. She was out shopping still, though she could come home at any time.

'Kanan! How are you?~' There was a little lemon emoji at the end for good measure, so Kanan would be sure to know who it was. Of course, she already did. Even after she'd deleted Mari from her contacts, she hadn't yet forgotten every single digit of her phone number. Her mouth suddenly felt dry, and her hands shook a little as she shot back a terse reply.

'I told you we can't do this again! Do you have any idea how much trouble I got into?!' Honestly, 'trouble' was a massive understatement. 'Trouble' made her think of doing something wrong in grade school. This was much more than that. What she had done nearly destroyed her entire marriage. The only reason she was still sitting there in a house that she shared with her wife at that moment was because Dia wasn't willing to risk the social fallout surrounding a divorce.

'I miss you, though! My bed's not the same without your sexy muscles in it~' Kanan gulped, gripping onto the armrest of her chair tightly. Mari either didn't understand the true ramifications of what they had done, or she didn't care. Of course she couldn't truly understand. She wasn't there holding Dia in her arms as she sobbed unrestrained for days. She hadn't had to lay in bed and boil in guilt with the sound of photos they'd taken together being ripped apart echoing in her ears. It had been a very messy, ugly two weeks, and even now Kanan couldn't believe she hadn't been smothered to death in her sleep. She couldn't dare destroy Dia's trust - and heart - again.

'I can't! Mari, please... Don't text me again. I love Dia, and I can't do this to her again.' She texted with as much finality as she could put into words, but she still expected Mari to keep making her case. As long as she stayed firm, she wouldn't make the same mistake again.

However, five minutes passed and there still hadn't been a return text. She'd been on edge the entire time, but she felt a little bit better after not feeling that buzz. Thankfully she'd spurned Mari, as hard as it had been. It was shameful that she'd even had to be in this situation, but it was the bed that she'd made... and messed up, repeatedly. This was her cross to bear, and she wasn't going to add more weight onto it.

Just when she thought she was out of the woods, her phone buzzed again and threw her right back into it. She held out hope that it was just Dia letting her know that she was coming home, but of course it wasn't. It was Mari again, and when she opened up her phone, her breathing hitched. Mari's message - 'Don't you miss this, baby?' - was secondary to the picture attached to it. Seeing Mari sitting there, with that coy smile on her face and her large, naked breasts on display made her failing morals start doing some intense acrobatics. "Dammit..."

'Stop it, Mari! I'm not doing this!' She darkened her phone and laid her head back against her chair, biting her lip and letting out a defeated sigh. It had been two months since she'd nearly destroyed her marriage, and she had felt that she'd been doing so good. It had been often tiring and frustrating to have Dia being overly suspicious for all this time, but if she was honest with herself, it'd been well-deserved. She had been so sure she'd turned a corner. The warm stirring in between her legs said otherwise, though.

With a pace that was faster than it should've been, Kanan walked over to the front door and peered out through the peephole. She couldn't see anyone moving outside, obviously meaning that Dia wasn't home yet. Sighing again, she clutched her phone in her hand as she hurried upstairs to the bedroom, then locked herself in the bathroom. With little time to waste, she pulled down her pants and panties, then sat down on the sink and got to work getting herself off.

The guilt she felt was minimized somewhat as she fingered herself, even as she blatantly stared at the picture Mari had sent her. She bit her lip and thought back on the shameful times she had spent with her former lover. It was almost possible for her to imagine the way Mari's breasts felt in her hands. So big... She grunted as her legs kicked out, and then she came all over her fingers. Once she came down from that high, she had the presence of mind to feel incredibly bad about it.

She hurried to wash her hands and clean up the mess she had made, then deleted all the texts she'd exchanged with Mari. That is, after she had one last, long look at the picture. It was gone now, but it was burned into her mind and she wasn't able to forget about it for very long the rest of that day. Every time she looked at Dia, she felt sick to her stomach because she knew her self-control was wavering. She had to hide it, though. Her marriage was more important than some carefree fling.

That's what she told herself, anyway.

It'd been tough to go to work in the aftermath of what had happened. Even through text she could tell that Dia was not in a good place, and it activated her fight and flight responses at the same time. She wanted to race home and comfort her hurting wife, job be damned, but she also wanted to hide under her desk and not come back up until everything was back to the way it was. That was a short-sighted and blame-deflecting way of looking at it, though, so more often than not she'd go home and let Dia cry and be mad at her. Even if it made her feel like she was going to throw up, she couldn't do much more than take it and apologize profusely.

Sometimes it got frustrating, and the selfish part of her brain got mad that Dia still wasn't completely over it. Then she'd feel terrible for even thinking that way. She didn't have the high ground to demand Dia 'get over it'. If she hadn't done what she'd done, then this wouldn't be happening. That didn't stop her from being frustrated, though, both mentally and sexually. Their sex life wasn't exactly booming after what she'd done, and it sometimes made her mind drift to places she knew it shouldn't go. 'As long as Dia doesn't know,' she'd tell herself. That didn't make it any better.

Today was one of the better days. She and Dia had woken up at about the same time, and their morning conversation was pleasant. They shared a kiss before they left for work, and Dia even smiled at her. It was rarer these days, but she'd noticed that the smiles were slowly but surely returning when they were in each other's presence. Seeing that made her happy, and work hadn't been a real drag so far.

Then, of course, trouble had to walk in through the door. It felt like her heart had dropped into her stomach when Mari sauntered in with a big smile on her face. Kanan's grip on the desk tightened, but she couldn't take her eyes off Mari. She was definitely exaggerating the sway of her hips as she walked over to Kanan, putting a hand on her hip and staring her down.

"Hey babe. Working hard, or hardly working?" She grinned as Kanan just stared at her in disbelief. Was this really happening?

"Mari, what are you doing here?! I told you we can't do this anymore!" Frustration welled up inside of her. She felt like her willpower would erode if Mari made a move on her again, and she was sure that Mari knew that too. There was no reason to ask why Mari was there, because they both knew the reason. It just felt better to ask regardless. "You have to go, now!"

"Aww, but I just got here!" Mari smiled that sweet smile of hers and put a hand on Kanan's arm, making her frown. "Can't a beautiful young lady enter a diving store of her own accord?"

"Not when it's where I work." Kanan huffed and yanked her arm away from Mari, shaking her head when she saw the hurt flash in Mari's eyes. "Why are you doing this, Mari? You know why we can't do this. I'm still barely skating by with Dia as it is."

"You know why, Kanan. I've already told you how I feel, and it hasn't changed." Again she grabbed Kanan's arm, this time more forcefully. She refused to break eye contact, and Kanan couldn't make herself look away. "I love you, and I want you. That hasn't changed, and I know you still have feelings for me too. You wouldn't have had sex with me if you didn't."

"Don't say that out loud!" Kanan hissed with a slight blush on her face, again pulling herself away from Mari. "It was a mistake, okay? A mistake that I shouldn't have made." No matter how frustrated she was with Mari, she hated that her words were hurting her like this. She hadn't just hurt Dia, but Mari too. They'd both been her friends: they had all three been best friends. Now, because she couldn't keep her hands off of Mari, she and Dia didn't even speak anymore. It was her fault that the rift had grown so wide. That didn't mean that Mari didn't share any blame in this disaster, but she knew that she needed to shoulder most of it. That meant she needed to act responsible. She needed to escape before something bad happened. "I need you to leave. Now."

"I know you don't want me to do that." Mari wasn't going to be deterred, it seemed. She stepped up as close as she could to Kanan, to the point where Kanan could just lean in and kiss her. It didn't escape her notice that Mari was wearing makeup but no lipstick. Likely to get to this point and not leave any marks. It was... considerate, in a twisted way. "The way you called out my name when we were in bed... I haven't forgotten it. Your voice still lingers in my ears, even now."

"Mari..." Kanan backed up a couple steps, but Mari crossed that small gap quickly. Their lips were almost touching, and Kanan could feel herself starting to sweat. She glanced over towards the rest of the shop, terrified that someone was going to come in and see this display. They wouldn't understand how hard she was trying to deny it. "Don't do this here. It doesn't look good. Just... come to the employee's lounge, okay? We can talk there." She was just going there to tell Mari gently but firmly that this was not happening. If Mari was going to get up in her face about it, at least no one would see it and think things that weren't true. That's all she was going to do.

Mari didn't argue, smiling too wide for Kanan's comfort as they left the front of the store and went into the back. Thankfully there was no one in the employee lounge, which would allow her to say exactly what needed to be said without any interruptions. However, as soon as they entered the room, Mari set upon her, pressing her lips needily against Kanan's. Kanan yelped and jumped back, her eyes wide.

"Mari! I was just going to tell you n-mmfph!" Her words were cut off by another kiss from Mari. She pushed against Mari's chest to try to get away, but Mari held on tight. Maybe putting her hands on Mari's breasts wasn't such a good idea, though that thought came about too late. Her resistance started to crumble as Mari continued to kiss her. Finally, it was gone, and she was kissing her back.

"Shit!" She finally got a hold of herself and pulled back, but the damage was done. She'd done exactly what she'd promised herself she wouldn't do, and the look in Mari's eyes told her all she needed to know: she was caught hook, line, and sinker. "Mari, you... Ugh, shit..." She shook her head and looked at Mari again. That damn grin was still there. Her willpower was like crumbs at her feet. There was a warmth building up inside of her that wouldn't leave her alone. "Please... We can't do this here..."

"The bathroom, then." There was one last chance to say no. She had at least some semblance of reason left in her, if she was still thinking these thoughts. She could tell Mari no one final time, and she'd call security to escort her out if she had to. That's what she should've done. It's what she wanted to do. That wasn't what she did do, though. Instead of the smart, moral thing, she gave in and led Mari to the bathroom.

It was a mistake. She knew that the moment Mari had walked through the door. She'd tried to fight it, but what could she say? She was weak to the wiles of a well-shaped blonde. As soon as they were in the bathroom, Mari locked the door and pounced upon her prey. Apparently she'd been pent up and waiting for a chance to get at Kanan, since there was not much build-up or teasing like there'd used to be. It was quick and messy: clothes were off and hands were exploring much-missed places.

Kanan leaned against the wall and groaned as Mari's tongue flicked at her exposed nipple, her own hands greedily pawing at Mari's breasts. In that moment, she couldn't deny how much she'd missed those luscious lemons. Well, they were bigger than lemons - much bigger - but that was semantics. Probably. She squeezed them to a point of near-abuse, and she drank in the quiet, high-pitched sounds of Mari's moans.

There was a heat burning up inside of her, and it couldn't be doused by anything but Mari's talented fingers at that moment. Her brain was numbed, keeping her from really thinking about her actions. All she could think of was how much she wanted Mari. How much she needed her. They both needed each other, and their bodies were making that perfectly clear. Kanan arched backwards against Mari's fingers, while Mari leaned forward on hers. They were so close to each other... Their lips seemed to make contact on their own, and then both of them were falling over the proverbial edge of their climaxes.

It wasn't enough, and they both serviced each other until they surfed the waves of their second orgasms. When they were both done, Kanan slid down to the floor, covered in sweat and her knees feeling like jelly. Mari sunk down to her knees and smiled as she leaned in and captured Kanan's lips once more. Closing her eyes, Kanan had trouble remembering the last time she'd had such dirty, mind-blowing sex like that. Probably two or three months ago, before... Ahh... Suddenly her mind cleared, and everything that was happening - her and Mari, naked together and still making out in the company bathroom - became uncomfortably clear to her.

"Oh fuck..." With weak hands, she pushed Mari away from her, struggling to stand up and put back on her clothes. "What have we done? How long were we in here for? Oh god, oh god, what have I done?" While she was hurrying to put her clothes back on, Mari just sat there on the bathroom floor, naked as the day she was born and without a care in the world.

"Wow, that was incredible. Like usual, of course. You've always been so talented with those fingers, Kanan." She smiled coyly, dipping a finger between her legs and bringing it up to lick it. "Why don't you come back down here and join me for round three? My body's still dying to get reacquainted with you."

"Are you crazy?! We shouldn't have had a round one or two!" She stared at herself in the mirror, feeling that same disgustingly sick feeling in her stomach. Her clothes looked out of place, and she desperately tried to smooth them out. Had anybody been trying to find her? God, what if someone tried to come into the bathroom after she left, only to find Mari in there? Why was she such a fucking idiot? "This can't be happening..."

"You enjoyed it, though, didn't you? I could tell you did." Mari had finally stood up and came behind Kanan, wrapping her arms around Kanan's waist and hugging her tightly. "Wasn't that good? We could have this every day if you'd just be with me instead of her. I want you, Kanan. You know I do, and I know you want me too. How many times are we going to do this before you admit the truth to yourself?" She stared directly into Kanan's reflection, being bared figuratively and literally for her lover. Kanan gulped, then sighed and gripped the sink tightly.

"The only truth I'm going to admit is that I love my wife, and that doing this was a mistake. I'm sorry, Mari... I know this is my fault, but I'm not leaving Dia. This..." She gestured around the bathroom. "... can't happen again. I'm not going to let it. If you really cared about me, you would leave my relationship alone. Just please... Put on your clothes and leave." Without waiting for a response, she slipped out of Mari's arms and left the bathroom. She didn't even care if anyone came looking for her and questioned where she'd been. All she wanted to do was escape.

She tried to find some sort of solace in her work, but her mind was under such incredible stress that she could barely concentrate. It didn't help that eventually Mari came out of the bathroom and made a point of looking directly at her. She just stood there, as if trying to mentally make Kanan change her mind, but Kanan wouldn't budge. Finally, Mari shook her head and slowly walked out of the building. The tension in the air was still thick, even if only Kanan could feel it.

The rest of the day was horrible for her mental state. She felt as if her actions had been broadcast on national television. There was no way Dia didn't know she had been unfaithful, even if the logical part of her brain tried to tell her that didn't make sense. Of course, she had to wonder where the logical part of her brain had been when she really needed it. She was angry... Outwardly, with Mari, but truthfully, with herself. In a way, she just wanted to get home so she could see Dia and prove that everything was okay. That she could push past yet another mistake and try to be better... this time, anyway.

When she got home, she felt disgusting and unclean. Maybe she needed to take a shower, but first she wanted to see Dia. If she could just see her, and their conversation went normally, or what she perceived to be normal, then she'd feel okay. She took a deep breath, walked in through the front door, and Dia wasn't there. Initially she started to panic, but then realized that Dia was likely still at work. She would just have to wait until she got home.

When Dia finally got home, Kanan tried to play it cool. She'd done everything she could think of to distract herself, but nothing had worked. By the time Dia had walked through the front door, Kanan was half watching TV, half feeling like she might throw up at any moment. She immediately turned to look at Dia, trying to determine by the look on her face how she was feeling. Well, she was smiling, so that was a positive start.

"You're never going to believe what happened today." Dia walked over to Kanan, who stood up to greet her wife with a hug. "Maybe you should be sitting down for this."

"I just stood up, though." She grinned, but she still felt empty inside. If Dia noticed, it wasn't evident on her face.

"Well, it's not much, but I got a pay raise at work today." She smiled shyly, which made Kanan's heart twist a little. That was another thing she had noticed in the aftermath of her infidelity. Dia's self-assurance and confidence had taken a hit, and she always seemed more reserved when it came to these things. She knew that it was her fault. "It seems they really respect my work at the company."

"Well, they should. You've always done so well at your job." Kanan smiled and gave Dia another hug, able to lose herself in the familiarity of complimenting Dia on her work ethic. Her job was something she was really dedicated to, and she did a damn fine job at it. She deserved that raise. 'She deserves better,' she thought to herself, but she didn't voice that aloud. "Why don't we go out to dinner and celebrate?"

"That sounds nice." Dia looked over Kanan for a moment, slowly biting down on her lower lip. "I was also thinking we could celebrate it later in a... different way." The implication there was obvious. Kanan gulped and nodded, having a lot of different thoughts go through her mind at the same time. She was thinking about how she'd be making love with Dia later that night, and how happy her wife seemed at that moment. But she also was thinking about what she had done earlier. It was like a cloud hanging over her that only she could see. Still, she made sure that she was smiling when she responded.

"I'd love to. You're my favorite dessert, you know." Dia rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same. She gently touched Kanan's arm and leaned in to kiss her, which Kanan reciprocated, followed by another hug. "I love you, Dia. I'm really proud of you."

"I love you too, Kanan." While hugging her, Kanan couldn't see what expression Dia was making. She hoped it was a happy one. Dia was too precious, too wonderful of a human being to feel so down. She couldn't keep hurting her like she was doing. She couldn't continue to make Dia's suspicions valid. This had to end. She was going to be the kind of wife that Dia deserved.

Still, when they made love in bed that night, the image of a certain blonde kept creeping up, no matter how hard she tried to stop herself. It was like two warring factions inside her mind, and when they laid next to each other after it all was said and done, she felt both satisfied and guilty as hell. She didn't say anything to Dia, though. When she wrapped an arm around Kanan's chest and cuddled against her, Kanan just kissed her forehead and breathily spoke about how good that had felt. And it had, there was no doubt about that. It just brought some uncomfortable comparisons up inside her brain, which she again tried desperately to rid herself of.

Things were going to change, though. She just had to believe that and things would be okay. Dia would have a wife she deserved, and Kanan would be able to leave the house without feeling like her entire world was going to suddenly crash around her. It was going to happen. She was sure of it. Looking at the ring on her finger, she knew that she had to strengthen her resolve even more. Tomorrow, she would be the best wife possible.

She just hoped that the lightning that had nearly destroyed her life wouldn't strike twice.

#love live! sunshine #KanaDia #KanaMari #kurosawa dia #matsuura kanan #ohara mari #my writing

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celticnoise · 6 years

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BRENDAN RODGERS was a mere three minutes from an impeccable record in his six encounters against Sevco Rangers in a truly memorable debut campaign as Celtic manager.

It started with a 5-1 triumph over the Ibrox side in September – and it was completed with a 5-1 win over the same opponents in Govan seven months later.

Today in Part Three of CQN’s EXCLUSIVE extract from Alex Gordon’s publication ‘CELTIC: The History Bhoys’, we chart the incredible journey for Rodgers and his players.

HAT-TRICK HERO…Moussa Dembele cleberates his first Glasgow derby by hammering in three glorious goals.

CELTIC 5 SEVCO RANGERS 1 (September 10, 2016)

MIGHTY Moussa Dembele went on the rampage as he made his first appearance in the Glasgow derby, a game which can overpower even veterans of the fixture. The twenty-year-old striker, a bargain £500,000 signing from Fulham in the summer, looked as though he had been born for this big-time stage.

The awesomely-built French ace was brought in to replaced the injured Leigh Griffiths and simply ran amok with a phenomenal and perfect hat-trick – one with his head, one with his right foot and one with his left. It was a pulverising performance from Dembele who had the huge percentage of the 60,000 audience at a rocking Parkhead in raptures.

Remarkably, it took Celtic until the thirty-fourth minute to claim the breakthrough goal. Scott Sinclair swung over a left-wing corner-kick and the juggernaut frontman was unmarked as he sent a header thudding into the net. Eight minutes later, Dembele doubled his team’s advantage when he latched onto a threaded pass from Nir Bitton, sold a supreme dummy to Phillipe Senderos and tucked the ball away with the outside of his right foot.

Just before the interval, Dorus de Vries, the keeper bought from Nottingham Forest to team up again with his former Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers, elected to remain on his line as James Tavernier swung over a right-wing cross. Kenny Miller met it at the back post to loop a header over the Dutch goalie and Joe Garner bundled the ball over the line from practically under the crossbar. The narrowness of the half-time scoreline was met with a fair bit of incredulity.

ON THE RUN…Kieran Tierney takes on James Tavernier.

However, Celtic stretched their advantage again in the sixty-first minute when Man of the Match Dembele released a pass to Sinclair who finished with a fair amount of aplomb. In the eighty-first minute Rangers’ new signing Senderos, who just couldn’t cope with the energetic Gallic giant, was sent off following a second yellow card for a senseless handball. The former Swiss international looked almost relieved to be exiting the painful proceedings. Two minutes later, Dembele completed his terrific threesome when Mikael Lustig sent over a neat cross from the right and the frontman killed it in one movement before lashing a left-foot drive into the corner of the net.

Stuart Armstrong, who had replaced Tom Rogic in the fifty-fourth minute, made the most of some slick lead-up play between Sinclair and Kieran Tierney to thump a low drive beyond the overworked and exhausted Wes Foderingham for the fifth and final goal as the champions finished with a flourish. It had been a day to remember for a young Frenchman and a forty-four-year-old Irishman.

Rodgers said: “That’s why it it’s one of the greatest, if not the greatest derby, in the world. It was an incredible atmosphere and, of course, our performance lifts the crowd. It was a brilliant display from ourselves and a great result. A lot of these boys have travelled over 60,000 miles across the international break, so to come back and play at that intensity, that level and be that clinical was a joy to see.

“It does make it sweet when you play that well and perform with that concentration, so it was a very good performance. Moussa Dembele is a top talent, too. He scored three wonderful and different types of goals. But, of course, today was about the team.”

De Vries; Lustig, Toure, Sviatchenko, Tierney; Brown (sub: McGregor), Bitton; Forrest (sub: Roberts), Rogic (sub: Armstrong), Sinclair; Dembele.

***

THE WINNER…Moussa Dembele clips a cute effort wide of keeper Matt Gilks in the League Cup semi-final.

CELTIC 1 SEVCO RANGERS 0 (October 23, 2016)

BRENDAN RODGERS guided his team to within ninety minutes of being crowned Celtic Centurians with a masterclass performance to claim a place in the League Cup Final. Moussa Demble, swiftly becoming the destroyer of dreams around Govan way, netted the only goal with a touch of French chic three minutes from time.

The Parkhead side’s overall superiority was not reflected in the final result as they claimed their rightful place at Hampden for a silverware showdown on November 27. Only Aberdeen now stood between Celtic and their 100th major trophy.

Rodgers and his players must have wondered if it was going to be one of those days when nothing goes your way. Four minutes after the interval, Erik Sviatchenko rose above Clint Hill to propel a header wide of keeper Matt Gilks’ groping fingers. However, the cries of “Goal” were strangled among the Celtic contingent when referee Craig Thomson unfathomably ruled it out. The match official indicated a push by the Dane, but TV pictures clearly showed it was a fifty/fifty challenge without an infringement from the Celt.

In the sixty-seventh minute, Andy Halliday was punished for a reckless challenge on Scott Brown twenty-five yards out. Scott Sinclair elected to take the free-kick and curled it high above Gilks. Unfortunately, it struck the bar, touched the goalie’s glove on the way out and, defying gravity, dropped behind the fallen No.1 who was able to grab the ball on the line.

BROONY BEAMS…Celtic skipper Scott Brown yells with delight as Sevco suffer.

However, as the semi-final edged towards extra-time and, even worse, dreaded penalty-kicks, Celtic finally got their reward. Jozo Simunovic, who was playing instead of Kolo Toure who had gifted Borussia Monchengladbach both their goals in their shock 2-0 win at Parkhead in midweek, was the architect with a long-range defence-splitting pass. Left-back Lee Wallace failed to cut out the ball and Leigh Griffiths, on for Tom Rogic, was onto it in a flash.

His cross was perfection and Dembele displayed the cheek of a confident performer at the height of his game as he cleverly backheeled the ball through the legs of the surprised Gilks and into the net. It was a worthy, if belated, winner. Now there was only the little matter of taking care of the Dons at the national stadium the following month.

Rodgers said: “I thought we were very dominant in terms of chances, power, quality and strength. How we went about the game was brilliant. The players stopped them building and the intensity of the press we were able to put on them was at a real high level. When we had the ball, we created opportunities and looked a real threat going forward.

“So, in every element of our game, it was at a high level. When you consider coming off the back of a really tough Champions League game in midweek, every single one of the players deserve a huge amount of credit for not only their performance, but their strength and mentality to get the victory.”

Gordon; Lustig, Simunovic, Sviatchenko, Tierney; Brown, Bitton (sub: Armstrong); Forrest (sub: Gamboa), Rogic (sub: Griffiths), Sinclair; Dembele.

***

HOOPY NEW YEAR…Scott Sinclair steers the ball beyond keeper Wes Foderingham for the second and winning goal at Ibrox.

SEVCO RANGERS 1 CELTIC 2 (December 31, 2016)

CELTIC had already played eight games in December as they prepared for the Hogmanay confrontation at Ibrox. With praiseworthy and phenomenal consistency, Brendan Rodgers’ side had won seven of those outings with the other drawn, a 1-1 Champions League stalemate against Manchester City at The Etihad.

Motherwell, Partick Thistle (twice), Hamilton Accies (twice), Dundee and Ross County had been met and vanquished en route to third meeting of the season against Mark Warburton’s team in Govan before bringing down the curtain on an eventful 2016 for all concerned with the Parkhead club.

Celtic knew a win would see them go nineteen points ahead of their Glasgow neighbours, a victory that would most assuredly leave them in their slipstream for the rest of the league season. However, the task became a bit more onerous when Rangers took the lead in the twelfth minute. Danish defender Erik Sviatchenko played a role with an untypical sloppy pass straight to Kenny Miller. He knocked it wide to James Tavernier, who played a quick one-two with Josh Windass to get round the back of the defence before zipping a right-wing cross into the penalty area. Miller, racing in at speed, turned the ball home from three yards.

In the thirty-third minute, groans were exchanged for grins among the travelling support when Rodgers’ side equalised. Moments earlier, Scott Sinclair had left Wes Foderingham helpless with a sweeping low effort that smacked against the inside of the left-hand upright before Clint Hill hastily booted the rebound for a corner-kick. Sinclair stepped up to take award and Moussa Dembele, scorer of four goals in the two previous Old Firm meetings, eluded his marker Danny Wilson at the far post. He took a touch with his right foot and then lashed in an unstoppable left-foot piledriver that exploded into the roof of the net.

Ten minutes after the turnaround, the French striking sensation almost repeated the feat when he met a deft left-wing cross from Callum McGregor in acrobatic fashion, but the ball bounced up off the turf past a bamboozled Foderingham and clattered against the face of the crossbar and the chance was lost.

Celtic were not to be denied, though. In the sixty-eighth minute, Rodgers took off James Forrest and introduced substitute Patrick Roberts. It turned out to be a shrewd move from the manager. Within two minutes, the tricky, little winger helped set up the winner. He dinked a lovely pass through the home rearguard into the path of the storming Armstrong on the right. He wasted no time in squaring it across the face of the goal and Sinclair had read his intentions perfectly. He was left in splendid isolation to roll the ball into the net at the back post.

Rodgers said: “I thought it was a brilliant result and a really great advert for Scottish football. Both sets of players did very, very well considering the conditions. But I thought we thoroughly deserved to win it. In the first-half, we didn’t start so well and didn’t pass the ball so well, but we were always a threat on the counter-attack, trying to exploit the space.

“We needed to readjust one or two things at half-time and I thought, in the second-half, we were brilliant. We looked a real threat and every time we went forward we looked like scoring. I’m disappointed just to get two goals. But the most pleasing thing of all is how we dealt with the pressure of falling behind in the game.

“We had talked about that before the match. How to find solutions and how to stay calm. Once we got the goal, we played our way back into the game again, so it was an outstanding performance, particularly in the second-half.”

Gordon; Lustig, Simunovic, Sviatchenko, Izaguirre; Brown, Armstrong; Forrest (sub: Roberts), McGregor, Sinclair; Dembele.

***

BY THE RIGHT…Stuart Armstrong fires in a shot against the Govan outfit.

CELTIC 1 SEVCO RANGERS 1 (March 12, 2017)

THE clock was ticking down as Celtic protected Stuart Armstrong’s thirty-fifth minute effort. They looked comfortable enough, but calamity struck in the eighty-seventh minute when some unusually lackadaisical defending allowed an opening for the Ibrox men. Emerson Hyndman was allowed a clear shot at goal from just inside the box and the on-loan Bournemouth midfielder fired in a ferocious low drive.

Craig Gordon, as he had demonstrated throughout the game, was equal to the task. He spread his 6ft 4in frame as he somersaulted to his right to push the ball away. Alas, it went straight to veteran centre-half Clint Hill, lurking at the far post. Before Mikael Lustig could react, the defender, with reflexes belying his thirty-eight years, sped in to snap up the opportunity from practically on the goal-line to ram the equaliser into the net.

Apart from a pocket of visiting fans, Celtic Park fell silent; no-one saw that one coming. It looked as though another three points were about to be claimed after the first-half opener from Armstrong, who had earlier struck the post with a clever free-kick. Dame Fortune changed her snarl to a smile shortly afterwards when he worked a swift manoeuvre with James Forrest and smashed a sizzling left-foot drive from sixteen yards low past Wes Foderingham at his left-hand post.

The encounter ended on a controversial note when referee Bobby Madden refused what looked to many like an indisputable penalty-kick in the fading seconds. Hill, who had previously been booked, clearly attempted to pull back Leigh Griffiths outside the box before the elusive striker raced clear. The defender then lunged in to send the Celtic player crashing to the ground. Penalty-kick? It certainly would have been given by most match officials, but, astoundingly, Madden waved away the claims.

In the end, Celtic had to be content with a draw that kept them thirty-three points ahead of the Ibrox side. They also knew they would lift their sixth successive Premiership crown if they won their next two games against Dundee and Hearts.

Rodgers said: “We obviously should have had a penalty-kick right at the death. It was a clear-cut penalty. It’s very frustrating, especially when Clint Hill tells me he got away with it on the pitch, so that’s even more so. Clint’s a good guy, an honest fella and I know when he says it, he knows he got away with one. Probably everyone has seen it apart from the referee.

“It’s always disappointing if you lose an equaliser late on like that, especially the manner of it. But that’s the way it goes sometimes. I’m proud of the team, although I don’t think we were so good in the first-half. However, I thought the commitment was great and, in the second-half, I thought it was maybe a matter of time before we got our second goal, but when it’s at 1-0 there is always that little moment that can happen.”

Gordon; Lustig, Boyata, Sviatchenko, Tierney; Brown, Bitton (sub: McGregor); Forrest (sub: Roberts), Armstrong (sub: Griffiths), Sinclair; Dembele.

***

SPOT ON, SCOTTY…Sinclair takes the acclaim of the fans and team-mates Leigh Griffiths and Stuart Armstrong after his killer penalty-kick.

CELTIC 2 SEVCO RANGERS 0 (April 23, 2017)

THE Celtic cavalcade rolled into Hampden and produced a command performance as they majestically booked a place in the Scottish Cup Final against Aberdeen on May 27. Brendan Rodgers’ side were so much in control with their quality play the game could have been dubbed Bhoys v Boys. Rangers didn’t stand a chance in the High Noon shoot-out.

The Parkhead side opened the scoring in the eleventh minute and the Ibrox side, with Portuguese coach Pedro Caixinha taking charge of them in an Old Firm game for the first time, were already heading for the tournament’s exit. Their defence was prised open with consummate ease. Mikael Lustig launched a long ball from his own half towards the menacing Moussa Dembele. The French marksman’s first touch was exquisite as he plucked it out of the air on the toe of his boot before knocking a pass inside to Callum McGregor. Combining confidence and composure, the midfielder, from twenty yards, simply passed the ball beyond the flummoxed and static Wes Foderingham at his right-hand side.

Celtic’s possession play was awesome as they outplayed their opponents in the opening forty-five minutes and Rangers’ only response – if you could it that – was a wayward long-range effort from Kenny Miller that sailed harmlessly over the crossbar. It was all over as a contest three minutes after the turnaround. Dedryck Boyata broke up an attack just inside the Celtic box before passing accurately to Patrick Roberts on the right. With perfect precision, he placed the ball in front of the sprinting Leigh Griffiths, who had taken over from hamstring victim Dembele before half-time.

Last season’s forty-goal man was crudley brought crashing to the ground by a last-ditch James Tavernier tackle. Referee Willie Collum pointed to the spot and all eyes were on Scott Sinclair, who had missed his previous attempt in the 1-1 draw against Partick Thistle only three games earlier. Foderingham made a gallant effort to thwart him, but the power of the flamboyant attacker’s well-struck drive was enough to beat him at his right-hand post.

Gordon was awakened from his slumber to deal with a close-range header from Miller and then he blocked a shot from the same player with his foot, but there could be little doubt his team-mates had taken their foot off the gas with the result never in doubt. The Scotland international goalkeeper also looked lively to turn a soaring twenty-yard drive from Joe Dodoo round the left-hand upright. It was Celtic, though, who came closest to scoring again when substutute Tom Rogic, on for McGregor, torpedoed in a low shot from outside the box that had Foderingham beaten. However, the ball struck the base of the right-hand post and whipped harmlessly past.

Celtic and their manager were now set for the grand finale to an exceptional campaign.

Rodgers said: “In general, we were outstanding. We deservedly went one-nil up, had other opportunities and restricted Rangers to very few efforts. Young Callum McGregor was brilliant, really, really good, technically gifted and it was a wonderful goal he scored. Everyone’s delighted, it’s one of the best team performances we’ve had all season.

“Before the game, we said to ourselves if we set out the first ten minutes at one hundred per cent, keep the ball and create chances, there’s no doubt we’ll win the game. Now we can looking forward to the Cup Final. I’m sure if we can play as well as we did in the League Cup Final against them, or like we did on this occasion, it could be a great day for us, but there’s a lot of hard work between now and then.

“We are one game away from a real historic season.”

Gordon; Lustig, Simunovic, Boyata, Tierney; Brown, Armstrong; Roberts (sub: Forrest), McGregor (sub: Rogic), Sinclair; Dembele (sub: Griffiths).

***

IBROX GLEE…Jozo Simunovic looks happy at another Celtic goal in the Glasgow derby.

SEVCO RANGERS 1 CELTIC 5 (April 29, 2017)

THE Ibrox side were swept away by a green-and-white whirlwind as Celtic hammered in five goals at Ibrox for the first time in their history. Brendan Rodgers’ team started at a furious tempo and maintained the onslaught throughout in an incredibly one-sided encounter.

The visitors took the lead in the seventh minute and were relentless as they hunted down their foes in pursuit of even more glory. A last-ditch tackle from Clint Hill prevented Callum McGregor from opening the scoring in sixty-five seconds, but he only delayed the inevitable agony. Teenage left-back Myles Beerman was reckless with a sliding challenge on speeding Patrick Roberts and he sent the winger sprawling in the penalty box. Referee John Beaton pointed to the spot and Scott Sinclair, as he had done the previous week, sent the ball spinning into the corner of the net, this time with Wes Foderingham guessing wrong and going the wrong way.

In the eighteenth minute, the crestfallen keeper revisited the back of his rigging to fetch the ball for a second time. Stuart Armstrong showed more desire in a challenge for the ball with Emerson Hyndman and took possession before releasing a pass to Leigh Griffiths on the left. He took a touch and, from an angle, unleashed a mighty left-foot drive that zoomed over the goalie’s hands into the net. The procession towards the Rangers goal continued unabated for the remaining twenty-seven minutes of the half. Griffiths battered one off the crossbar and, astoundingly, Sinclair put the rebound wide of the gaping target. The Englishman, voted the Celtic Player of the Year by his team-mates, then missed from two yards after a dainty lob over from the left by Griffiths.

The second-half was only seven minutes old when the champions struck again. The debonair Roberts retrieved a misplaced pass to poke the ball in front of McGregor, who resisted the temptation to hit a first-time shot. He nurtured the ball, waited for a moment and then placed a cunning shot through the legs of James Tavernier and wide of the sprawling Foderingham. In the sixty-sixth minute, the flustered Beerman clattered Roberts once again and Griffiths delicately swung over the resultant free-kick. The keeper was rooted to his line and Dedryck Boyata took full advantage as he rose to nod the ball down and into the net.

BY THE LEFT…Scott Sinclair zips in a low drive as Clint Hill challenges.

There was a moment’s respite for the well-trounced home side in the eighty-first minute when Kenny Miller worked a quick one-two with Joe Garner and placed a neat effort wide of the exposed Craig Gordon. Celtic kept the best to the last. Three minutes remained when Mikael Lustig picked up a loose ball and careered towards the danger zone. Displaying the skills of a Messi or a Ronaldo, the Swedish international defender danced his way past Danny Wilson, lined up a shot from the edge of the box and gracefully caressed the ball towards its destination.

Rodgers said: “It was an outstanding team performance. From the very first whistle, we were exceptional. The only disappointment was we could have scored more goals. We created really good chances to get more. Fundamentally, the players pressed the game very well. Our tactical organisation for getting the ball back was the key.

“A lot of our game has improved as the season has gone on. I said when I came in, we would get better and better. If you compare this 5-1 to the 5-1 earlier this season, there’s a big difference for me in terms of tactical organisation and players understanding concepts of what we are trying to do. Collectively, they all understand their roles in getting forward, who needs to score goals and who needs to be effective.”

Gordon; Lustig, Simunovic, Boyata, Tierney; Brown (sub: Kouassi), Armstrong (sub: Rogic); Roberts (sub: Forrest), McGregor, Sinclair; Griffiths.

TOMORROW: Six of the Best: The pick of the bunch from the other games that signalled a sensational start to the Rodgers’ Reign.

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