O'Neill's Celtic answer the noise at Fir Park as Jota returns and Hearts loom
Sunday 11 October 2026 · By Callum Reid
If the international break felt endless for Celtic supporters, Sunday lunchtime at Fir Park went some way to making up for it. Martin O'Neill's side beat Motherwell 2–0, ended a three-game losing run and moved back to the top of the William Hill Premiership, two points clear of Rangers.
It was the kind of performance the last few weeks had been missing. Camilo Durán, who started up front alongside Kasper Høgh, set the tone in the ninth minute with a low drive from outside the box that beat Alex Paulsen. Benjamin Nygren added the second just before the hour, finishing off a quick counter-attack after Høgh squared it for him.
Honestly, it could have been far more. Paulsen made 12 saves, the most by any goalkeeper in a single Premiership game this season, and Mika Baur hit the post. O'Neill wasn't too bothered about the missed chances, though.
"Pleased with the performance, pleased with the energy that we showed and delighted to win," he told BBC Scotland. He also admitted the criticism had been fair: "We lost three matches in a week - two to our big rivals. But we fought back today."
O'Neill made three changes from the derby defeat before the break. Dane Murray came in for Cameron Carter-Vickers, Høgh started in a change of shape, and Sebastian Tounekti replaced Luke McCowan.
The biggest cheer of the day might have been for a substitute, though. Jota came off the bench in the second half for his first appearance in around 18 months, and his 100th for the club. The Scotsman put the gap at 533 days. BBC Sport noted it was the Portuguese winger leading the celebrations at full-time, which tells you how much it meant.
Still, the result doesn't make the off-field tension go away. Before the game, O'Neill condemned a protest aimed at major shareholder Dermot Desmond at the Alfred Dunhill Links in St Andrews, saying "that is not Celtic". He also rejected suggestions he had been close to walking away. Anti-board banners were on display again at Fir Park, and The Scotsman has reported that the Green Brigade plans to boycott some home cup and European games. Supporters will want to keep an eye on official club and group statements for the details on that.
The context matters too. Before the break, Celtic lost twice to Rangers and once to Ferencváros, so this wasn't a side short of doubters. Seven wins from eight league games is a strong platform, but the next week is a proper test.
Next up is Hearts at Celtic Park on Sunday 18 October. It's first against third, and Wouter Vrancken's side arrive as the league's top scorers on the back of a 5–0 win over St Mirren. The game is currently listed for 15:00, but TV selections could move it, so check before you travel.
After that, Celtic go to Easter Road on 25 October before hosting Dundee United on the 28th.
Sunday was a reminder of what this team can do when it all clicks. Now O'Neill needs it to keep happening.
Green stands are home areas. The gold block is the usual visiting section, in the south-east corner of the Lisbon Lions Stand.
Celtic Park, still called Parkhead and Paradise by the people who fill it, is the home of Celtic Football Club in the east end of Glasgow, at G40 3RE. It is the largest club ground in Scotland, listed at 60,411, and on a full night the noise comes from three sides of a continuous bowl. If you are with the away support, the useful fact is simpler than the folklore: you will almost always be in one corner, with your own turnstiles, and the rest of the ground will be green and white.
The pitch runs east to west, so the goals sit in front of the two end stands, not the long sides. With north at the top of the plan, the Jock Stein Stand is on the left, behind the west goal, and the Lisbon Lions Stand is on the right, behind the east goal. The east stand is named for the 1967 European Cup side. Along the long sides, the North Stand holds about 27,000 in two tiers plus a club level. Opposite it, the older and shallower Main Stand on the south side holds the dugouts, the directors’ box and the television gantry.
Visiting supporters sit in the south-east corner of the Lisbon Lions Stand, next to the Main Stand. A normal league allocation is the lower-tier blocks around 118 and 119, though the exact blocks change with the fixture. League visits are often a couple of thousand seats; cup and European ties can be larger if the safety plan allows it. Tickets come through your own club, not Celtic’s home sale. Disabled visiting supporters who need segregated parking should contact the Celtic Disabled Supporters Association in advance. Those bays are balloted, and the relevant car parks close about an hour before kick-off.
From the away corner you are side-on to the near goal, looking across towards the Jock Stein Stand. The view is clear, but the opposite penalty area is a long way off. Home support wraps around you. The North Stand rises to your right as you look at the pitch, the Main Stand sits beside the segregation line, and the Lisbon Lions lower tier also holds a rail-seating section for home fans, plus a family area. Expect sustained singing. Stewarding on the line is firm, so stay in the allocated blocks.
Leave the car if you can. Traffic on London Road clogs early, and residential parking restrictions are enforced. The simplest routes are the train to Dalmarnock, about a ten-minute walk, or Bridgeton, a little further. From the city centre, a train from Glasgow Central or a bus along London Road will do. If you must drive, use M8 junctions 12, 13 or 14, and allow a long buffer. Official parking is limited and fills quickly.
Turnstiles generally open around ninety minutes before kick-off. Arrive earlier for a European night or an Old Firm game, because the away entry queues and bags are checked. Bring the ticket on the card or app your club specified. Food kiosks and toilets are on the concourse behind the section. After the whistle, follow the stewarded route out rather than drifting towards the home exits on Janefield Street or London Road. The present stands date from the mid-1990s rebuild of a ground on this site since 1892. For a match, the plan is the part that matters: west goal in front of the Jock Stein Stand, east goal in front of the Lisbon Lions Stand, and the visiting seats in the gold corner where that east stand meets the Main Stand.