csconstantine.com

BARRY SMITH'S 10-man Dundee stretched their unbeaten run in the league to 15 games - and gave the gaffer the perfect birthday gift.

Sean higgins' first-half header was enough to wrap up the points in a feisty clash.

And it dashed Binos boss Jocky scott's bid to put one over the club who sacked him last year when they were clear at the top of Division One.

Dundee had gary irvine red carded for a challenge on stirling captain ross forsyth but have now defied their 25-point deduction to reach seventh spot.

However, manager smith - who turned 37 yesterday - insists they are not out of danger. And he called on his troops to continue their fine run of form.

Smith said: "There are still a lot of points to play for and stirling have games in hand.

"We have to keep playing the way we are. But at this stage it's just another three points.

"All we are looking to do is get in a position where we are safe.

We dominated the first half but stirling came out and put us under a lot of pressure even before we went down to 10 men so credit to them."

Irvine saw red and seven others were booked.

On his man's dismissal, smith said: "i didn't see if it was twofooted.

The ref made his decision - that's what he's there for."

Stirling suffered a setback in just 10 minutes when Greg McDonald - playing his first game of the year after injury - was stretchered off with an Achilles problem.

But they had the best chance to take the lead.

Michael Doyle swung over a corner that was met by the head of on-loan hearts striker gordon smith.

it looked a goal all the way until Nicky riley stepped in to clear off the line.

And Binos were made to pay in 35 minutes as higgins netted a superb header from Matt Lockwood's cross from the left. it almost got worse for stirling but stephen O'Neill's rocket was stopped by scott Christie.

At the other end rab Douglas saved Dundee with a brilliant one-handed save from a Chris Aitken free-kick that looked destined for the back of the net.

Six minutes after the break Stephen O'Donnell sent over a corner from the left but Craig Forsyth's glancing header went wide to the relief of the home support.

But stirling weren't dead yet and began applying pressure.

Michael Mullen could have equalised when his shot from a smith reverse pass flew over.

In 64 minutes irvine was red-carded for his meaty challenge on forsyth.

And there was another flashpoint in 73 minutes when Douglas and Doyle were booked after a clash that also involved Dundee's rhys Weston.

Albion huffed and puffed but lacked a cutting edge and the Dens men held on.

Scott said: "Big rab had his normal three our four excellent saves. had he not we might have got something out of the game.

"The effort, commitment and attitude were different class.

"I can't fault them and i see a big improvement from day one. As long we keep improving it will give us a better chance to put points on the board.

"The biggest problem we have right now is scoring goals."

MoM: Higgins (Dundee)

Labels: daily, Division, Dundee, Record, Scottish, Stirling

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP)—Celtic moved five points clear of Glasgow rival Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premier League with a 3-1 victory at Dundee United on Sunday.

Celtic went into halftime at Tannadice with a 2-0 lead thanks to deflected efforts by top scorer Anthony Stokes and Mark Wilson.

The hosts, who came into the match boasting an 11-game unbeaten run, halved the deficit in the 64th minute when David Goodwillie crashed home a close-range finish.

But Celtic wrapped up the win when Daniel Majstorovic headed in from an inswinging free kick, extending its run to 16 matches without defeat.

Second-place Rangers, which beat Motherwell 6-0 on Saturday, has two games in hand over its cross-city rival.

Labels: beats, Celtic, clear, Dundee, points

Deflected goals from Anthony Stokes and Mark Wilson gave Celtic a comfortable 2-0 lead at half time but they were unsure at the back and United exploited that hesitance when David Goodwillie pulled one back in the second half.

United pressed for an equaliser, with Goodwillie denied by Fraser Forster’s save, but Celtic put hopes of a comeback to bed when defender Daniel Majstorovic headed Charlie Mulgrew’s excellent free-kick home with 12 minutes left.

Celtic have now won five league games in a row, lying five points clear of champions Rangers, who have two games in hand.

While Celtic’s first-half goals were fortuitous they were by far the better attacking threat although were not helped by a ragged pitch.

Neil Lennon’s side took a 16th-minute lead when Stokes’ low shot from the left - which United keeper Dusan Pernis had covered - struck the unfortunate Garry Kenneth and flew in.

The hosts saw plenty of the ball, with Craig Conway causing problems on the left, but Forster in the Celtic goal barely saw any action while, down the other end, Kris Commons kicked air when he should have finished.

Wilson made it two on 36 minutes, exploiting hesitant defending by Paul Dixon to meet Scott Brown’s low ball, his finish also deflected in, this time off Sean Dillon.

From that point it was all Celtic, who looked like scoring every time they went forward, failing to find the net after a goal-mouth scramble, seeing a penalty appeal rejected when Stokes went down under Keith Watson’s challenge and Commons again fluffing his lines with a volley.

United, meanwhile, could only muster a cross-shot from Goodwillie that flew wide.

The pattern continued in the second half, with United barely threatening while Majstorovic missed a sitter, heading Commons’s corner wide when left unmarked by slack defending.

But the hosts pulled one back when Conway’s free-kick wreaked havoc in the Celtic box, Brown failing to clear his lines and Forster’s parry dropping to the grateful Goodwillie.

Peter Houston’s side sensed a miracle comeback, which was so nearly completed when substitute Ki Sung-Yeung gave the ball away, Goodwillie’s low finish kept out by a fortunate Forster, who nearly let the ball through him.

The fightback was ended though when, with 12 minutes left, Mulgrew put in a superb curling ball from the right that Swede Majstorovic dived in to meet with a low bullet header that nestled in the bottom right.

There was still time for a comedy miss from Hooper, who tripped over his own feet when set to finish from six yards out, while the former Scunthorpe striker had a goal disallowed for a marginal offside seconds later.

The momentum is now with Celtic, who know that a home win in next Sunday's Old Firm clash will put them in the driving seat for the title.

United, meanwhile, stay sixth although have four games in hand on most sides around them.

Labels: Celtic, clear, Dundee, Eurosport, United, Yahoo

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Labels: Dundee, Hibernian, Sport