ViaPlay Cup semi-final Celtic vs Kilmarnock

CELTIC v
KILMARNOCK
FROM THE
ARCHIVES
2011/12
LEAGUE CUP FINAL
Unlikely hero
Kilmarnock lifted the League Cup for the first time in
their history in season 2011/12 thanks to a 1-0 win over
Celtic on an unforgettable day for the Ayrshire club.
It was a triumph against the
odds for Kenny Shiels’ team
and it came courtesy of a late
goal from substitute Dieter Van
Tornhout and a man-of-the-match
display by keeper Cammy Bell.
The Belgian striker arrived at Rugby
Park in January 2012 after a spell
in Cyprus and would move on in
the summer to join Antwerp. He
scored just twice in 13 appearances
for Kilmarnock – his second goal
came in a 4-2 loss to St Mirren but
his first could hardly have been
more important or dramatic.
There were just seven minutes left
at Hampden when Van Tornhout –
on as a substitute for Gary Harkins
some 10 minutes earlier – found
the net with a header from a Lee
Johnson cross. It was quite a way
to celebrate his 27th birthday,
which fell on the same day as the
final – Sunday March 18, 2012.
With captain Manuel Pascali out
injured, James Fowler captained
a Killie side who had knocked out
Queen of the South, East Fife and
Ayr United en route to the final.
Celtic had accounted for Ross
County, Hibernian and Falkirk as
they looked to make up for defeat
to Rangers in the 2011 final.
Kilmarnock went into the game
having taken just two points
from their previous four SPL
outings but they had recently
won 1-0 at Ibrox and had also led
Celtic 3-0 at Rugby Park back
in October before Neil Lennon’s
men rallied to force a 3-3 draw.
Bell made some big saves,
notably from Gary Hooper and
Anthony Stokes, but Killie also
carried a threat and Dean Shiels
missed a great chance before
the decisive moment arrived in
the 83rd minute. Ben Gordon
fed Johnson down the left and
the midfielder’s perfect cross
was met by Van Tornhout at
the back post – his header gave
Fraser Forster no chance. Celtic
pressed hard for an equaliser but
this was Kilmarnock’s day and
they held on for a famous win.
The Hoops would go on to take
the 2011/12 SPL title by a distance,
getting over the line in style with
a 6-0 success at Rugby Park in the
final fixture before the split, with
Kilmarnock finishing seventh.
Cammy Bell
James Fowler
Mohamadou Sissoko
(Zdenek Kroca 86)
Michael Nelson
Ben Gordon
Liam Kelly
Danny Buijs
(Lee Johnson 20)
Gary Harkins
(Dieter Van Tornhout 73)
Garry Hay
Dean Shiels
Paul Heffernan
Subs (not used)
Kyle Letheren (GK)
James Dayton
Fraser Forster
Adam Matthews
Thomas Rogne
(Ki Sung-Yueng 56)
Kelvin Wilson
Charlie Mulgrew
James Forrest
Victor Wanyama
Scott Brown
Joe Ledley
(Kris Commons 86)
Anthony Stokes
Gary Hooper
(Georgios Samaras 80)
Subs (not used)
Lukasz Zaluska (GK)
Cha Du-Ri
VIAPLAY CUP SEMI-FINAL
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