Domestic football nearly back, not long now!

Ahead of the return of a famous sporting organisation getting ready for THE REAL STUFF on Sunday, we thought we’d take a look back and share some season openers over the years.

But enough about GIGPOD, Celtic are also going to be kicking a ball.

With the actual football just around the corner, here’s a few curtain raisers we’ve enjoyed over the years, either at Celtic Park, or away from home!

We start with a classic at Tannadice in 1991. Dundee Utd 3-4 Celtic, featuring two absolute screamers from John Collins!

Sunday’s opponents were also involved in a memorable 2-2 draw back in August 1996. This was a game that I went to in an era when I missed no away games, but to this day, it’s one of only three games I have left before the 90 minutes are up, and indeed I never witnessed Thom’s leveller below.

Does it get any better than the win at Tannadice in 2000, for what was the first game of the MON era though?

A decade of opening day dominance after that, generally, other than the occasional away day draw, including this disasterclass in 2005 against Motherwell at Fir Park!

We all remember Patrick McCourt’s virtuoso effort at Inverness in 2010 surely?

Fast forward six years later, Tynecastle 2016. Scott Sinclair’s late winner starts the invincible run under Brendan Rodgers

And while the Neil Lennon regime was hardly inspirational, there was of course the fantastic 7-0 thumping of St Johnstone back in 2019!

Let’s hope for more of the same this weekend!

Here’s some trivia to leave you very confident for the game ahead: