Martin O'Neill did not hold back on defending pitch-invading Celtic fans

It was a dramatic end to the final-day title decider between Celtic and Hearts. After Callum Osmand, on his return from injury, broke away and tapped it into an empty net, fans invaded the Parkhead pitch in celebration.

There has been a lot of debate after the fact, with the Jambos saying that the incident 'embarrassed Scottish football'. But now, Martin O'Neill has hit back at the Edinburgh side.

Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: "I don't know about confrontations in terms of the Hearts players. There's a lot of hyperbole about that.

"The fact is that when we scored the third goal, the game was essentially over; there were about eight seconds left, or whatever the case may be. The referee has claimed that he had blown the final whistle at the end. And then there's obvious excitement, we have scored to win the league."

Speaking about the 'embarrassment' comment, O'Neill said: "As they [Hearts] might do. Well, I don't believe that, I just don't believe it, I think it's nonsense."

O'Neill is correct to stand up for fans

O'Neill didn't hesitate to defend Celtic fans despite all the criticism in the media, and he's right to do so. This isn't the only pitch invasion we've seen in the past two seasons, and it's not just Hoops supporters doing them. Of course, only players should be on the pitch, but there wasn't this much outrage when Falkirk fans came on the pitch when they secured promotion. People weren't even this angry when Gers ultras threw flares at the Celtic support at Ibrox earlier this season.

In Hearts' statement, they also stated that their players and staff were physically abused. SportSource carried out deep research, and no public evidence of any assaults has turned up. In fact, the only videos discovered show Jambos being heavy-handed with Celtic fans.

In one video, Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland was spotted forcefully pushing a Hoops supporter.

In another video, one Hearts player stomps on a Celtic fans phone.

A brilliant end to the season despite the events

What a fantastic end to the season. We couldn't have won the title in any better fashion, and you can't blame fans for getting excited. We shouldn't let the events that happened at the end of the game taint the success, because at the end of the day, dirt is being put on Celtic's name despite there being no tangible evidence to suggest any assaults took place. If they did, then the full force of the law should be brought down on any fan who partook in illegal activity, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy the victory.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow