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Striker Tony Watt missed two glorious chances to score for his new team, Heart of Midlothian (Hearts), in the Edinburgh side’s 2-1 loss at home to Celtic on Sunday.
That fact in and of itself would not be all that newsworthy had the player involved not been Watt, and the opponent not been Celtic.
Although the Coatbridge, Scotland native now plays for Hearts, one of Celtic’s biggest rivals in domestic soccer (more on that in a bit), he is a graduate of the Hoops’ youth academy and made his professional debut for the club based in Glasgow’s East End.
It’s worth noting here, too, that Watt grew up a Celtic supporter, and that his hometown, Coatbridge, has been called the “least Scottish town in Scotland,” due to the number of families with Irish surnames living there.
Watt made only 25 appearances for Celtic, scoring seven goals in all competitions, but he will forever be granted a hero’s welcome in and around the Parkhead area of Glasgow thanks to one of those goals.
On November 7, 2012, Celtic hosted Barcelona in a UEFA Champion’s League group stages match. It was a special occasion at Celtic Park (aka, Paradise), and not just because the Hoops were squaring off against the Catalan giants. That November, Celtic celebrated its 125th anniversary, and that night, on Europe’s biggest stage, the Bhoys’ supporters welcomed the players to the pitch with a legendary TIFO.
Watt, who had made his first-team debut the previous spring, came on as a late substitute, with Celtic leading 1-0 and Celtic Park in rapture.
In the 88th minute, then-Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Forster punted the ball down the park, and it landed at the feet of Watt, who was streaking down the right channel. Watt took a touch . . . and then another . . . and still another . . . before he fired it into the net to give the Hoops an incredible, not to mention shocking, 2-0 lead. You can see the goal here.
The goal would later prove to be even more meaningful after Barcelona great Lionel Messi pulled one back moments later to make the score 2-1.
Still, Celtic held on for the upset.
Later, Messi, the Argentine legend, would heap praise upon Celtic and its supporters.
“The games against Celtic were special and I want to remember them,” he told the Scottish Daily Record. “Celtic Park is a tough place to go to, it is never easy to get a result there. It is the best atmosphere in Europe and we all want to experience that again.”
In the aftermath of the match, the future seemed bright for Watt. He signed a new, three-year contract at Celtic, and featured fairly regularly the rest of the 2012-13 season. However, then-manager Neil Lennon expressed concerns about the player’s attitude not long after the goal against Barcelona. Essentially, he feared Watt would let the momentous occasion go to his head.
Amid rumors of poor fitness and training habits, prior to the 2013 season, Lennon sent Watt on loan to Belgian side Lierse, and the striker reportedly had run-ins with the manager there.
The following season, Watt was sold to Belgian side Standard Liege for £1.2 million. He made 13 appearances for the Belgian side, scoring two goals, and was transferred to English League One side Charlton Athletic. Since then, he’s made 36 appearances for the Addicks, but has also been sent out on loan three times, including this most recent loan stint, which has landed him at Hearts.
The Edinburgh side are not Celtic’s biggest rivals in Scotland, of course. That title belongs to Glasgow Rangers. However, matches between Hearts and the Hoops can get feisty. Celtic supporters even refer to Hearts as the “Diet Huns,” a politically incorrect reference to their politically incorrect nickname for Rangers, the “Huns.”
“I want to show the world what I can do here at Hearts,” Watt told Sky Sports recently. “Maybe I’ve got a bit of a reputation here in Scotland but I know I will show people what I'm capable of. It will be strange playing against Celtic. But it doesn’t faze me or scare me. I want to do my best for Hearts.”
Supporters of the Edinburgh club can only hope the striker will score as big a goal for their team as he did for Celtic that one November night four years ago.
