The perfect goal model

Jun 8 2008 By Mark Guidi

JAN Vennegoor of Hesselink confounded his snipers by coming up with the goals that helped fire Celts to the title but the Parkhead striker insists he doesn't care how many he notches.

The big Dutchman has been criticised by many Hoops fans since arriving at the club in 2006 for failing to set the heather on fire in the goal-scoring stakes and for rarely finding the net when it mattered in big games.

But the 29-year-old, who had never scored against Rangers, came up trumps in the first of the Old Firm double headers in April when he bagged an injury-time winner to put his side back into contention in the title race.

Hesselink then followed that up by scoring the killer goal on the tension-packed final night against Dundee United to seal Celtic's third Championship on the trot.

That goal at Tannadice took the hitman's tally for the season up to 20 - a figure former Hoops striker John Hartson says should be the absolute minimum for an Old Firm centre forward

But the £3million signing from PSV - who more often than not plays the role of provider by laying off headed knock-downs for strike partner Scott McDonald - doesn't agree with that view.

In fact the Dutchman, who only scored 18 in his first season at Parkhead, insisted he wouldn't be worried if he didn't get anywhere near 20 goals next season.

He said: "A lot is made of me scoring 20 goals and I find it strange people want to focus on this. What is the fuss about?

"If I'd scored 21 goals and we didn't win the league but scored 19 and we did win it then what do you think would have made me more pleased?

"People seem to want to put pressure on me and insist I score at least 20 goals.

"Well if I score 25 next season and we don't win the league I'll not be happy. But if I score 15 and we do win it then that will be just fine.

"Football is a team game and it is about getting success as a group and working for each other.

"We all had to pull together last season and make a contribution to the team andwe will need to do the same next season to get success."

While his winner at Tannadice will forever be ingrained in the memory of Hoops fans the striker's most crucial goal for Celtic was his last-gasp goal against Rangers.

That effort turned the SPL on its head as a point for Walter Smith's side that night would have surely ended Celtic's title aspirations.

Hesselink's late strike seemed to sap the energy from Rangers and the Ibrox side stumbled their way over the finishing line while Celtic won their remaining five games to snatch the title.

Hesselink, who is preparing with the Dutch squad for tomorrow's game with Italy, said: "It was great to beat Rangers that night.

"We had lost the previous game 1-0 at Ibrox but we were the better team that day.

"It was time to do something about it, time to get our pride back.

"We knew we had to win to put pressure on them. I scored four minutes into injury time and it was a great feeling.

"But it was all about the team because as a group we deserved to take the three points.

"People say that goal was the turning point of the season but to us it was just another win.

"I accept it put Rangers under pressure and it was all about how they responded. As it was we then beat them 3-2 in the next Old Firm game and we had even more belief after that.

"We were written off by many people after we lost at home to Motherwell but we never thought it was over.

"To win our last seven games and then to do it on the last night was fantastic.

"It was a great achievement and perhaps one of the best comebacks in the history of Celtic."