Celtic will be travelling to Dens Park and Tynecastle next season after both Dundee and Hearts earned promotion from the Scottish Championship.
Hearts’ status has been known for a while, but Dundee have just sealed their success with a play-off victory over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.
Goals from Danny Mullen and Lee Ashcroft added to the Dees’ first-leg advantage, completing a 4-2 aggregate win.
Killie have spent 28 years in the top-flight without relegation, but that streak ends tonight.
The Ayrshire side have had a dramatic fall from grace since saying goodbye to Steve Clarke, unable to replicate the success that had them acknowledged as one of the best teams in the country.
The Championship is a tough division to get out of, as Dundee will attest.
Accies and Killie exits mean just one plastic pitch left
With Hamilton also relegated, it means there is now just one controversial plastic pitch left in the Scottish top-flight.
Just Livingston remain on an artificial surface.
Celtic figures have spoken out against astroturf in the past, most notably Brendan Rodgers.
He publicly slammed the surfaces back in 2018, telling The Scottish Sun: “I have always said that, for me, the Premiership is the flagship of Scottish football — and there should not be astroturf pitches in it. It’s as simple as that.
“If this is the flagship league, which it is, we shouldn’t have it. I also think that the teams which do have them probably need some help as well.
“They obviously need to generate money, that’s why they do it. But let’s see if government, if councils, can help the teams that have them find an artificial pitch somewhere else close by — and let the main stadiums be grass.
“Like I say, we are trying to promote a level and a standard.”
It’s never nice to gloat about relegation, but I’d imagine there’ll be a few people at Celtic and other clubs pleased about the thought of not having to play on plastic as much next term.
Trips to Dens Park and Tynecastle are often a bit more exciting for travelling Celtic fans too. It’ll certainly be an interesting top-flight next term.
In other news, the contenders to be Eddie Howe’s first Celtic signing.
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