In a refreshing display of pro-active nature and ambition, Celtic have appointed a dedicated set-piece coach ahead of the new season.
Just like last summer, the build-up to the 2026/27 Premiership campaign has started with many Celtic fans worried about how the club is going about its business.
While that cloud of worry is still hanging over Parkhead, the one plus has been Celtic bringing in Ross Grant from Hearts.
The boyhood Celtic fan spent 12 months at Tynecastle, vastly improving their set-piece record, which nearly played a part in them winning the Premiership title.
But now the champions of Scotland, led by Martin O’Neill, have the privilege of working with Grant, who has links to Aston Villa’s much-heralded set-piece guru, Austin MacPhee.
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Hearts’ 2025/26 Premiership set-piece record analysed
Dead-ball situations proved highly lucrative for Hearts, who netted 23 set-piece goals across the campaign.
Corners were by far their most lethal avenue, accounting for 16 of those strikes in the Premiership, including the mighty scare of Lawrence Shankland opening the scoring at Celtic Park during the final-day title decider.
That’s a huge step up from the previous season because Hearts only scored eight from corners in 2024/25.
But while many also focus on the attacking side of things, Hearts were also just as good at defending set-plays, conceding just ten times.
- Corners taken by Hearts during the 2025/26 Premiership campaign: 212
- Successful corners: 89
- Corners per game (Premiership only): 5.6
- 131 in-swinging corners
- 40 out-swinging corners
- 40 corners taken short
- Set-piece goals in all comps: 23
- Set-piece goals XG: 16.8
- Goals from corners (Premiership only): 16
- Goals conceded from set-plays (Premiership only): 10
In comparison with Celtic…
When you have three different types of coaches in the dugout over 12 months, with O’Neill having two separate visits, then don’t expect things to run smoothly.
That was the case with Celtic, who, somehow, dragged themselves over the line on that dramatic final day.
Hopefully, with Grant’s arrival, he will play a role in refreshing and enhancing Celtic’s threat, because their set-piece record from the previous campaign isn’t anything to shout about.
As the stats below detail, there is a huge difference in how much Hearts benefited from set-plays compared to the Hoops – and, hopefully, Grant can flip it around.
But what he needs to maintain is how Celtic defend from corners, because despite it seeming like there were struggles in that area last term, only nine set-piece goals were conceded from those in green and white.
- Corners taken by Celtic in the 2025/26 Premiership season: 252
- Average corners per match: 6.63
- Set-piece goals (Premiership only): 10
- Goals from corners (Premiership only): 6
- Set-piece goals conceded (Premiership only): 9
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