League chief hopes for an uplifting end to dire week

When Celtic and Motherwell kick off at Parkhead and Kilmarnock and Rangers meet at Rugby Park, Doncaster will be at an undisclosed location. Trophy firmly in hand, he will wait until the title has been won, then board the craft that will take him to where the newly-crowned champions are beginning their celebrations.

It is part of the Englishman's job to talk up the game, and that job must have become close to impossible at times. From the referees' strike, to the mayhem of the Old Firm game where Neil Lennon and Ally McCoist had to be separated, to Wednesday's match at Tynecastle where a fan ran out of the main stand and attacked Lennon, this campaign has shown the game at its worst.

But when Doncaster waxes lyrical about the forthcoming climax to the league race, he does so with undisguised enthusiasm. Whatever the chronic problems of the sport and of the wider society which supports it, he argues, this weekend offers a chance to celebrate it at its most engaging.

"This is what the Clydesdale Bank Premier League is all about - the passion, the drama, and the excitement," he said yesterday. "Three out of the last four years have been Helicopter Sundays, and I think this is a fantastic moment for everyone associated with the game, to have the top two separated by just one point going into the final round of fixtures. Scottish football, continually it seems, serves up a drama, and this year is no exception. "

Having only taken up his present post less than two years ago after moving from Norwich City, he retains a freshness to his outlook which many more seasoned observers are no longer able to match. "I think in this country the game often ends up being talked down," he continued. "The reputation of the game in Scotland, certainly throughout Europe, south of the Border and in the rest of the world, is extremely positive. When I came up here I have to say I was slightly surprised by how many (people] viewed the game up here, because that's not how it's viewed elsewhere.

"Just talking of people who aren't into football at all south of the Border, they've heard of Helicopter Sunday, they know what it stands for. It's the reputation for drama, passion, last-minute twists and turns. That's what Scottish football delivers, and the reputation that, away from these shores, it does have.

"The viewing figures are up year on year. The interest in the Scottish game that exists this year is larger than it's been for several years around the world and south of the Border. Now that may be for good reason or bad, but there's no doubt that people are talking about Scottish football at the moment."

Doncaster is aware that serious challenges await, both financial and political, but no matter his destination tomorrow, he is set to be part of a happy occasion - greeting new champions if Celtic upset the odds, or congratulating Rangers on a third title in a row. Anxious to let nothing detract from the actual football, he declined yesterday to add further words to those he had already uttered about Wednesday night's events in Edinburgh.

Celtic assistant manager Johan Mjallby, by contrast, reiterated his hopes that the attack on Lennon would not drive his colleague out of the game.

"It's always been an electric atmosphere at Tynecastle - I didn't think it was different on Wednesday night," Mjallby said. "This was just a case of a madman running on. It's a disgrace and we don't want to see it happen.

"It would be a loss to management if he [Lennon] stopped. We've only been here a year and a bit, but he's shown in that time he's got a real chance of becoming a really good manager."

P W D L F A Pts

Rangers 37 29 3 5 83 28 90

Celtic 37 28 5 4 81 22 89

Hearts 37 18 9 10 52 43 63

Dundee Utd 37 16 10 11 53 49 58

Kilmarnock 37 13 10 14 52 50 49

Motherwell 37 13 7 17 40 56 46

Inverness CT 37 13 11 13 50 43 50

St Johnstone 37 11 10 16 23 43 43

Hibernian 37 10 7 20 38 58 37

Aberdeen 37 10 5 22 36 58 35

St Mirren 37 8 8 21 33 57 32

Hamilton 37 5 11 21 23 57 26

Final fixtures

Today (all kick-offs 3pm): Hibs v Aberdeen, Hamilton v Inverness, St Mirren v St Johnstone Tomorrow (all kick-offs 12.30pm): Celtic v Motherwell, Kilmarnock v Rangers, Dundee United v Hearts