Football: Durie has no wish to watch collision

GORDON DURIE is so traumatised by the head injury he suffered in the game against Kilmarnock he says he will never watch replays of the match.

The Rangers and Scotland striker spent three nights in Glasgow's Southern General Hospital after an accidental clash of heads with Gary Holt last week that left him severely concussed.

The Scotland striker has lost weight and was still suffering headaches at the start of this week. He is expected to be out of football for up to a month.

"One thing is certain, I never want to watch that match," he said. "It's scary because I can't remember anything about it. The first thing I knew was when I woke up in the ambulance. The medics asked me what was going on and I didn't have a clue.

"Now I hear some people are demanding better protection and I have to agree. But it's a grey area for me. I mean I felt fine then collapsed. The possible risks for the future have been spelled out to me but I am hopeful of making a full recovery."

Celtic's astonishing pulling power was revealed today with the club closing its waiting list for season tickets, with 10,000 people in the queue. The club already has 42,500 season-ticket holders, the most in Britain. It means Celtic are already close to filling Parkhead, which will have a 60,000 capacity when rebuilding work is completed later this year.

The news comes on the fourth anniversary of the takeover by the present managing director, Fergus McCann, and he is thrilled at their progress.

"The desire to see Celtic has never been greater," he said. "I would like to record our thanks for the incredible backing every week. We have come a long way in a short time. But I believe we are only a short way along the road of Celtic's potential."

Celtic, under the stewardship of their Dutch coach, Wim Jansen, are still on course for the treble, having already lifted the League Cup. They are two points clear at the top of the table and face Dundee United in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup on Sunday.

Fans have been flocking to Parkhead with the club's average gate 48,409 compared to 22,888 four years ago. Turnover has also risen dramatically with pounds 15,525,000 being generated in the first six months of this year compared to pounds 8,736,000 in the whole of the 1993-94 season.