Celtic provide aversion therapy for other Cup semi-finalists: Scottish football

The common link among the three clubs who reached the semi-final stages of the Scottish Cup on Saturday appears to be an aversion to Celtic. Dundee United, Kilmarnock and First Division Falkirk won through to the last four, with each manager hoping to avoid the Glasgow side in tonight's draw.

It has been 40 years since Falkirk last played for a place in the final. Their manager, Alex Totten, is of sufficient vintage and well-enough versed in the club's history to recognise a parallel between then and now. "I remember watching them beat Berwick and Raith Rovers on the way to defeating Kilmarnock in the 1957 final. We've done that this season so it would be nice if history repeated itself."

Kevin James and David Hagen scored for Falkirk against Raith while Dundee United scored four times in the second half against Motherwell to stretch their unbeaten run to 14 games.

The third tie provided the most drama with Kilmarnock ahead 3-0 at half- time against Morton, whose defender Steve McCahill had been shown a red card. Morton replied with two second-half goals before the Premier side hit two late strikes.

Kilmarnock's success will put them in good heart for their league meeting with Celtic on Tuesday night while Tommy Burns' side know victory is essential if they are to have a chance of winning the league. The fact they might be deemed as having a chance despite trailing Rangers by five points comes courtesy of a 2-0 win over their great rivals in the Cup. The two meet in the league on Sunday.