Author: Jim Craig

A Dip into the Past Next up for Celtic was a trip to Airdrie where, a few years earlier, had occurred one of the more unusual moments in Celtic’s history.

With the good win over Airdrie under the belt, we could look forward to our next match, a friendly against Dinamo Zagreb. The two teams had met before, in the second round of the Cup Winners’ Cup in season 1963-64. On 4th December, at Celtic Park, in front of a crowd of 42,000, the Hoops …

Read more “7th February 1967: Celtic v Dinamo Zagreb”

8th February In the papers the day after the loss to Dynamo Zagreb, the concentration was not so much on the plan used the previous evening but the execution of it.

The Morning of the Match This match had a 1pm kick-off. There were no floodlights at Somerset Park – they did come into play until 1970 – and there was the added complication that Kilmarnock were hosting Rangers in a league match at Rugby Park with a 3pm start; a game which would be attended …

Read more “11th February 1967: Ayr United v Celtic, League – Part Two”

13th February Although the team was doing well at that period and the fans had many things to talk about, a headline in one of the evening papers that day gave them some food for thought. It was about a player who had rather slipped off the radar screen –

The Day of the Match It had been an interesting couple of days since I was given the instruction to stay away from Celtic Park and try to let the symptoms of my head knock subside. On the Friday, my Mum collared me and asked me to drive her up to the city centre, where …

Read more “18th February 1967: Celtic v Elgin City Scottish Cup – Part Two”

20th February The press was very complimentary about Celtic’s thrashing of Elgin with one paper in particular very fulsome in its praise – ‘Attack is the best mode of defence for Celtic. Their 7-0 defeat of Elgin City in the Scottish Cup brought Celtic’s total of goals in their last three games to 15 – …

Read more “25th February 1967: Stirling Albion v Celtic League- Part One”

The Morning of the Match I had an early start to the day. I had been told that my former school – St Gerard’s in Govan – was playing in an important cup tie that day and one of the teachers had asked would I put in an appearance. I was pleased to do so, …

Read more “25th February 1967: Stirling Albion v Celtic League – Part Two”

  27th February The headlines and reports in the morning papers on the Monday morning gave some not-so-good news for Celtic fans – Johnstone is Doubtful ‘Jimmy Johnstone was the only one of Celtic’s European Cup stars to be injured in the bruising 1-1 draw with Stirling Albion but at breakfast time today the 17-strong …

Read more “1st March 1967: Vojvodina v Celtic European Cup – Part One”

Pre-match One of the porters in our hotel, who spoke excellent English, told me that our club and its players should feel quite at home in the city. Novi Sad was the capital of the autonomous Serbian province of Vojvodina, an area once inhabited by Illyrians and most appropriately, Celts?  Isn’t it amazing what you …

Read more “1st March 1967: Vojvodina v Celtic European Cup – Part Two”