Festive Joy Not Felt By Everyone There were no morning classes around Christmas and New Year for dental students so I got the chance to train with the full-timers for a few days. You would have though that after an 8-1 win over Morton at the weekend, the atmosphere would have been full of joy …
The Night Before Hogmanay has always been a big night in Scotland’s social scene. The streets were busy until the ‘wee sma’ ‘oors’ with folk ‘first-footin’ friends and neighbours; and the lights still on show in most houses showed that many people were still up celebrating the New Year until dawn arrived. However, for footballers, …
Being a Glaswegian I caught an early Mass on Sunday in my parish of Our Lady of Lourdes, Cardonald. There were not many there but I still got waylaid by fans, half of whom were happy to talk about the victory the previous day, the other half wanting me to know that they expected a …
Going to Work I was under orders that day of 3rd January 1966. The Boss had told me to take a taxi to the ground – no mention of the club paying for it, of course – as he thought it would be the safest, and perhaps quickest, way to get there. Right from when …
The Old Firm Match Still in the Headlines A few days after it had happened, the papers were still writing about the Old Firm match. Even the headlines were about the one-sided contest ;- RANGERS STILL WONDERING WHAT HIT ‘EM CELTIC WERE BRILLIANT IT’S NOT THE END AT IBROX Under the latter headline, the writer …
Read more “8th January 1966: Celtic v Dundee United – Part One”
Arrived but Not Playing Celtic’s new 6 feet 3 inch goalkeeper from Denmark – Bent Martin – will not be making his debut for the reserves at Tannadice today. As the Dane has not played since the 17th November, it has been decided by the management at Parkhead that he will require some training.
Getting Noticed I was getting used to this first-team business at Celtic and what it brought with it. For one thing, at the Dental Hospital, while most of my colleagues were decidedly unimpressed with my new status in football, the patients waiting to be treated would nudge each other and point when I walked past. …
Read more “12th January 1966: Celtic v Dynamo Kiev – Part One”
What the Papers Were Saying Big Yogi and Wee Jimmy Could be the Aces v Kiev Celtic are relying on the same players who beat Rangers 5-1 and Dundee United 1-0 to see them through their European Cup Winners’ tournament quarter-final first leg tie against Dinamo Kiev at Parkhead tonight. This means, of course, that …
Read more “12th January 1966: Celtic v Dynamo Kiev – Part Two”
What the Papers were Saying Immediately after the home leg against Dynamo Kiev, all the attention in the press switched to the away leg of the tie, with the Aberdeen league fixture coming up on the Saturday almost being overlooked. For instance, on Friday 14th January, in one of our major dailies, there was further …
Read more “15th January 1966 : Aberdeen v Celtic – Part One”
The Journey As I mentioned when I had previously journeyed to Aberdeen with the reserve side in the autumn of 1965, Pittodrie was the only ground in Scotland to which we travelled by train. On that Saturday morning, most of the other guys, who had cars, met at Celtic Park, from where a bus took …
Read more “15th January 1966 : Aberdeen v Celtic – Part Two”