27th August 1966: Celtic v Hearts – League Cup – Part Two

  Morning of the Match I arrived early at the ground, hopeful that I might make the role of substitute for the match and found very few there. Gradually, one by one, all the others came in, including the reserves, who had a Combined Reserve League match against Jordanhill College that afternoon. The management must …

31st August 1966: Clyde v Celtic League Cup – Part One

  29th August Two days after Celtic had beaten Hearts and Rangers had lost 2-3 to Hibs, this announcement – or perhaps proclamation would be a better word – appeared in the Scottish press ;-   ‘Training methods at Ibrox Stadium are to be completely overhauled and certain players may now have to work both …

3rd September 1966: St Mirren v Celtic  League Cup – Part One  

2nd September 1966 The win over Clyde in the penultimate match of the league cup sectional games had put Celtic into the quarter-final stages of the League Cup. That inevitably meant that training on the following days – while still strenuous – was conducted in a pleasant atmosphere, not always the case on a training …

3rd September 1966: St Mirren v Celtic  League Cup – Part Two

  The Morning of the Match I always thought it a bit odd that when we travelled to the more distant away matches, like Aberdeen or the Edinburgh or Dundee sides (don’t forget that there were no Inverness or Ross County matches in those days) we stopped for a bit of lunch en route, while …

14th September 1966: Celtic v Dunfermline Athletic League Cup – Part One

  12th September The headlines in the press on the Monday after the match against Clyde more or less told the story of the game –  Celts Make Great Start       Super-Sharp Celts   Everyone was back training on the Monday, although the major injury concern was Wee Jimmy, of whom the Boss told the reporters …

14th September 1966: Celtic v Dunfermline Athletic League Cup – Part Two

The Afternoon of the Match We – and I include myself in this, as I was one of the squad – all reported to Celtic Park in the afternoon for a loosening-up session. We then headed for the Cathkin Hotel for the pre-match meal. It must have been a big match (QF of League Cup); …