Over the years Celtic have had their fair share of dominant sides in Scottish football. Jock Steins side of the ‘60s & ‘70s were consistently involved at the business end of European footballing campaigns and built sides to secure 9 league titles in a row. Our more recent 9 in a row & Quadruple Treble triumph cements our place as the predominant domestic club side of the 21 century.
If you rewind just over 100 years we find the original super team of Scottish football. From season 1904/05 through to 1909/1910 Celtic secured 6 leagues titles in a row & became the first team to secure back to back League & Scottish Cup doubles. This record breaking Celtic side had a prolific strike force throughout their history making period of success. Alec Bennett, Peter Sommers, Davie Hamilton, Jimmy McMenemy & Jimmy Quinn led a dynamic front 5 that appeared to score at will.
The legendary status of this forward line finds its roots in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park in 1904 when Jimmy Quinn scored a hatrick to win the cup for Celtic against their city rivals Rangers. Trailing 2-0, The “Croy Express” scored three unanswered goals to secure the trophy & launch Celtic into a sustained period if domination.
The first of 6 consecutive league titles was won in the most dramatic fashion the following season, when a play-off match between Celtic & Rangers would be required to decide the League champions of Scotland. Celtic won the match 2-1 at Hampden park with goals coming from McMenemy & Hamilton.
The league & cup double was secured in 1907 as Celtic beat Hearts 3-0 in the Scottish cup final, 2 of the goals coming from Peter Sommers. The first back to back double followed in 1908 after a thumping 5-1 victory over St Mirren in the Cup Final, Bennet, Quinn, Sommers & Hamilton all helping themselves to goals in the match. These players could be relied upon for the big matches by scoring goals in the matches that mattered.
Over the course of their careers at Celtic, these 5 forwards would play a combined total of almost 1500 matches, scoring 559 goals. Their achievements & teamwork helped to deliver 6 league titles in a row & a record that stood for over 60 years, until another great partnership arrived to lead Celtic onto domestic & international success.
