Cup Final Memories

I caught up with my brother & sister earlier this week we were talking about our first Cup Finals & watching Celtic winning the Scottish Cup at Hampden, strangely enough they were across 3 different decades, but are all etched in our minds forever.

1995 - Celtic 1 - Airdrie 0

My first Cup Scottish Cup Final & considering I was 16 it shows how long that barren spell was in the early 90s.

After a disappointing season playing at Hampden, Celtic had the chance to finish the season with a but of silverware, the first in 6 years.

The game was not a classic, but thanks to an early goal from Pierre Van Hooijdonk Celtic secured the Scottish Cup & gave Paul McStay his only trophy as captain & Tommy Burns his only success as Manager of the club they both served so well.

A few things stand out from that day, the relief on supporters faces as the ref blew the full time whistle, the emotion from players like Paul McStay & Peter Grant on the pitch at full time & the celebrations the lasted into the wee hours of the morning.    Celtic fans might not have had much to celebrate in the early 90s, but nobody had forgot how to celebrate & that we all did.


1985 Celtic 2 - Dundee United 1

The 100th Scottish cup final, was my sister's first taste of a Celtic Cup Final.    She went along to the match with one of my older brothers George & stood in the old Celtic end on a fairly overcast day at Hampden.

It was a late show from Celtic as they came from behind to grab a late winner & take the old trophy back to Celtic Park.

With a long history of success in this trophy, for Helen this would always be one that she would remember, with probably 2 of the most iconic goals in Cup Finals, Davie Provan scored direct from a free-kick to bring Celtic level in the match, then with 5 minutes remaining the will to win that has been part of Celtic since 1888 shone through as Roy Aitken crossed the ball to Frank McGarvey to score a wonderful, curling diving header. 

His stunned celebration showed what it meant to him & the scenes behind the goal showed what it meant to the huge Celtic support.


1974 Celtic 3 - Dundee United 0

Celtic made the trip to Hampden for the Scottish Cup Final for the 6 consecutive year, but for my older brother Benny it would be his first Cup Final.

A family friend took Benny along to Hampden that day as they sat in the main stand & watched Celtic run out convincing 3-0 winners.

With Celtic 2 nil up after 25 minutes from Dixie Deans & Steve Murray, Benny could enjoy his first visit to Hampden & savour a Cup victory.   Harry Hood would add a late 3rd to cap off another winning season.

With only 2 of the famous Lisbon Lions starting the match in McNeill & Johnstone, it was up to the team from the Quality Street Gang & some excellent additions like Dixie Deans & Harry Hood to secure the double for Celtic & their 23rd Scottish Cup victory.

I am sure Celtic fans the world over have great memories off these & other cup triumphs, & I doubt any of us will forget the ending to the 2017 Cup Final.

All 3 of us will be there again on Saturday hoping for another memorable trip to Hampden.

Celtic Graves - Promoting heritage & so much more

I took a trip out to Hamilton for the commemoration of Peter Somers, who although only 36 when he died had left his mark on Celtic & a number of other clubs during his short life.    The event was put together by the team at the Celtic Graves Society & by kind permission of the Somers family.

Peter was part of the first Celtic team to win 6 league titles in a row back in early 1900s & formed part of one of the most famous front 5 in Celtics history.   With over 200 appearances & 62 goals, Peter helped establish Celtic on the field in the clubs early years.

Parking the car at the Cemetery, I spoke with a few other people who had made their way from various parts of Scotland for the commemoration.    After a quick chat we all made our way to the grave side & newly cleaned headstone.

An introduction from our hosts at the Celtic Graves Society gave the tribute from the Somers family & set the scene for Peters career with Celtic, the honours won & anecdotes from  during his time at the club.  

David Potter then gave an account of that great Celtic team of the early 1900s, singing songs of the famous 5 of Bennett, McMenemy, Quinn, Somers & Hamilton.    I know that I won't ever sing this little piggy the same way again!!

We were then given more details on Peters life away from Celtic from the Hamilton Accies historian Peter McLeish, telling the story of Peter Somers quick graduation from Hamilton Accies to Celtic, to Blackburn back to Celtic & finally back to Hamilton.   Peters Iove of the game that kept him scouting for Hamilton after he stopped playing & ultimately his premature death in 1914.

Finally flowers were laid from a Celtic fan who had made the trip from across the Atlantic ocean.

Normally a visit to a cemetery can be a difficult, but the work of the members of the Celtic Graves Society & the guest speakers ensured everyone there left with a positive memory of a player who achieved so much in his career.

This is only the second CGS event I have been to & the work that the team put in to pull all this together is amazing.    If you get the chance, you should make the effort to get along to their events. 

How bout them Red Sox - A fan from Afar

In the Autumn of 1986 I received a gift of 2 baseball caps from my mums cousin.   One was for the New York Mets, the other was the Boston Red Sox.



The 2 caps represented the teams appearing in the 1986 Fall Classic, the two best teams in baseball who would slug it out to be crowned the World Champions in the World Series.

Something struck me about the Red Sox cap, the team logo was bold, it almost had a Christmas feel to it like two Christmas stockings hanging on a tree. 

At the time, I didn't follow many sports other than football - as a boy from the east end of Glasgow the only sport that mattered was football & the only team was Celtic, but something in those hats buried an interest in me that would be ignited in later life.

Six years later one of my older brothers made a trip to the east coast of America to visit family in & around New York & Boston.     He brought me home stories of a former player called "Babe" Ruth, who played for the Red Sox from 1914 & helped make them the best team in America, but then in 1919 he moved to the New York Yankees.

In that one trade the period of sporting greatness had come to an end for the Red Sox & signalled the rise of New York Yankees.

Between 1919 & 1985 the Red Sox would appear in 3 World Series & lose them all.   In contrast the Yankees would make more than 30 appearances & win 22 of them.

Talk of a "Curse" on the Red Sox & stories of continuous near misses in made me pay more attention to their fortunes from the other side of the Atlantic - Did Babe Ruth leave a curse on the Red Sox when he was forced to move to the Yankees in 1919?

In 1986 with the long awaited title within grasp, the Red Sox were one "out" from winning the biggest prize.    With the series at 3-2 in favour of the Red Sox, one more play was all that was needed to erase the memory of the 68 years of pain & mark up the win against the Mets.

True to form the Red Sox could not make that play & in a cruel run of events lost the 6th & 7th games of the series to the Mets.

Making a further 4 appearances in the playoffs between 1988 & 1999 gave nothing in return for Red Sox fans & the wait for the World Series would continue.

In 2003 The Yankees & the Red Sox would battle it out in the Championship series to decide who would appear in the World Series - In another heart-breaking loss.   The Sox would lose the best of 7 series by 4 games to 3.    Losing the deciding games by one run in extra innings.

17 years had now passed since the last World Series appearance & 85 years since their last triumph.

12 Months later, both teams met again in the Championship series, the best of 7 series could not have started any worse for the Sox - the Yankees raced into a 3-0 leads    The dream was all but over for another year.    All the Yankees had to do was win one more match to put the Sox Nation out of the misery.   The only question was - Who will the Yankees play in the World Series?

In the 4th game, the Yankees needed 3 outs to end the match up.   In the final inning the Red Sox scored a run to tie the match & then scored 2 more runs in the 12th to keep the series alive.

Game 5 also went to extra innings at Fenway park - Another win that brought the series to 3-2 in favour of the Yankees.

Game 6 & 7 would be played at Yankee stadium.    4 early hits for the Red Sox & a huge pitching effort from Curt Shilling ensured the series would go to a deciding match.    3-3 going into the decider.

Game 7 at Yankee stadium saw the Red Sox shake off the burden of living in the shadow of their greatest rivals for 86 years. 

Scoring almost at will the Red Sox won game 7 by 10 runs to 3 & become the first team to win a play off series after losing the 1st 3 matches.    More importantly they also progressed to the World Series to play against St Louis.

ESPN made a 30 for 30 programme 4 Days in October charting the comeback from the Red Sox, a must see for any sports fan.

In the space of 4 matches against St Louis the weight of history, past achievements & even the Curse of the Bambino were lifted & consigned to history.

Sweeping St Louis over four matches in late October 2004 saw the Red Sox claim their first World Series in 86 years.   A night that many members of the Sox Nation the world over will remember for ever.

So, that hat I received in 1986 opened up a new world of sporting pain, despair & enjoyment - but that's what you sign up for when you are a Red Sox fan.



BHF Supporter Journey

I started fundraising for the British Heart Foundation with my family March 2015, but my story with BHF goes much further back than that.

 

I was born in 1978 with a congenital heart disorder called Tetralogy of Fallots, which is a condition with 4 separate defects of the heart.   The condition is commonly known as blue baby syndrome, as most of the children who suffer from it generally have bluish lips.

 

The doctors identified my condition very early & within the first 9 months of my life I had undergone 2 operations to help restore the flow of oxygenated from my heart to the rest of my body.

 

I underwent Open Heart Surgery when I was 3 years old to try to repair the Tetrallogy of Fallots, & although very ill after the operation, I was eventually allowed home to recover with my family.  

Since then I have had 3 Pulmonary Valve replacement operations.   I had a mechanical valve implanted when I was 9 years old, a pig’s valve when I was 19 after a long illness & I went through my most recent valve replacement at the age of 32.

 

I have seen the changes in the medical care, operative techniques & post-operative care during my life & know that these improvements were made possible thanks to the research carried out by the BHF.

 

In 2014, our family was hit with the devastating news that our brother George had died of a heart attack at his home at the age of 46.   He had no medical history of heart problems & lived a very full & active life.   The shock of his death brought to light the fact that a heart attack can strike at any time and in any age group.    

 

My brother’s death made me think more about what can be done to raise awareness & highlight the importance of the research & developments in coronary care.

 

Since my brother’s death we have been raising funds & awareness on behalf of the British Heart Foundation including a 5-a-side tournament with teams from across the central belt taking part.    We were able to combine our fundraising efforts with learning CPR skills (Thanks to Save a Life for Scotland); in doing this we helped add more people to nation of life savers the charity is trying to create.

 

No matter if I am raising funds or awareness, it’s important to me to work with the BHF to fight for every heart beat.

 

My story was printed in the Daily Record in 2016

 

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/real-life/my-scars-make-feel-happy-9122470

Tonys Gift

During a visit to my in-laws with their first grand-daughter in 2002 my Father in Law pulled me aside & handed me a bag.   I wasn't sure what was in the bag, but he said "I know you & your brother are daft about collecting these kind of things, so you can add these to the collection".

I opened the bag & found a collection of Football Books, Celtic Programmes & Wee Green Books dating from the early 60s through to the mid seventies.   My Father in Law Tony had passed to me a historical timeline of the greatest era in Celtic Football Clubs history.

When I got home I took great care & pleasure as I started to read through the "Managers Report" from James McGrory for the 1961-62 season.   The mixed emotions of the season that had just passed & the confidence he had in the future of the team especially with the crop of youngsters coming through.

A half-share of the Charity Cup was the only honour from the previous season.   Although appearances in 3 cup finals gave more hope than expectation that things were improving.

Congratulations were offered to Jock Stein on his first management role & the success of his Dunfermline team securing the Scottish Cup against Celtic in the April of 1961.   Farewells were offered to great names like Bertie Peacock after 12 years service at the club.

Reading through the books you can't help but feel Mr McGrorys attachment to the club & the hope that he can get the team back on track.

In Contrast the first "Manager Report" from John Stein in the 1965-66 Wee Green Book you are immediately met with an ambitious message of success, European Football & League championship quest, an amazing turnaround in attitude in the space of 12 months.

As the years pass the managers report becomes more glowing as the club excel across Scotland & Europe.   The 67-68 book starts simply with :

 

 "Five Competitions.................five Victories!

That's the simple statistical way of summing-up Celtics incredible season of 1966-67"

 

 



Watching the squad grow year on year as some of the greatest names to grace the Scottish game take their place.

 

Simpson

Craig                     McNeill                   Clark                  Gemmell       

 

Murdoch                              Auld

Johnstone                                                                     Lennox

Chalmers           Wallace

 

As the confidence of the club grows the ambition of the supporters grows too.   Adverts changed over the years from local bars & builders merchants to travel companies offering services to help fans on their trips across Europe.

 

These small changes in advertising perhaps show the bigger changes in the development of Celtic the club & their fans from the clubs original inception in 1888.   The transition of a Club set up to help put food on the table for less fortunate souls in the late 19th century to a club & fan base conquering Europe 80 years later.

 

My father in law Tony passed away after a short battle with Cancer a few months after handing me the collection of memorabilia.   I put them away in the loft for safe keeping & hadn't looked at them for some time.

 

I started looking through them again last year sharing stories with my young family of the matches from 40-50 years ago.   The pictures preserved in these books & newspaper cuttings not only capture the memories of  the greatest Celtic team, but they also allowed Tony to pass his passion for the club he loved on to his grandchildren & to be enjoyed for many more years to come.

 

 



Every Bhoy has to start somewhere

The 27th August 1983 won't be remembered too well in the long history of Celtic football club, but for me it will always be remembered as the day I made my first visit to Celtic Park.

As a 5 year old who had grown up around a Celtic daft family it was trip I couldn't wait to make.   My older brother Benny had been saying that he would take me to an upcoming match & that day gave him a perfect opportunity.   

The sun was shining in Glasgow & the football season was only a couple of weeks old.   Benny had been going to the Celtic games since the mid 70's & at 17 he was given the responsibility to get me to my first game.   After strict instruction from my mum we made our way from our home in Riddrie to the match.

The visitors that day were Brechin City in the 2nd leg of a league cup tie.   The 1st match earlier in week had seen Celtic claim a narrow 1-0 win.  The expectation would be that Celtic could add a few more goals at home in the 2nd leg.

I don't remember too much about the game & this is probably a good thing.   The match finished 0-0 & there was very little action in either goalmouth.

What does stand out in my mind was the walk towards the stadium approaching the main stand & the fans standing around the main entrance.

Entering the stadium through the old turnstiles at the main stand with a click & a clunk & then walking out through the stairs to get my first glimpse of paradise & the players warming up on the pitch, it was a brilliant experience.

Benny had bought me a match programme on the way into the ground & he gave me a pen to go stand at the tunnel entrance for autographs.   Tommy Burns walked passed on his way back to the dressing room, he stopped & signed my programme.   A great keepsake for my first match.

This match & performance was probably as low key as you can get.  0-0 draw with a team from a lower league & scraping through to the next round of the cup, but the memories I have will always stand out.

I attended a Celtic AM event at Malones in Glasgow on the 2nd December 2017 & part of the line up included Willie McStay.   Willie was speaking about his time at Celtic in his playing & coaching days & his immense pride in appearing in the hoops & to do so with his brother Paul.

He told the story of his first start in the 1st team at Celtic Park as the 0-0 match against Brechin in 1983.   As it turns out there were are few firsts that day, including Brechins' first visit to Celtic Park.

Almost 35 years later, Brechin City make another trip to Celtic Park, this time on Scottish cup duty.    A lot has changed around the club & stadium since 1983 & the area is completely unrecognisable.  

I now take my seat in section 409 in the North stand with my 2 children, & my brother Benny always looking to remember the spirit of the Jungle stands with his son at the back of the standing section & we probably wouldn't have it any other way.

The emotional attachment to Celtic goes further than a match result.  They are more than a club to so many people & that's what keeps generations of families & friends coming to Celtic Park year after year.

3rd May 1986 - Champions

On the 3rd of May 1986 Celtic made their way to St Mirren Park Paisley needing a good few goals & huge favour from Dundee to have a chance of winning the Scottish League title.

The previous 6 weeks of football had witnessed a turnaround in fortune for Celtic in the league.    Having won the previous 7 matches, Celtic had closed the gap on Hearts to ensure that the championship would be decided on the final day of the season.

After an indifferent run of results between 8th February & 22nd April where Celtic drew 4 leagues matches in a row all played in Glasgow, to still be in contention for the title was an achievement.

The league leaders Hearts were on course for their first championship since 1960 & had put together a strong run of results not losing a single match in the league between 5th October 1985 & 26th April 1986 – avoid defeat in the final match of the season & the title would be theirs.

Fans of both clubs travelled in numbers hoping to see their club secure the championship.    Hearts fans made their way to Dens Park Dundee & Celtic fans travelled to St Mirren Park Paisley to watch the final 90 minutes of the league season.

For me, it was another Saturday at home with my dad & sister Helen listening to the match on the radio.    We would crowd round the radio to hear what was going on across the grounds & I would make up the pictures in my mind, but I don’t think even the most creative mind could envisaged the events that would unfold that afternoon.  

My older brother Benny was also there, normally he would be travelling the length & breadth of Scotland to watch Celtic, but for some reason he stayed at home that day. 

With the rain pouring down in Paisley the match got underway & Celtic went into attack to look for the goals they needed.    After only 6 minutes the commentary team broke the news that Celtic had scored thanks to a header from Brian McClair.   The goal was met with cheers from us listening to the radio.

It would be another 25 minutes before any more goal updates came from Paisley, first we heard Mo Johnston had made it 2-0 to Celtic, this was quickly followed by a 2nd for Johnston & it was 3-0 to celtic after 35 minutes.

The pundits described the 3rd goal as a free flowing passing move by Celtic, moving the ball quickly from defence to attack, one of the goals of the season.   A 4th goal was added after 38 minutes from Paul McStay, Celtic had done all that they could to score the goals to ensure the win that they needed.

At half time Celtic were winning 4-0, & Hearts were drawing 0-0 with Dundee.   

The destiny of the championship was still in the hands of the Hearts players.   The announcer at Dens Park urged Hearts fans not to invade the pitch at full time when they had won the league.  It looked like everyone in Scotland had agreed the outcome was settled.

Early in the 2nd half Celtic added a 5th goal through Brian McClair, but Hearts were still in control.     

By now it made no difference if you were at the Celtic match, at home or in a bar, Celtic fans were now fully focussed on the events being described on the radio from Dens Park Dundee.

With our radio at full blast & my dad pacing up & down the house, we finally heard the news we were waiting for:

“A high in-curling ball, its headed down by Brown ITS IN THE NET & A GOAL, A GOAL THERE BY ALBERT KIDD……………The unthinkable has happened……….with 7 minutes left for play, its Dundee 1 Heart of Midlothian Nil”

The 4 of us listening at home cheered & celebrated the news of the goal for Dundee in disbelief.

Minutes later more news came from Dundee:

“Its all happening here, Dundee coming forward again, they’ve got a new lease of life……………moving the ball inside…….gets a return & ITS GOAL NUMBER 2, ALBERT KIDD AGAIN”

The news started more celebrations at home & with Celtic fans listening across the country.

The final whistle sounded at both grounds & Celtic were champions of Scotland for the first time since 1982. 

The following day I went to Celtic Park with my Dad & Brother-in-law as Celtic hosted an open day at the stadium where fans came to meet the new champions. 

This was my first memory of Celtic winning the league title & watching what it meant to my family & so many people will always be one of my great Celtic moments.