The Weather
From the 14th of the month, the frost came back with a vengeance, so we all had to cope with hard pitches, rutted tracks and cold.
And in the middle of all this, I was driving along in the comfort of my new car, where even the heating worked!
Training
As you can imagine, training was tough, the main problem trying to keep your feet in whatever surface the exercise was being carried out on.
While we were struggling, the Boss and Sean Fallon were apparently on a scouting trip to Ireland, although it seemed to be more about setting up some sort of relationships with clubs rather than looking at players.
And there was a story in the papers that Stirling Albion had failed in a bid to sign John Divers. John had dropped out of the first team in September and by then, was finding it hard to get a game even in the Reserves. So he was keen to go somewhere to get a game. St Johnstone and Partick Thistle had tried unsuccessfully to get him before Christmas.
Reserves Outing
The reserve side met Hibs in a Second Eleven Cup tie at Celtic Park on Wednesday 16th, when the team was Martin, Young, McCarron, Brogan, Cushley, O’Neill, Connelly, Lennox, J Quinn, Gallagher and Taylor. They won 2-1.
More Bad Weather
Dundee had been keeping an eye of the state of the Dens Park pitch all week and the reports coming down to Glasgow were that it was hard and frosty but definitely playable. But on the Friday afternoon, blizzards swept in to affect Tayside and Highlands, causing the match to be postponed until Wednesday 26th.
For the players, it just meant that instead of a trip to Dundee, we were out on the Parkhead pitch for another training session.
Lay Off!
On the day before the match, it was announced that Dundee’s right back Alex Hamilton had received a message from an un-named source to the effect that if he and left back Bobby Cox ill-treated Jimmy Johnstone and John Hughes, those that sent the message would take great pleasure in waiting for them after the game! Talk about supporters taking it seriously!
Scottish Cup Draw
The draw for the quarter-final stages of the Scottish Cup was made on Tuesday 22nd. It was ;
Hearts v Dundee or Celtic
Dumbarton or Queen of the South v Aberdeen or Dundee United
Ross County or Rangers v Arbroath or St Johnstone
Stirling Albion or Dunfermline v Kilmarnock
These ties would all be played on March 5th.
Waddell Refuses Job
It was announced that Kilmarnock boss Willie Waddell had turned down the chance to become Scotland’s first-ever full-time manager.
Question
Last time round, I asked which Celtic player of that era had gone on to be manager of Stranraer? The answer was John Hughes, from 1975 to 1976.
And the question this week concerns that list of players in that reserve cup-tie against Hibs. Two of the eleven went on to play for Carlisle United; which two?
The Sting!
Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player were attacked by a swarm of bees during one of their 6-match ‘Champion of Champions’ series at Zwartkops Country Club, Pretoria. Player, US Open Champion, was stung five times, 3 on the face and 2 on the arms. Nicklaus was also stung on face and arms.
Not Before Time
Future parliamentary elections in Nigeria will be under universal suffrage, it was announced yesterday. The Northern Region, with 29 million of the country’s 55 million people, had, in the past, denied women the vote.
Over the Five
The population of Scotland at the end of June 1965 was 5, 203, 900. The four cities accounted for 35%. Glasgow 1,000,857; Edinburgh 472,353; Dundee 185,296 and Aberdeen 184,414