24^th August

Between the headlines in the press and the comments from the manager, the Rangers players took a bit of a pasting in the day following their 0-4 defeat at the hands of Celtic;

‘Rangers Failure’

 and

 ‘We Paid for Our Errors – Scot Symon’

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Pre-match

For those not listed among the 12 names for the Glasgow Cup tie, it was a case of training as usual on the Tuesday morning at Barrowfield. There was definitely a tension in the air among the coaching staff and it began to rub off on us too. We were all aware that, no matter how well Celtic did in the major competitions, a lot of fans put a victory over Rangers well up on the agenda. So, even though it was, in the eyes of many supporters, merely a Glasgow Cup tie, there were a number of others who just wanted a victory over the old enemy at any time.

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22^nd August 1966

The Glasgow Cup

The League Cup campaign was going well for Celtic and they were receiving good press for their efforts yet it was noticeable over the weekend that the prospect of an Old Firm contest – in this case a first round tie in the Glasgow Cup – brought on a definite edge to the coverage of the match in the press. The reporting was as unbiased as you ever get at a time like that but the main difference was the extent of the coverage, page after page of comment, features, assessments and possible outcomes. Continue reading →

Match Report

The Side

As expected, Jock Stein announced the same side as beat Clyde in midweek. One difference, though, was that Davie Cattenach was listed as the substitute instead of Charlie Gallagher. Continue reading →

Bertie-Bully Wee-ed!

18^th August 1966

The guys who played the night before against Clyde did a light session, the rest of us put in a full shift. And a full shift it was, with shooting the main subject of the morning. Although both first team and reserves had been winning, perhaps the number of goals scored was below the expectations of the management?

The papers said that Bertie Auld was carrying a slight injury from the Clyde match but it would appear that everyone would be fit for the next match. And the team for the Reserve League Cup tie against St Mirren at Love Street the following evening went up on the board. I notice that I have been moved back to fullback for this match. Continue reading →

The Opposition
Clyde had finished 11th in the league table the previous season with a record of

P    W     D    L     F    A.
34  13    4    17    62   64 Continue reading →

15th August 1966
Jimmy Johnstone had received an ankle injury in the first 50 seconds of the match against Hearts and had come in Sunday for some treatment. By Monday, he was feeling much better.
After training, Jock Stein said Continue reading →

The Morning of the Match

I reported early for the Reserve League Cup match at Parkhead, as I was feeling a little strained in a thigh muscle and I thought I would go out early and loosen it up.

Unfortunately – at least for me – as I arrived the first team squad was leaving for Tynecastle. It was always nice to see the lads, of course, but being about them and listening to the chat and so on just brought it home to me that I was not in the first team at that time. It was what they call in fiction a ‘bittersweet moment’ and it did not help my mood.

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9^th August

Three days after the friendly against Manchester United, every Celtic player on the books – apart from those carrying an injury – reported to Celtic Park for the Public Trial.

Most clubs had stopped holding these matches by that time and it was somewhat ironic that the only two that did continue the practice were Celtic and Rangers. Continue reading →

Glasgow Dental Hospital

While the team was having a very successful tour across the Atlantic, I was stationed back in Glasgow, having come to a special arrangement with the Dean of the Dental Hospital. As a final year student, I should have sat the first part of my finals in March and the second part in June. Unfortunately, though, several aspects of my football life at that time – like a trip to Tbilisi, Scottish Cup replays and the occasional extra visit to Parkhead for either training or treatment – really cut into the time I had available for study. Continue reading →