BILLY McNEILL and Jimmy Johnstone opted to wear basketball boots on the hard surface at Celtic Park on 9 December 1967.
There’s a couple of comments below this video which was posted by Willie Collow, who does a fantastic job posting great Celtic videos on You Tube.
“Was at this game as a 19 years old, notice the straw round the pitch no under soil heating in 1967. See shades of wee Jimmy in Frimpong,” Brian Nelson wrote while Den added: “Ah! Wonderful to see we Jinky ruffling the feathers of big gangly full backs again. H.H. Thanks Willie for making it possible.”
Watch the video Willie posted below…
A early own goal gave Celtic lead in the game which was played on a cold and frosty day.
“George Fleming in attempting to stop the ball reaching Bobby Lennox slammed the ball past his goalkeeper into the net. Ten minutes later Chalmers headed Celtic into a two goal lead when Anderson fluffed a clearance. On the half hour Lennox shot home strongly after Johnstone had made the opening. Jim Fleming pulled one back for Hearts just before half time. The game was a more balanced affair in the second half but Celtic never looked like losing the lead they had established,” The Celtic Wiki reported.
Heavy snow had fallen in the North of Scotland and frost affected the whole of the country. Celtic tried out a series of new ‘anti-frost’ mats at Celtic Park. These were large mats filled with straw which could be easily moved onto the pitch to protect it from frost and then rapidly moved off the pitch with no waste or straw residue. The mats must have worked and the game went ahead with four games in the First Division called off with unplayable pitches. Celtic paid £1200 for the mats.
The Celtic team was Simpson, Craig, Gemmell, Murdoch, McNeill, Clark, Johnstone, Wallace, Chalmers, Lennox, Hughes. Substitute: O’Neill. (Bertie Auld was out with a fever).
Attendance was reported as being 35,000 – to see the Champions of Europe!
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