Five memorable Celtic moments, with a nod to the late Celtic Historian and Celtic Star legend David Potter, on this day starting in 1889…
ONE – SATURDAY 9 FEBRUARY 1889 – The weather is better than last week’s fiasco, but Celtic’s first Scottish Cup final is a defeat to Third Lanark. Neil McCallum scores Celtic’s only goal but Thirds win 2-1 before a massive 18,000 crowd. Most newspapers are very impressed by the young Celtic team reaching the Scottish Cup final “less than a gestation” (ie pregnancy, nine months) since their first ever game. More will be expected of this team in the future.
TWO – SATURDAY 9 FEBRUARY 1907 – It is beginning to be believed that this Celtic team may well be the first to win the Scottish League and the Scottish Cup in the same season, but today they ride their luck in a close and tough game against Morton at Cappielow which ends 0-0. The crowd was 12,000, the rain was incessant and the pitch was all against Celtic’s style of passing along the ground, and of course Celtic were without the injured Willie Loney and the suspended Jimmy Quinn.
THREE – SATURDAY 9 FEBRUARY 1963 – The big freeze up continues. Celtic have played only one game since 5 January , and some are saying that that is maybe a blessing given the way that this awful season has gone. Undersoil heating is still a thing very much in the future, so the fixture pile up continues. Supporters now find other things to do on a Saturday afternoon, one of the most popular being watching wrestling (!) on ITV. And what are Celtic now going to do without Pat Crerand?
FOUR – MONDAY 9 FEBRUARY 1987 – In an unusual move, Celtic and Aberdeen play each other at Dens Park to decide the winner of their Scottish Cup tie, having drawn at both grounds. 21,255 travel the road and the miles to see a thrilling tie in which Celtic edge home 1-0 through a Brian McClair strike in the second half.
FIVE – SUNDAY 9 FEBRUARY 2003 – A difficult day at Parkhead where Celtic earn a 2-1 victory against Livingston, but at the cost of a serious injury to Henrik Larsson who sustains a broken jaw early in the game. This loss unsettles Celtic and Livi go ahead, but Shaun Maloney who was brought on to replace Larsson takes two free kicks late in the game in the aftermath of which Momo Sylla scores an equaliser, and Chris Sutton a winner. With a heavy programme coming, the loss of Larsson is a serious blow.
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