Know Your History – A very special day for Celtic…
Saturday, 11 October 1930 was a pretty special day for a number of Celtic stars, although that wasn’t at all obvious at the time.
Over 70,000 spectators made their way to Hampden to watch the Hoops take on Rangers in the Glasgow Cup final. The Celts lined up as follows;
John Thomson; Willie Cook & Peter McGonagle;
Chic Geatons, Jimmy McStay & Bobby Whitelaw;
Bertie Thomson, Alec Thomson, Jimmy McGrory, Peter Scarff & Charlie Napier.
Ten of that side would lift the Scottish Cup at Hampden the following April, the exception being left-half Bobby Whitelaw who replaced the injured Peter Wilson. But that would be a story for another day.
Back in October 1930
Back in October 1930, goals from Charlie Napier and Jimmy McGrory saw Celts beat Rangers 2-1 to win a first trophy in two long years, despite a disallowed Peter Scarff goal and the dismissal of close-season signing Bertie Thomson for retaliation. Former Glasgow Perthshire winger Thomson had been the victim of some callous challenges by the infamous full-back Jock Buchanan which went unpunished, and Celtic subsequently complained to the SFA about what they perceived as a ‘travesty of justice.’
Charlie Napier had opened the scoring early on but twice had to be helped from the field in the first half following robust treatment.
Linwood Bhoy Peter Scarff
Like Thomson and Napier, this would be a first winners’ medal for Linwood Bhoy Peter Scarff, but tragically he would only have that and the Scottish Cup medal from April 1931 to treasure before a serious illness changed the course of his life.
Jimmy McGrory’s direct opponent that day was Rangers captain Davie Meiklejohn, but there is an interesting side story there also. Jimmy Simpson had played in that centre-half role in the Ibrox club’s two earlier matches in the competition, narrow home wins over Third Lanark and Queen’s Park, but he had other things on his mind as his side faced Celtic at Hampden.
Ronald Campbell
Just a stone’s throw from Hampden in Cathcart that same day, Simpson’s wife Mabel would present him with their first son, to be named Ronald Campbell, mum’s maiden surname being acknowledged. The young couple had been married in Dundee the previous year.
He was bought by Celtic
Ronnie would grow up to become a top-class goalkeeper, actually featuring for all three of Rangers’ opponents in that Glasgow Cup run – Third Lanark, Queen’s Park and Celtic, as well as winning two FA Cup medals in the 1950s with Newcastle United. He would then end up at Hibernian, and in September 1964 he was bought by Celtic by that same Jimmy McGrory, the selling manager being a certain Jock Stein.
Within six months, Jock had swapped Easter Road for Celtic Park and the rest as they say is history.
And it all started on this day in 1930.
Hail, Hail!
Matt Corr
READ THIS…Know Your History – Matt Corr’s Celtic in the Thirties Q&A
Just an Ordinary Bhoy