Saturday, 4 February 1956 was Scottish Cup fourth round day, Celts drawn to face second-tier Morton at Cappielow. Peter retained his starting slot whilst Jock Stein would be replaced by Alec Boden and another legend returned to the side, Jimmy Walsh making way for Charlie Tully. Bobby Evans took over the captaincy and led the following team out in the famous shamrock kit as the quest for a third successive final appearance began in the Greenock snow.
Dick Beattie; Mike Haughney & Peter Goldie; Bobby Evans, Alec Boden & Bertie Peacock;
Bobby Collins, Willie Fernie, Jim Sharkey, Charlie Tully & Neil Mochan.
The returning Irish genius had one goal ruled out for offside before he opened the scoring on the half hour, Bobby Collins adding a second five minutes later. In atrocious conditions, both teams would finish with 10 men, Jim Sharkey forced off with a cut on his forehead after taking a ball full in the face, as Celts progressed with a 2-0 victory.
League duty resumed seven days later with a visit to Fir Park, Motherwell. With Sean Fallon restored at left-back, Peter made a first Celtic appearance at right-half, Bobby Evans moving to central defence with Alec Boden dropping out. Up front, John McAlindon came in for the injured Jim Sharkey whilst Eric Smith replaced Neil Mochan on the left wing, Jimmy McGrory’s men lining up as follows.
Dick Beattie; Mike Haughney & Sean Fallon; Peter Goldie, Bobby Evans & Bertie Peacock;
Bobby Collins, Willie Fernie, John McAlindon, Charlie Tully & Eric Smith.
All the goalscoring action for the 19,000 spectators came in the final quarter of the match. As at Greenock the previous Saturday, Charlie Tully had a goal disallowed before he opened the scoring, Eric Smith making it 2-0 within three minutes. Motherwell would then stage a late rally to secure a point, with a Gardiner spot kick then a Forrest equaliser, as Celtic continued to fall further behind the leaders in the race for a second title in three seasons. Peter’s three-match run in the first team would then end as Alec Boden returned for the Scottish Cup fifth round tie at Somerset Park seven days later, Celts winning 3-0 to move into the quarter-final. There, they would beat Airdrieonians 2-1 at Celtic Park before 60,000 spectators, thanks to a late Charlie Tully strike, whilst Hearts would send out a real message of intent by thrashing Rangers 4-0 at Tynecastle.
Cup-holders Clyde and outsiders Raith Rovers would make up the last four, the draw producing a rematch of the previous season’s final between Celtic and the Bully Wee at Hampden on Saturday, 24 March 1956. A last-minute blunder by Hoops keeper John Bonnar had allowed Archie Robertson to equalise in the April 1955 showpiece, robbing Celts of back-to-back wins, with Hoops-mad Tommy Ring then scoring the only goal in the replay.
Both men would occupy the inside-forward slots for Clyde a year later, with Billy McPhail, brother of Celtic’s John, between them in the central attacking role. McPhail would score in the 20th minute at Hampden before 65,000 spectators, however, by that time the Hoops were already two goals ahead. Jim Sharkey gave McGrory’s men the lead within 90 seconds, Mike Haughney adding a second from the spot after the elusive Willie Fernie was fouled in the box. Hearts would prevail after a 3-0 replay victory over Raith Rovers at Easter Road to set up the first final meeting between the clubs in almost half a century.
Peter Goldie would return to the team for the midweek trip to Love Street, Sean Fallon having suffered a knee injury at Hampden. Billy Craig was handed a third starting appearance in the Hoops whilst top-scorer Neil Mochan returned, Jim Sharkey and Jimmy Welsh both deemed unfit. The hosts would give a debut to 17-year-old inside-forward Tommy Bryceland, who would carve his own name into the Scottish Cup record books before the decade was out. Celtic’s woeful run of injuries would continue, Alec Boden hobbling off with 25 minutes still to play whilst Charlie Tully was virtually lame on the left flank. Second half strikes from Bertie Peacock – a 30-yard rocket – and Mochan would secure a 2-0 win over the struggling Saints.
The team would be reshuffled yet again for the clash with Airdrieonians at Celtic Park three days later, Saturday, 31 March 1956, Frank Meechan coming in at left-back, having refused a transfer to Dunfermline Athletic in midweek with the club apparently happy to let him go! Crazy stuff. Peter Goldie moved to right-half, as Celts went with the following line-up.
Dick Beattie; Mike Haughney & Frank Meechan; Peter Goldie, Bobby Evans & Bertie Peacock;
John McAlindon, Bobby Collins, Neil Mochan, Willie Fernie & Charlie Tully.
Peter would not be the only Goldie on display that afternoon, with namesake Willie in goals for the visitors. He would feature in one of the great – or horrific, depending on your viewpoint – stories of the time, which pretty much highlighted the way the club was being run in that era. Having joined Celtic as a back-up goalkeeper in 1960 after being freed by Airdrieonians, he would be spotted by the Celtic party as he walked into Broomfield that October as a Hoops supporter.
Chairman Bob Kelly, impressed with his dedication to the cause, promptly invited him to join the group. Worse still, when keeper John Fallon returned to the dressing-room from his pre-match pitch inspection, he found Willie donning his kit to start the game, Kelly having decided that he would play rather than Fallon! The Hoops would lose the game 2-0 with Goldie blamed for both goals. He would never play for the first team again and be freed before the end of the month in which he had made his debut. It could only happen at Celtic!
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