The final League game of a hugely disappointing season took place at Parkhead on Monday, 29 April 1957, and marked a first sighting in the top side that campaign of Peter Goldie, almost a year to the day since his last appearance, coincidentally also a home fixture with struggling Queen of the South. Jimmy McGrory named the following team, hoping to give the long-suffering Hoops support a parting victory before the summer break.
John Bonnar; Mike Haughney & Peter Goldie; Bobby Evans Frank Meechan & Bertie Peacock;
John Higgins, Willie Fernie, Alec Byrne, Bobby Collins & Neil Mochan.
The Dumfries side had beaten Celtic in a seven-goal thriller back in January but had struggled for the most part all season, requiring a point to survive in the top Division. They would pick a great time to record their only clean sheet of the campaign and, thus, achieve the objective, a Celtic side littered with legendary players unable to score even a single goal as Dunfermline Athletic took the dreaded plunge instead of the Doonhammers.
The summer of 1957 was a catalyst for Celtic captains of the past, present and future. Jimmy McStay was appointed as Chief Scout, whilst Bertie Peacock was announced as the new club skipper, taking over from Bobby Evans who, in turn, had been covering for the injured Jock Stein for the bigger part of the past two years. The recently retired Stein would now be Celtic’s reserve team coach, and so would be working closely with Peter Goldie and the new crop of youngsters arriving at the club. These would include two others from the prolific junior nursery that was Duntocher Hibs, John Colrain and Paddy Crerand, plus a promising 17-year-old centre-half from Bellshill called William McNeill. I wonder whatever happened to him?
Peter would later recall in his interview with St Anthony on Celtic Underground that he played with Cesar in the ‘Greens v Whites’ pre-season trial and the reserve teams and was hugely impressed with his ability even at that early stage. Both would have to wait patiently for their chance as the new season began with the task of retaining the League Cup, Celtic Park looking different with the new cover at the west end of the stadium. Goldie’s case for first team football would not be helped by the inclusion of Willie Fernie and, on one occasion, new signing Sammy Wilson, in the right-half role. Both men would normally be considered and utilised as forward players.
Bobby Evans and Billy McNeill
On his return from injury, Billy McPhail would be amongst the goals again as Celts progressed from a League Cup section which included Hibernian, Airdrieonians and East Fife, the hitman scoring five in the two games against the Methil outfit. The Hoops would drop points only at Easter Road, whilst giving competitive debuts to Wilson, John Donnelly and Bertie Auld.
Inside-forward Sammy Wilson had been freed by St Mirren at the end of the previous season, whilst full-back John Donnelly had arrived from junior outfit Armadale Thistle in January 1956 but would now get this opportunity after the decision by regular right-back Mike Haughney to retire and emigrate to the USA at the end of the 1956/57 campaign.
Teenage left-winger Bertie Auld had been on the books since signing provisional forms back in April 1955 and had actually played against Celtic whilst on loan to Dumbarton. That was in a match played at Boghead in January 1957 to inaugurate the Sons’ new floodlights. Interestingly, Bertie’s teammates that evening would include a full-back pairing of former Celt Alex Rollo, a serial winner in the early 1950’s, and future Parkhead captain Dunky MacKay. A strong Celtic team had won 5-2, Charlie Tully completing the scoring after both Billy McPhail and Neil Mochan had netted doubles.
Bertie had been given a taste of Celtic first-team action in a Glasgow Charity Cup tie at Ibrox played at the beginning of May, on the eve of the club’s latest trip to the USA. This would be the last match in the Hoops for the aforementioned Haughney, who, coincidentally, would be making the same trip as his now former teammates.
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