With a vital Scottish Cup clash with Hibs on the agenda this weekend, we take a look back at an another crucial clash against the Easter Road men back in 1995 in a totally different set of circumstances, and at the home of our fierce rivals…
It was a replay in the semi final of the old competition after the first game ended in a 0-0 stalemate at the same venue four days earlier.
So here we were on a Tuesday night at Ibrox, the home of our bitter rivals taking on the green and white half of Edinburgh for a place in the Scottish cup final. A trophy we hadn’t won in six long years, indeed it was the last major trophy we had the privilege to hold aloft since a Joe Miller goal earned us a 1-0 win against Rangers on a sunny day back in 1989.
We had been under nothing but dark clouds ever since, meaning it was so vital we reached the 1995 Scottish Cup final. More so after we failed miserably to end our trophy drought five months earlier in the same surroundings after a disastrous shock defeat to first division side Raith Rovers in the final of the League Cup.
Ironically it would be another first division side we would face in the shape of Airdrieonians in the final if we could over come the Leith side. The Diamonds having won against Hibs bitter rivals Hearts at Hampden three days earlier.
The pressure was firmly on the players and backed by the majority of the crowd they started brightly and quickly exerted their authority by taking a two goal lead into half time thanks to goals from Willie Falconer and John Collins.
The supporters were in fine voice at the interval and quite rightly so as Celtic were in total control of the game, and under the management of the attack minded Tommy Burns we didn’t rest on our laurels after the restart as we went in search of more goals that would put the tie firmly to bed.
There was to prove to be a sting in the tail and Celtic being Celtic we would have to do it the hard way after a Keith Wright goal gave Hibs hope in the 63rd minute, and suddenly it was game on as the tension swept through the Celtic support.
It didn’t alter our outlook on proceedings on the park such was Tommy Burns’ philosophy on the game, we didn’t sit on what we had and went searching for yet another goal that would win the game.
Hibs didn’t really threaten after their lifeline although in the case of all one-goal margins, the worry was still hanging over us. We had chances to kill the game and Jim Leighton in the Hibs goal kept his side in the game with a superb stop to keep the game on a knife edge, and just moments later Andy Walker spurned a fantastic opportunity to erase our nerves and send us to the final.
That goal did arrive however in the 83rd minute curtesy of substitute Phil O’Donnell who powered home a header from a Rudi Vata free kick to send the Celtic supporters inside Ibrox into a state of euphoria, and the Hoops into the Scottish Cup final, with the chance of ending a six year trophy drought.
We celebrated wildly at the end. It wasn’t just a cup semi final win, but the realisation that we were in touching distance of tasting success. Something that an entire generation had been deprived of for such a long time.
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
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