A slight change to the CSC of the day that we have been running on The Celtic Star. This next article is a story about Holloway CSC getting invited to appear in an ITV quiz which they won! Their trophy is inside Celtic Park. I think that The Celtic Star readers might enjoy reading this one…
David McIntyre
Celtic Bars and author of ‘Football Without Fans’ – The History of Celtic Supporters Clubs
Available globally through Amazon in print and on Kindle. Click on cover below to order…
ITV – Taking the Pitch…
Holloway CSC in North London received request from LWT London to take part in a football quiz over two or three nights in their studio from teams from the UK. They had to supply a panel and the date was set. They were told they would be picked up at the Black Horse pub in North London at 12.30pm and that they would be meeting Rangers in the first round!
They were in there from 12noon but the coach never turned up till 4.30pm. Everyone was drunk by this time, so they all got a carry-out for the bus in the London rush hour. The driver got lost so one of their guys sat with him to get him to South London. They got to the studio two hours later after the swally to a stunned security when they came off the bus. They were put in a kind of canteen with the Bhoys in good voice, while all the other teams fans were having tea and coffee!
They were trying to find out the nearest pub to go to when Micky Whinstone said to Jimmy Drain that they have knocked back Brian McColgan as he was too drunk and he was dressed in a big brown suit with a big green hat and he looked like a snooker cue. Not only that, but he also wasn’t TV friendly. He was an ugly so-and-so but he knew everything Celtic.
They were all taken to the make-up dept which was another plus with Brian being banned, as they would have been in there for ages. So then off to the Green Room. As they walked in, it was beer barrels of ice and cold bottles, wine spirits, wall to wall Page 3 girls, who they were sharing roll up fags with. Celebrities included Ray Wilkins, Peter Shilton, Rodney Marsh, Terry Neal, Eddie from Little and Large and boxer Stevie Collins who was on their team along with Tosh McKinley.
Rangers didn’t show up so the first team they played was Arsenal which they won. Next up was Man City who they also beat. Next they beat Brentford before meeting Torquay in the final. They beat them and won the Cup, with Jimmy Drain picking it up after scoring a penalty against Peter Shilton.
The winning question was about Alan Clark of Leeds scoring in the 1972 FA Cup Final and asked why that goal would have been disallowed if it was scored in the final 100 years previous. Jimmy answered that it was illegal to head the ball then. But Tosh McKinlay won it with his great brain in the questions.
They had the trophy at the Black Horse pub at the time when the Celtic Roadshow came down with Matt McGlone, who then did a feature in The Celtic View about it. They contacted Celtic FC some months later to tell them the story and they asked them to bring the cup up with some the old videos. They loved it and said they would put it in their Champions Lounge. Baird’s Bar used to play the quiz footage on matchdays. Holloway CSC were founded in 1995 and were based in the Black Horse, Wedmore Street, London. Unfortunately the CSC and pub are no more.
David McIntyre – Celticbars.com
