This game is probably the second most famous game of Celtic’s long and distinguished history. Lisbon is obviously number one, but this game runs it close. Several songs and a book have been written about this game, so it is clearly well documented. What kept it so alive in people’s memories was that it was, in fact, isolated.

It was a beacon standing almost alone in a decade of dire under-achievements. Almost immediately after this game, the Dark Ages descended with a vengeance, and vengeance was indeed an appropriate term for Rangers were able to get back at Celtic on many occasions, and the only ammunition we had to throw back at the chortlers was “7-1”, but sadly it only happened the once.

It ought to have happened a lot oftener that once, for Celtic at that time had loads of great players, and man for man they were a lot better than anyone else. Bobby Evans, Bertie Peacock, Willie Fernie, Bobby Collins, Neil Mochan and Charlie Tully were as naturally gifted as one would find, but the team was badly managed. Jock Stein’s playing career had now ended. If he had been Manager of that team at that time, Celtic would have won many Leagues and Cups.

As it was, it was not entirely a barren time. Celtic were the current holders of the Scottish League Cup, and the Double of 1954 was not yet a distant memory. It was just that it could have been a lot more. This was the day, however, in which the whole team came good, and the world saw Celtic at their best. It was almost an apology from the players to the fans for their previous under-performance.

Captain Bertie Peacock was the ideal man to deal with one particular problem in the week leading up to the final. It concerned fisticuffs in the dressing room. Bobby Evans and Charlie Tully did not get on all the time. Tully thought Evans was stuffy and humourless, and Evans resented Tully’s constant showing off, often to the detriment of the team. On this occasion, Tully had “ghosted” an article for a newspaper on the subject of a recent Scotland International, in which he said that only a few players were worth going to the World Cup.

He named them, and Evans wasn’t one of them. Evans did not accept the “everybody’s entitled to their opinion” line and after a few intemperate words, fists were raised. Fortunately other players stepped between them, and no damage was done…but captain Bertie Peacock had to “have a word” with the pair of them, and equally important to ensure that the whole business went no further.

In this the charming Irishman succeeded to such an extent that no-one else suspected any problem. It was certainly not apparent from the performance on the day. It was a sunny day, but the crowd was a low one of 82,000, something that was blamed on a rather unseasonal flu epidemic which had hit Central Scotland over the past few weeks, and was blamed, according to one letter writer to a newspaper on the Russians who had sent their Sputnik into space!

None of the players seemed to have been affected for this the first ever League Cup final between the two sides and the first national final between them since 1928. Celtic were possibly the slight favourites, having beaten Rangers at Ibrox a month ago – the first League victory there since 1935! – and had a more settled side.

Rangers seemed to have problems replacing centre half George Young who had retired in the summer. For this game they had chosen John Valentine whom they had signed from Queen’s Park. Up front they had the ageing Sammy Baird, the under-performing Maxie Murray and their best forward appeared to the Ulsterman Billy Simpson. Their recent form had not been great, and not all Rangers supporters were as optimistic as their raucous battle hymns would have suggested.

Celtic started off playing towards their own supporters, and almost immediately were on the attack. They had hit the woodwork on at least two occasions and it was a major surprise that they were not ahead. Indeed the pessimistic of the green and white hordes were beginning to fear that their moment had passed, but not a bit of it.

Billy McPhail headed down for SAMMY WILSON to bang the ball home. Wilson had joined the club in the summer on a free transfer from St Mirren. His career had not exactly been coming along with leaps and bounds but today was his day. Then as half time approached, and everyone was remarking how lucky Rangers were to be going in only 0-1 down, Celtic struck again. This time it was NEIL MOCHAN who made ground on the left, racing past Bobby Shearer as if he weren’t there, and when everyone expected a cross, he ran on himself and scored from an incredibly tight angle.

Half-time was spent in glorious euphoria with the only negative thought being that Rangers couldn’t possibly be as bad as that in the second half. But they were, and Celtic, apart from one moment, simply tore them apart. BILLY McPHAIL got into the act heading home a Collins cross, and then for one brief moment, Rangers came back with a good headed goal by Billy Simpson. This goal was not entirely unconnected with an injury to Bobby Evans caused by a couple of bad tackles on him from Maxie Murray and Sammy Baird.

It did not really matter. Rangers might have taken heart from that, but it was Celtic who re-asserted themselves. BILLY McPHAIL volleyed a Mochan corner, but his shot was parried by Niven straight back to him and he was able to get there ahead of anyone else and to make it 4-1. The next was NEIL MOCHAN again, driving home first time a cross from Wilson, and soon after that came the goal of the game when BILLY McPHAIL earned his hat trick by picked up a clearance from goalkeeper Dick Beattie, flicking the ball past the luckless John Valentine, and ran half the length of the field to slip the ball past Niven.

6-1 really should have been enough, and Rangers fans were either throwing bottles, fighting with each other or going home when the seventh was scored.

Billy McPhail was brought down in the box, referee Jack Mowat, ruthlessly impartial, did NOT listen to Rangers pleas for mercy and awarded a penalty and WILLIE FERNIE was given the job. It was appropriate that Fernie finished things off, for no-one had contributed more than he did to the victory.

But there wasn’t a single Celtic failure on the field, and the teamwork, discipline and cohesion were a thing to behold. It was Celtic at their best. In the stand that day were two grand old Celts, Jimmy McMenemy and Davie McLean, the last two survivors of Maley’s great side of 1908. How they enjoyed themselves!

Willie Maley himself, now 90 was too old and frail to attend, but listened to the game on the radio, as indeed did Jock Stein who was now retired from the playing side of the game and recovering from an ankle operation. Celtic however sent a car to bring him to the victory celebration.

Celtic supporters walked on air for days afterwards, and it is a pity that so soon after this game, injuries, old age and sheer greed for transfer fees saw this great team broken up and replaced by a “youth policy”. Nothing wrong with a “youth policy” in itself, but it needed to be monitored and controlled a little better than this one was. As it happened, Celtic’s next happy day would be 24 April 1965, and a Biblical “seven years of famine” ensued in the interval.

Rangers were of course distraught, and took a while to recover but they got back into the habit of winning things more quickly than Celtic did. Not immediately however. The Scottish League was won by Hearts that year, and although Hearts had a good team, wise analysts of the game pointed to this League Cup final as the reason for Rangers’ inability to sustain the pace.

But this game will always be remembered. It is a British record for a score in a national Cup final, and naturally, Celtic’s biggest ever score against Rangers. It is curious too the significance the number 7 has on Celtic’s history. The first League and Cup Double was achieved in 1907, the Scottish Cup was won in both 1927 and 1937, and 1967 has its own significance as well! It was of course the squad number of Jimmy Johnstone and Henrik Larsson – and that says a lot, but for those supporters old enough to remember this game, no 7 will always be associated with this game on that sunny day of 19 October 1957.

David Potter

ALSO ON THE CELTIC STAR…

That Beautiful, Magical, Wonderful Day at Tynecastle – An extract from Invincible, by Matt Corr…https://t.co/2CHSF6vtQ4 @BroganRoganTrev @Auldheid @Boola_vogue

— The Celtic Star Editor (@CelticStarMag) April 18, 2020

INVINCIBLE by Matt Corr

The Celtic Star’s very own Matt Corr – who you may also know as a Tour Guide at Celtic Park – publishes his first Celtic book, titled INVINCIBLE – early next month. This beautiful hardback book will be the definitive story of Celtic’s magical2016-17 season – it truly is wonderful, a real joy to read, and brilliantly written by Matt.

If you have been reading Matt’s regular contributions on The Celtic Star or indeed in the Matchday Programme or in the Celtic View you will know just how talented a Celtic writer he is. The book is published by The Celtic Star and you can pre-order below.

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