4.THE REDOUBTABLE JIMMY DELANEY
Jimmy Delaney is unique in world football history in that he has won Cup winners’ medals in three different countries – Celtic in 1937, Manchester United in 1948 and Derry City in 1954. It was a pity that the second world war got in the way, otherwise there might have been a lot more!
But if that were not enough to be going on with, he also managed to score two goals against Germany at Ibrox in 1936, thereby thoroughly upsetting the gentleman with the moustache and the funny salute in Berlin who was already struggling to cope with the marvellous Jesse Owens spoiling his Berlin Olympics!
Then at the end of the war, it was “Jaydee” as he was called who scored the goal in the Victory International of 1946 at Hampden which beat England, and sent football-starved Scotland into untold ecstacies.
5.THE STRANGEST SENDING OFF OF THEM ALL
Johnny Doyle was famously sent off in the game in 1979 when “ten men won the League”. He possibly deserved that one, but on an earlier occasion he was definitely the victim of an injustice and one that had more than a little touch of farce about it.
It happened on 20 August 1977 at Somerset Park, funnily enough the home of Doyle’s previous club, Ayr United. Johnny hit the ball at full power and it hit the unfortunate referee Bob Cuthill full in the face. The game was immediately stopped and the referee was given attention from Ayr’s trainer.
Once he recovered (or seemed to), he summoned Doyle and, to the astonishment and horror of all concerned, ordered Doyle off the field! The referee was obviously stunned and could not really be blamed but it was a mystery why one or other of the linesmen did not intervene. Doyle ran off the field in tears to be comforted by Jock Stein.
The ordering off was later rescinded and no suspension given, but nothing could be done about the result which remained Ayr United 2 Celtic 1. Coming as this did only ten days after the Dalglish transfer, it was another massive blow to the beleaguered Celtic support.
Here is the sending off for you to consider.
6.FORGETTING BOOTS
This unfortunate happening occurred to John Divers at the start of the 1962/63 season. It was the first day of the season, a bright lovely August day and a big crowd was expected at Celtic Park to see Celtic play Hearts.
John set out in his car to drive to the ground, then realised that his boots would not be at Celtic Park because he had been playing in a Charity friendly at Hampden on the previous Wednesday night and had taken his boots home. So he turned back to get them but was then caught up in traffic and turned up late for the game.
His place was given to Charlie Gallagher, and Celtic, with Bobby Murdoch playing his debut, beat Hearts 3-1. The team had played so well that the formation was retained and Divers remained out of the team for all the League Cup sectional matches.
It was tight section involving Hearts and the two Dundee teams. Celtic failed to qualify in heart-breaking circumstances by the narrowest of margins and it is a moot point and much argued by historians whether the presence of the experienced Divers might have made a difference. Life might have been different if John had remembered his boots or even continued driving to Celtic Park and borrowed someone else’s.
7.THE LOST CELT
Few Celtic players have caused more distress than Pat Crerand. A brilliant right-half who lit up the early 1960s and was the one of the few players of undeniably world class at Celtic Park at the time.
But Pat became disillusioned with the lack of success at Parkhead, had an argument with a member of the coaching staff at half-time at Ibrox on New Year’s Day 1963 after which the team went on to lose heavily, then in the middle of the big freeze of February 1963 was transferred to Manchester United where he became part of Matt Busby’s great side.
For Celtic supporters, the pain was intense.
David Potter
