The unrelenting wet weather kept the attendance down to 25,000, Celts finding themselves two goals down within half an hour before Bobby Carroll’s shot was deflected into the net to record the first European goal in the club’s history. Further Spanish strikes either side of the interval left the Hoops with a mountain to climb at 4-1 although Carroll salvaged some hope for the return with his second 15 minutes from time.
The second leg four weeks later drew 45,000 for Celtic’s home bow in European football, young John Clark missing a glorious chance to put himself in the record books and bring the Hoops back into the tie when he blazed an early spot kick over the bar. When a goal did come, three minutes into the second half, it was the unfortunate Valencia defender Verdu who got the final touch, diverting Alec Byrne’s cross into the net.
Within 15 minutes, Valencia had restored their aggregate lead through Guillot, his third goal of the tie, the maverick Brazilian Waldo then appearing to consign Celtic to defeat with a superb strike on 80 minutes. With five minutes remaining, Paddy Crerand would have the last word, his powerful drive securing a 2-2 draw on the night and making him the first Hoops player to score in a European tie at Celtic Park. Valencia would beat two further Scottish clubs in successive rounds, Jock Stein’s Dunfermline and Hibernian, en route to retaining their trophy that season.
Celts would then go goal crazy in their couple of games, with Charlie Gallagher to the fore. Having opened his League account for the season at Motherwell in early October, Gallagher scored the final goal in a 6-1 victory over Airdrieonians at nearby Broomfield, three days after the Valencia tie. And he repeated the feat the following Saturday at Love Street, celebrating his 22nd birthday in some style with a last-minute strike in a7-0 mauling of St Mirren.
The new year visit to Ibrox would prove disastrous for Celtic. Paddy Crerand and Sean Fallon had an interval row in the dressing-room, the second half producing a woeful performance from the Bhoys as they went down 4-0 to Rangers. Crerand would never play again for Celtic, transferred to Manchester United by the end of the month. With the League already gone, the focus once more switched to the Scottish Cup. Charlie was again a last-minute scorer as the Hoops opened their campaign with a 2-0 win over Falkirk at Brockville in a much-delayed tie, a young Tommy Gemmell getting a second senior start in that game. The freezing weather continued to play havoc with the fixtures as the competition continued, a 3-1 midweek victory over Hearts at home in early march, Willie Wallace on target again for the visitors, followed by a 6-0 slaughter of non-league Gala Fairydean seven nights later, with Bobby Murdoch netting a first Celtic hat-trick in that one.
There would be another 6-0 hammering before the month was out, although sadly this time Charlie Gallagher would be on the receiving end as Kilmarnock destroyed a makeshift Celtic side including debutants Dick Madden, John Cushley and Jimmy Johnstone at Rugby Park.
Next up was a quarter-final tie away to St Mirren, Charlie displaced by John Divers as Celts took the opportunity for revenge for their infamous last four defeat at Ibrox the previous season to qualify thanks to an early Frank Brogan strike, Celtic’s ‘Hampden in the Sun’ keeper Dick Beattie between the Saints posts that afternoon before an incredible 35,000 spectators. Charlie Gallagher would remain on the sidelines as the Hoops lost the Glasgow Cup final to Third Lanark at Hampden, returning for the Scottish Cup semi-final at Ibrox, as Celts beat Raith Rovers 5-2 to set up a second final appearance in three seasons.
Celtic’s strange or non-existent selection policy would then kick again, as Charlie disappeared from the scene for the remainder of the season, a succession of different players featuring in the inside-forward positions as the campaign ended with a horrific 3-0 defeat by Rangers in the replayed Scottish Cup final, with the Hoops supporters leaving in droves as their favourites were outfought, outplayed and outclassed on the Hampden turf.
There would be much need for reflection in the summer of 1963.
Hail Hail,
Matt Corr
Thanks, as always, to the folk behind the Celtic Wiki, a wonderful source of information, and to David Potter, author of Charlie’s biography, Charlie Gallagher? What a Player!
Follow Matt on Twitter @Boola_vogue
