Happy New Year! Celtic do not play until tomorrow – but in the past, New Year’s Day games have been a big part of the Bhoys’ annual calendar…
Celtic have completed games on the first day of the year on 80 occasions. It’s generally been a poor day for the Bhoys. Their 1 January record reads 27 wins, 17 draws and 36 defeats.
Given these results, it’s no surprise to find this day brings a negative goal difference for Celtic. The Bhoys have scored 119 goals but conceded 136 – including twice losing eight goals.
Tom Maley scored a hat-trick
The first time the Celts opened the new year with a game was 1890. 16,000 fans turned out as Everton came to Celtic Park, with the visitors losing 3-2 in an exciting match. Tom Maley was the Celtic hero with a hat-trick.
This was the only time that Celtic have faced non-Scottish opponents on 1 January. Until the early-1990s, playing on this day was a common occurrence for Celtic – and their opponents tended to be Rangers. Of Celtic’s 80 completed games on this day, 66 were against the original Ibrox club.
This tradition of Celtic v Rangers games on New Year’s Day began in 1894, with Rangers winning a friendly 3-2 at Celtic Park. The first competitive game came in 1895. Celtic went to Ibrox and took both League points with a 3-2 win.
Two matches abandoned due to crowd trouble
In the early years, these games often led to trouble. In 1898 (Celtic Park) and 1905 (Ibrox), the matches had to be abandoned after too many fans gained access to the ground. In both fixtures, it had been a draw at the time.
Famously, Celtic beat Rangers 7-1 in the 1957 League Cup. However, Rangers once scored eight against the Hoops. On 1 January 1943, nine-man Celtic lost 8-1 at Ibrox in a Southern League match, which does not count as an official fixture.
Claims the Celtic goalkeeper was drunk
What’s more surprising – this is not the first time that Celtic have lost eight goals on 1 January! In 1892, Dumbarton won 8-0 in a friendly at Celtic Park. There were some claims the Celtic goalkeeper was drunk!
It’s now more than 30 years since Celtic met a Rangers team on 1 January. Going back to 1994, this saw the Ibrox team win 4-2 at Celtic Park. Celtic’s last New Year’s Day victory versus Rangers was a 2-0 home win in 1986.
Although Rangers have been the Bhoys’ most common 1 January opponents, for a long time another Glasgow team challenged this. From 1966 to 1975, Celtic had a seven-game run where it was Clyde who faced the Celts. In 1972, the Bhoys won 7-0, their record scoreline on this day of the year.
Despite playing so many times on 1 January, it’s more than a decade since Celtic did this. The most recent was 2014. A Joe Ledley goal gave the Celts a 1-0 win over Partick Thistle, in an otherwise forgettable game.
Traditionally, Celtic have struggled at the start of the year, whether on 1 or 2 January. Tomorrow is as good a time as any to start improving this record. C’mon the Hoops!
Matthew Marr
Follow Matthew on Twitter @hailhailhistory
Matthew’s debut Celtic book titled ‘The Bould Bhoys – Glory to their name’ was published by Celtic Star Books last year and is available to order HERE. This brilliant book is also available on Amazon Kindle for just £3.49 and includes all photo sections that appear in the hardback edition.
