Seven days later, on Saturday, 10 September 1938, there was another top-of-the-table clash involving the defending Champions. This time Rangers were the visitors to Celtic Park, the Ibrox men now one point clear of Celtic, having dropped only two points to date, following draws with both St Johnstone and Motherwell in their opening two fixtures. Like Hearts the previous week, they had revenge on their mind, having lost that year’s Ne’erday derby 3-0, on a day when Celtic Park held its largest-ever attendance of 92,000. And just like the Tynecastle side, they would be found badly wanting.
Celtic made only one change from the 5-1 victory in Edinburgh, Geatons replacing Lynch, whilst the visitors featured a 19-year-old centre-half from the capital called Willie Woodburn, who had made his senior debut just three weeks earlier.
This would prove to be a costly error from Rangers manager, Bill Struth, as the young defender was destroyed over the next ninety minutes in front of another huge crowd of over 80,000. By half-time, Celts were 3-0 ahead, MacDonald opening the scoring after twenty minutes before skipper Lyon scored a rare double, netting from a free-kick then a penalty, both awarded following fouls by Woodburn.
The Ibrox side did manage to pull two goals back from Smith and Thornton before Delaney notched the crucial score with a fantastic diving header, leaving Dawson helpless in the visiting goal.
MacDonald then took the score to 6-2 with a quick-fire double, his hat-trick goal a spectacular strike from outside the box. It would be, ironically, 62 years before Celts would record this score again in a League game with their old rivals, on 27 August 2000, as Martin O’Neill’s new Hoops strike force of Larsson and Sutton set about dismantling ‘the benchmark’, Advocaat’s Rangers, en route to becoming the dominant force in Scottish football in the third millennium.
Willie Woodburn would go on to become one of Scottish football’s most controversial characters, finding himself in trouble with the authorities for on-field violence on a number of occasions during his 16-year career at Ibrox as part of their famous ‘Iron Curtain’ defence.
He received a two-week ban after getting involved with Motherwell striker Davie Mathie in 1947, before his punch on future Celtic 7-1 hero, Billy McPhail, then with Clyde, brought about a 21-day suspension in 1953. Two dismissals in matches against Stirling Albion over the next twelve months brought about his eventual demise in the senior game, the second, for a head-butt, bringing about a ‘sine die’ ban in September 1954, the last player to receive such a punishment in the UK. Although the suspension was eventually revoked by the SFA, in 1957, it was too late for the by now 37-year-old Woodburn. He would not play again.
Four days after the 6-2 victory over Rangers, Wednesday, 14 September 1938, Hamilton Academical were the visitors to a very different Celtic Park, with only 6,000 souls scattered across the vast arena. An unchanged Hoops side managed to undo much of the great work of the previous fortnight, losing 2-1 to the unfancied visitors.
Wilson put Accies ahead after fifteen minutes, Kennoway failing to keep his angled shot out, before Park made it 2-0 just before the break with a superb solo goal (I know, Park of Hamilton! Presumably, he became a coach when he retired from playing? I’ll get my coat!). On the hour-mark, that man Delaney restored home hopes with a goal and with 73 minutes on the clock, Lyon had the chance to save a valuable point from the spot. This time, however, he failed to repeat his heroics of the previous week, blasting his kick wide as Celts suffered a surprising and damaging defeat.
Next up for the inconsistent Hoops was a tricky visit to Shawfield, on Saturday 17 September 1938. The versatile Matt Lynch replaced Delaney at outside-right, the only change for the visitors in front of 32,000 for the clash with near-neighbours, Clyde.
On a wet, muddy surface, Celtic seized the initiative early on, MacDonald scoring after a goalmouth scramble, the only goal of the first half as Clyde held on. Ten minutes after the break came the move of the match, Murphy’s delicious cross met by the flying forehead of Crum for 2-0. Within sixty seconds, the home side had clawed one back, Beaton netting from the spot, and Celts held that slender lead until the 85th minute, when Divers glanced a header past Brown from a Lynch corner. The winger then got himself on the scoresheet, running through to fire home from the edge of the box to complete a comprehensive 4-1 victory for the Bhoys.
The Bully Wee would go on to enjoy a fine season, lifting their first Scottish Cup by beating Motherwell, featuring the aforementioned Davie Mathie, 4-0 in the final in front of 94,000 spectators, in April 1939.
En route to that triumph, Clyde centre-forward Willie Martin had set a record for a visiting player at Ibrox, by scoring all four goals in their emphatic 4-1 third round win. The Hampden victory would set Clyde up as the unlikely answer to the old trick question of ‘which club has held the Scottish Cup for the longest period’, the competition suspended following the outbreak of war in September 1939 and not resuming until season 1946/47. As an aside, back in May 1939, Glencairn had completed a fine double for the burgh of Rutherglen, winning the Scottish Junior Cup by beating yet another local side, Shawfield, 2-1 in the final at Celtic Park.
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