One of today’s Olympic attractions is the men’s football final, with France facing Spain in the gold medal match. 112 years ago, Celtic lined up against two football teams that were heading to that year’s Olympics, one of whom would bring home medals.
In June 1912, the Bhoys took part in a Scandinavian tour, playing a series of friendlies in Denmark and Norway. On 29 May, Celtic’s squad took the train from Glasgow to Hull, where they travelled on the SS Zara, later arriving at Copenhagen, the Danish capital city.
The Scots travelled in positive mood; they were the Scottish Cup holders and had recently beaten Clyde to win the Glasgow Charity Cup. The latter game finished 0-0 but Celtic claimed the trophy due to their 7-0 corner kicks advantage.
The opening tour match was against a Copenhagen XI. On 3rd June, Celtic had a 3-1 victory. Watched by 10,000 fans, Jimmy Quinn (2) and Patsy Gallacher scored the decisive goals. One Celt looked different from normal; goalkeeper John Mulrooney wore a goalkeeper top decorated with shamrocks.
Next up for the Hoops was the Danish Olympic XI, who were about to compete in the 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games. The Danes had a positive football pedigree. They won an unofficial Olympics contest in 1906 and finished runners-up – gaining silver medals – in the official 1908 event in London.
Unlike the first Danish fixture, Celtic struggled to deal with their Olympic opponents. Two days after the opening game, the visitors went down to a 4-1 defeat, whilst 8000 fans looked on. Although the result was disappointing, the after-match entertaining was more enjoyable as the Celts went to a brewery.
NB: Rest of this article reads as follows…great sprits. Mulrooney played to-day in a beautiful white jersey, all sewn with shamrocks, presented to Quinn by an ardent admirer. It was the sight of the day.
The following morning, Celtic were on the move as they headed to Norway for their remaining three fixtures. Their initial destination was Christiana, the name by which Oslo was known until 1st January 1925.
Two of these fixtures were against Norway’s Olympic XI, who were also preparing for the upcoming Games. These matches against the Norwegian Olympians – held in Fronger stadium – brought cheer to the Scottish tourists.
The first game – played on 7th June – ended 3-1 to the Celts, with goals from Jimmy Quinn, Jimmy McMenemy and Patsy Gallacher. Two days later, it was 4-1 to the Hoops; Quinn (2), McMenemy and John Brown were the scorers.
In-between these matches, Celtic travelled to the city of Drammen and faced local side Drafn. This proved to be a hugely one-sided fixture with the Hoops enjoying a massive 9-0 victory, including hat-tricks from McMenemy and Quinn.
Following their tour matches, Celtic remained in Scandinavia until 14 June when they made the return journey to Scotland. Around a fortnight after this, the football tournament began as part of the 1912 Olympics.
The quarter-finals of this competition brought together Celtic’s tour opponents. The Danes easily beat their Norwegian neighbours 7-0. Denmark would go on to reach the final but – like 1908 – had to settle for silver medals after losing to Great Britain.
Tonight’s final will take place at the famous Parc des Princes, a ground which has hosted the Celts on various occasions (not all with positive memories!). Whether France or Spain claim the title, let’s hope that the Celts do the same in Scotland this season.
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.
