I caught up with my brother and sister earlier this week we were talking about our first Cup Finals and watching Celtic winning the Scottish Cup at Hampden, strangely enough they were across 3 different decades, but are all etched in our minds forever.
1995 – Celtic 1 – Airdrie 0. My first Cup Scottish Cup Final and considering I was 16 it shows how long that barren spell was in the early 90s. After a disappointing season playing at Hampden, Celtic had the chance to finish the season with a bit of silverware, the first in 6 years. The game was not a classic, but thanks to an early goal from Pierre Van Hooijdonk, Celtic secured the Scottish Cup and gave Paul McStay his only trophy as captain and Tommy Burns his only silverware as Manager of the club they both served so well.
A few things stand out from that day, the relief on supporters faces as the referee blew the full time whistle, the emotion from players like Paul McStay and Peter Grant on the pitch at full time and the celebrations that lasted into the wee hours of the morning. Celtic fans might not have had much to celebrate in the early 90s, but nobody had forgotten how to celebrate and that we all did.
1985 Celtic 2 – Dundee United 1. The 100th Scottish Cup final, was my sister’s first taste of a Celtic Cup Final. She went along to the match with one of my older brothers, George and stood in the old Celtic end on a fairly overcast day at Hampden. It was a late show from Celtic as they came from behind to grab a late winner and take the old trophy back to Celtic Park. With a long history of success in this trophy, for Helen this would always be one that she would remember, with probably 2 of the most iconic goals in Cup Finals, Davie Provan scored direct from a free-kick to bring Celtic level in the match, then with 5 minutes remaining the “will to win” that has been part of Celtic since 1888 shone through as Roy Aitken crossed the ball to Frank McGarvey to score a wonderful, curling diving header. His stunned celebration showed what it meant to him and the scenes behind the goal showed what it meant to the huge Celtic support.
1974 Celtic 3 – Dundee United 0. Celtic made the trip to Hampden for the Scottish Cup Final for the 6 consecutive year, but for my older brother Benny it would be his first Cup Final. A family friend took Benny along to Hampden that day as they sat in the main stand and watched Celtic run out convincing 3-0 winners. With Celtic 2 nil up after 25 minutes from Dixie Deans and Steve Murray, Benny could enjoy his first visit to Hampden and savour a Scottish Cup victory. Harry Hood would add a late third to cap off another winning season. With only 2 of the famous Lisbon Lions starting the match in McNeill and Johnstone, it was up to the team from the Quality Street Gang and some excellent additions like Dixie Deans and Harry Hood to secure the double for Celtic and their 23rd Scottish Cup victory.
I am sure Celtic fans the world over have great memories off these & other cup triumphs, and I doubt any of us will forget the ending to the 2017 Cup Final.
Here’s hoping for another memorable trip to Hampden tomorrow, 19 May 2018.
Martin Donaldson
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST SCOTTISH CUP FINAL and what do you remember about it?
We’d love you to share your memories with The Celtic Star today – simply email editor@thecelticstar.co.uk and we’ll get them up on the site as the build up to tomorrow’s Cup Final continues…
LAST NIGHT The Celtic Star Podcast – A Celtic State of Mind won prestigious The Podcast of the Year Award at the Football Blog Awards in London.
The latest podcast is out this morning – it’s part 2 of the brilliant interview with Celtic’s SLO John Paul Taylor where he selects the games and the soundtracks of his own personal Celtic journey. Loved his memories of the 4-2 game in the first part of his interview. Here’s the latest instalment from the UK’s Football podcast of the year…
Listen to “John Paul Taylor with A Celtic State of Mind (Part 2/3)” on Spreaker.
