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Celtic On This Day – 19th October – David Potter’s Celtic Diary

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The late, great Celtic Historian David Potter’s Celtic diary highlights key Celtic-related events relevant to each day, today covering 19th October…

SATURDAY 19 OCTOBER 1907

55,000 fans are somewhat disappointed when the Glasgow Cup final replay between Celtic and Rangers ends yet again in a draw, this time a dreary one in which Celtic are the better team but cannot capitalise. The broader Scottish public show certain signs of losing patience with the general opinion that the “Old Firm” are at it again, and are seriously pushing their luck. In view of public pressure, it is agreed that extra time will be played after the third game next Saturday.

SATURDAY 19 OCTOBER 1957

It is one of Celtic’s greatest days as they hammer Rangers 7-1 to retain the Scottish League Cup at Hampden. The crowd is given as 82,293, slightly lower than expected because of a flu epidemic in central Scotland, and they see a marvellous day for Celtic. The hero of the hour is undeniably Billy McPhail who scores a hat-trick in the second half. Neil Mochan scores two and Sammy Wilson and Willie Fernie one each, Fernie’s coming from a last minute penalty after most of the Rangers crowd had departed.

The game will be much celebrated in song and and in literature in the future. It is one of the few days in the 1950s when the prodigious talents of Bertie Peacock, Bobby Collins, Willie Fernie and Charlie Tully all work well together and produced a memorable Celtic performance. BBC manages to upset Celtic supporters by not showing the highlights – something that is put down to a conspiracy, but in fact was caused by a technician forgetting to remove a lens cap!

Billy McPhail and Bobby Collins with the League Cup after skelping Rangers 7-1

SATURDAY 19 OCTOBER 1963

Celtic now seem to be slowly recovering from their horrendous start to the season. Today they beat Dundee United 3-0 at Tannadice with the assistance of an own goal, and then two good goals from John Hughes and Bobby Murdoch, who, when their hairstyles are similar, are beginning to resemble each other.

MONDAY 19 OCTOBER 1981

Celtic winger Johnny Doyle dies in a freak accident in his Kilmarnock home when he touches a live electric wire in his attic while doing some DIY.

WEDNESDAY 19 OCTOBER 1983

A poor performance in Lisbon leads to a 0-2 defeat by Sporting Lisbon, and the general consensus of opinion was that the result was fair and indeed it might have been more. But it is only the first leg and there is always the possibility that Davie Hay’s men might just pull things back.

David Potter

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About Author

David was a distinguished Celtic author and historian and writer for The Celtic Star. He lived in Kirkcaldy and followed Celtic all my life, having seen them first at Dundee in March 1958. He was a retired teacher and his other interests were cricket, drama and the poetry of Robert Burns. David Potter passed away on 29 July 2023 after a short illness. He was posthumously awarded a Special Recognition award by Celtic FC at the club's Player of the Year awards in May 2024. David's widow Rosemary accepted the award to huge applause from the Celtic Supporters in the Hydro.

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