Celtic On This Day – 1st January – David Potter’s Celtic Diary

Celtic Historian David Potter each morning on The Celtic Star looks back at key Celtic events and matches on this day starting on 1st January 1912. David’s latest bestseller The Celtic Rising ~ 1965: The Year Jock Stein Changed Everything SOLD OUT on Celtic Star Books but the good news is that it is now back in stock! You can place an order here and we’ll post your order immediately. The Celtic Rising is also now available on Amazon Kindle, link below.

Jimmy Quinn scored a hat-trick

MONDAY 1st JANUARY 1912 – The latter part of 1911 has not seen Celtic at their best, as Maley’s great team is now ageing and he is trying hard to build another. But it is old faithful Jimmy Quinn who once again shows just why he is considered to be the best centre forward in the business. Today 1912 is welcomed in with a hat-trick from the shy man from Croy as Celtic beat Rangers 3-0 at Parkhead.

Johnny Browning scored twice

THURSDAY 1st JANUARY 1914 – Celtic begin the last year of peace with an excellent 4-0 over Rangers at Parkhead before 75,000. Johnny Browning scores twice, Sunny Jim Young another but the highlight is the tremendous goal scored from long distance by Jimmy McMenemy.

Joe Cassidy scored twice as Celtic win at Ibrox

SATURDAY 1st JANUARY 1921 – 70,000 see Joe Cassidy score twice at Ibrox as Celtic defeated Rangers 2-0. The second goal is a dummy by Tommy McInally whose cry of “Joe!” is heard even in the stand as he jumps over the ball. Contemporary reports give vivid accounts of the Celtic Brake Clubs returning home from Ibrox with colours flying, bugles blowing and songs being sung.

John Divers scored twice

SATURDAY 1st JANUARY 1938 – This game is quoted as hosting Parkhead’s record crowd. Some books say 92,000 but the evidence is shaky and 83,500 seems a more likely figure. It is of little importance however for Celtic beat Rangers 3-0 with two goals from John Divers and one from Malky MacDonald.

SATURDAY 1st JANUARY 1983 – The new Ibrox stadium is very impressive, but Celtic retain the edge over their rivals this season with a 2-1 win over Rangers, the goals coming from Paul McStay and Charlie Nicholas. Nicholas’s goal as he transferred the ball from one foot to the other before crashing home looking particularly spectacular.

David Potter

About Author

I am Celtic author and historian and write for The Celtic Star. I live in Kirkcaldy and have followed Celtic all my life, having seen them first at Dundee in March 1958. I am a retired teacher and my other interests are cricket, drama and the poetry of Robert Burns.

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