Celtic On This Day – 26th April – 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 26th April 1909. David’s latest bestseller The Celtic Rising ~ 1965: The Year Jock Stein Changed Everything is available now in print on Celtic Star Books, and also on Amazon kindle, links below…

MONDAY 26th APRIL 1909 – Celtic begin this crucial week of their season by beating Motherwell 4-0 at Celtic Park. That they are League winning material is proved by the way that they play today. Jimmy Quinn scores a hat trick (two goals in the first five minutes) and Davie McLean the other. The weather is described by The Daily Record as being “of the most miserable description”.

SATURDAY 26th APRIL 1941 – Celtic finish a League season which can only be described as mediocre at best, by drawing 2-2 with Partick Thistle at Firhill, the goals coming from Johnny Crum and Frank Murphy. There are reports however that Jimmy Delaney’s arm may at last be healing and that he may be back next season.

WEDNESDAY 26th APRIL 1961 – One of the worst ever nights of Celtic’s history as the team, having dominated the game with Pat Crerand in particular immense, go down 0-2 to Jock Stein’s Dunfermline. 87,866 endure the pain of Celtic going behind halfway through the second half and then losing another at the death.

SATURDAY 26th APRIL 1969 – In the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden, Rangers are well and truly put to the sword as Celtic beat them 4-0. Billy McNeill scores with a header in the first few minutes, Bobby Lennox and George Connelly score before half time, then Steve Chalmers puts the final nail in the coffin. It is a rough, unpleasant game of football, but Celtic rise above all provocation and they have now won the Scottish Cup 20 times. Some Rangers fans try to get the game stopped when it is 4-0 for Celtic!

26th April 1969, Celtic beat Rangers 4:0 in the Scottish Cup Final to complete the Treble.

McNeill, Lennox, Connelly and Chalmers. pic.twitter.com/BYYH95Jh9o

— Li'l Ze (@LilZe_7) April 25, 2023

SATURDAY 26th APRIL 1986 – Celtic continue their quest for the Championship by beating Dundee 2-0 at Celtic Park with goals scored by Brain McClair and Mo Johnston. The Celtic support are hardly over-enthused about their chances of the title for only 14,511 turn up. Annoyingly Hearts win today as well, so Celtic are still four points behind, admittedly with a game in hand.