The late, great Celtic Historian David Potter’s Celtic Diary each morning on The Celtic Star looks back at key Celtic events and matches on this day 28th May 1888…
MONDAY 28th MAY 1888 – Celtic, founded last November, play their first game. They beat Rangers 5-2, but the Rangers team contains a few of their “swifts” or reserves. Old Celtic Park looks neat and trim for the game and a crowd of about 2,000 attend. After the game, both teams adjourn to the St.Mary’s Hall for refreshments and a soiree of entertainment “of the most sociable nature”.
THURSDAY 28th MAY 1987 – Billy McNeill returns as manager of Celtic for the second time, famously agreeing in a car park in Clydebank. Celtic fans, having suffered a shocking season, are given a tremendous lift by this news.
SATURDAY 28th MAY 2005 – 50,385 are at Hampden to see an unusual and lacklustre Scottish Cup Final on a miserable rainy, misty day more like November than May. Celtic supporters remained depressed, for their team managed to throw away the SPL at Motherwell the previous Sunday in what has become known as Black Sunday, and in midweek, it was announced that Martin O’Neill was to stand down to look after his ill wife. But Alan Thompson scores in 10 minutes and Celtic hold on to that lead for the rest of the game. Chris Sutton misses a penalty, and Celtic are lucky when Gary Kenneth almost equalizes with a rising shot in added-on time. It is a nice touch to allow Martin O’Neill to collect the Scottish Cup at the end. It is Celtic’s 33rd success in this trophy.
David Potter
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