Celtic On This Day – 2nd April – David Potter’s Celtic Diary

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 starting on 2nd April 1958…

WEDNESDAY 2nd APRIL 1958 – Willie Maley, “the man who made Celtic” dies only a few weeks short of his 90th birthday. He had played in the first game in 1888 and had been manager from 1897 until 1940 during which time he had phenomenal success, especially with the side which dominated Edwardian football between 1904 and 1910. He fell out with the club in 1940, but had been reconciled to them before his death. It was as well that he had done this, for he frequently said that Celtic had been his life and that life without his club would have been a very empty existence. His funeral a few days later saw a gathering of all the good and the great in Scottish football.

Stevie Chalmers scored

SATURDAY 2nd APRIL 1960 – 79,856 are at Hampden to see a very even semi-final between Celtic and Rangers which ends in a 1-1 draw. Steve Chalmers with a header opens the scoring for Celtic but Jimmy Millar equalises for Rangers. It is generally agreed to have been a good game played in the right spirit.

Bobby Craig scored twice

TUESDAY 2nd APRIL 1963 – On a high after Saturday’s win in the Scottish Cup against St Mirren on Saturday, Celtic take on Partick Thistle at Celtic Park and delight the fans with a 5-1 win, two goals from Bobby Craig and one each from Bobby Murdoch, Johnny Divers and Dunky MacKay with a penalty kick.

Joe Craig scored

SATURDAY 2nd APRIL 1977 – A fine 3-0 win at Tynecastle brings Celtic a step closer to the Championship, and by the same token, Hearts a little closer to the unthinkable fate of relegation. Ronnie Glavin, Joe Craig and Roy Aitken are the goal scorers.

SATURDAY 2nd APRIL 2005 – A curious, lethargic, lacklustre performance which will cost Celtic dear at the end of the season. A full Parkhead crowd watch in horror as Hearts win 2-0. Lessons must be learned quickly for Celtic have the same opponents in the Scottish Cup semi final on Sunday, and the League is not won yet. Too many players did not perform today.

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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