Celtic On This Day – 5th March – 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 5th March 1904. 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…

Jimmy McMenemy scored twice

SATURDAY 5 MARCH 1904 – At the third attempt, Celtic finally dispose of Dundee in the Scottish Cup Quarter Final, this time by an impressive 5-0 score line before 35,000 delighted fans at Celtic Park. Jimmy McMenemy scores twice, and Jimmy Quinn, Alec Bennett and Bobby Muir one each, but it is Maley’s new half back line of Young, Loney and Hay that looks particularly formidable.

Celtic’s Tommy McInally’s shot hits the underside of the bar

SATURDAY 5 MARCH 1921 – Tommy McInally’s shot hits the underside of the bar in the last minute of the Scottish Cup quarter-final just a few minutes after Hearts have gone ahead before a crowd of 40,000 at Parkhead, and thus Celtic exit 1-2 to Hearts. Earlier Patsy Gallacher had scored Celtic’s goal, and the general feeling is that Celtic are very unlucky, having played some brilliant football in the pouring rain.

Malky MacDonald scored

SATURDAY 5 MARCH 1938 – 39,389 see Celtic disappoint their fans by going out of the Scottish Cup 1-2 to Kilmarnock at Parkhead. Kilmarnock’s manager, Jimmy McGrory, is shunned by his erstwhile boss Willie Maley in an ungracious piece of bad sportsmanship. The good Celtic team of this year simply have a bad day today with Malky MacDonald scoring Celtic’s only goal.

Hearts score to make it 3-3

SATURDAY 5 MARCH 1966 – A thrilling cup-tie at Tynecastle is marred by gross overcrowding at the Gorgie Road end of the ground, but once order is restored, the crowd see a great game with Celtic, twice behind, coming back to lead 3-2 before Hearts equalize in the closing stages. Celtic’s goals are scored by Bertie Auld, Joe McBride and Steve Chalmers.

SATURDAY 5 MARCH 2000 – Celtic’s woeful season continues with an awful 1-2 defeat at Easter Road. Kenny Dalglish is now in interim charge following the Inverness disaster of last month, but he has not yet been able to engender anything like the spirit that Celtic teams demand. Celtic’s goal is scored by Mark Viduka, a man not without talent, but blamed by supporters for the club’s current woes.

David Potter

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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