Celtic On This Day – 6th May – 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 6th May 1905. 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…

Davie Hamilton scored

SATURDAY 6th MAY 1905 – Today was the Scottish League decider. Rangers and Celtic had finished equal on points, and it was decided that the Glasgow League (a now more or less forgotten about tournament) game between the two of them would also be the Scottish League decider. This seemed like a rather blatant attempt to make money, and the attendance, a moderate 30,000, perhaps indicates what the public thought about this. Most attention centred on Jimmy Quinn, but this time it was Davie Hamilton and Jimmy McMenemy who scored the goals to clinch Celtic’s first League title in their six in a row.

SATURDAY 6th MAY 1950 – American comedian Danny Kaye entertains the 81,000 crowd before the start of the Glasgow Charity Cup final at Hampden, but it is John McPhail who scores a hat-trick to give Celtic a 3-2 victory. Celtic’s goals come in the early part of the second half, and although Rangers fight hard and pull a couple back, Celtic’s half back line of Bobby Evans, John McGrory and Joe Baillie hold the key to the game. Celtic fans, starved of success this season, celebrate long and loud.

WEDNESDAY 6th MAY 1970 – A disappointingly lacklustre Celtic team lose the European Cup final to Feyenoord in the San Siro 1-2 after extra time, after Tommy Gemmell put them ahead in the first half. The margin of defeat seems narrow, but the performance of the team is sub-standard, and the general consensus of opinion is that Celtic took the Dutch team far too lightly, particularly after the glorious performances in the semi-final against Leeds United. It is a severe blow to the prestige of Celtic and Jock Stein.

SATURDAY 6th MAY 1972 – Dixie Deans is now in the same bracket as Jimmy Quinn for scoring a hat-trick in a Scottish Cup final. 106,102 at Hampden see him do that against Hibs and after one of his goals he does his famous somersault. Celtic win 6-1 and the other goals come from Lou Macari who scores two and Billy McNeill. Celtic have now won the Scottish Cup 22 times, and the splendid performance is one of their many great Scottish Cup finals.

SUNDAY 6th MAY 2001 – This is a “dress rehearsal” for the Cup final between Celtic and Hibs, and Celtic lay down a marker by beating the Edinburgh men 5-2 at Easter Road. Jackie McNamara scores twice and Henrik Larsson, Alan Stubbs and Lubomir Moravcik the others, the goal from Alan Stubbs being particularly poignant because it marked his return and recovery from testicular cancer. Henrik Larsson’s goal was this 35th of the League season which equalled the record of Brian McClair. Ludicrously, Didier Agathe was sent off near the end.

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.

Comments are closed.