Celtic were on the road in Europe and little did the support know it back on this day in 1966 but we were actually on the road to Lisbon as the Celtic players give Jock Stein the perfect birthday gift…
5 October 1966, Zurich 0-3 Celtic. The first mission to Lisbon had been complete. The rest of Europe sat up and took notice of a stunning Celtic performance across two legs against the Swiss champions. When Jock Stein was asked by players what he wanted as a 44th birthday present, he replied, “give me an early goal and I will be happy for the rest of the year.” Gemmell duly obliged, netting twice on the night with Chalmers grabbing the other. Gemmell and Chalmers scoring on the same night in the European Cup? Maybe it was an omen.
Incidentally here’s a new photograph from the first leg at Celtic Park which Celtic won 2-0 on 28 September 1966, we were searching the Imago photo library for photos of the game in Zurich and came across this one which is always worth sharing.
Born on this day in 1922, the immortal Jock Stein. Spanning a total of 19 years at the club, Stein won a total of 29 trophies at the Hoops as a player and manager. He spent six years a player from 1951-1957 winning three trophies which were the Coronation Cup in 1952/1953, and a League Championship coupled with a Scottish Cup a year later. As a manager it was just the 26 trophies between 1965-1978. This included 10 Scottish League championships, nine Scottish Cup triumphs, six League Cup wins and the finest trophy win in the clubs history, the European Cup. When it comes to Celtic legends, Stein will forever sit top of the tree.
36 years ago today, Celtic defeated Hungarian champions Honved 4-0 in the European Cup. Despite the Hoops entering the match 1-0 down on aggregate, Billy McNeill’s side were confident. By 1988, Celtic had only ever lost two European Cup games at home. The last side to defeat the Celts on home soil in the competition was AC Milan in 1969. Alan Rough kept a clean sheet on his European debut for Celtic. Interestingly, Rough had previously encountered Honved whilst playing for Partick Thistle in the 1971 UEFA Cup. Stark, Walker, McAvennie and McGhee were the scorers on the night.
5 October 1991, Celtic 3-1 Hearts. A day of controversy at Celtic Park. Tony Cascarino scored his first goal for the Hoops. However, it did not stop there for the Englishman. He was then sent off for elbowing Craig Levein in the face and giving away a penalty at the same time. From the resulting penalty kick, Pat Bonnar saved it. McNally and Nicholas got on the scoresheet as Celtic came from behind in the match to win comfortably.
11 years ago today, Celtic 2-0 Motherwell. Celtic moved to the top of the Scottish Premiership table above their opponents. Stokes and Commons punished Stuart McCall’s side. Notably, Fraser Forster had been called up to the England squad having performed excellently in the first two Champions League group stage games against AC Milan and Barcelona. Undoubtedly, the best spell of ‘La Gran Muralla’ career.
Here’s a photo of a happy looking Celtic captain Scott Brown from that match.
Conor Spence
