SATURDAY 23 APRIL 1988 was a very special day at a packed out Paradise and if you were there we’d love to hear from you today! Share your stories of that remarkable afternoon at Celtic Park by emailing editor@thecelticstar.co.uk and we’ll compile into a great feature for later this evening. Here’s what happened…
Only the gullible believed the official statements about there being only 60,800 within Celtic Park. There looked to be well over 80,000 with spectators sitting on the running track as Celtic clinched the League Championship in their Centenary Year.
The official attendance was put at 60,800 but Celtic directors confessed in later years attendance was actually 72,000. It might have been even higher than that. Stewards had to lock the gates with thousands left outside.
It’s quite unbelievable that this wasn’t an all-ticket match and certainly the season ticket holders in the Main Stand were less than pleased to find other supporters already in their seats when they arrived at the match!
Celtic beat Dundee 3-0 with full back Chris Morris scoring within the first few minutes then Andy Walker adding a couple in the second half. The Celtic supporters sang sing ‘Happy Birthday Dear Celtic…happy birthday to you’ then invaded the field at the final whistle. The Celtic players are forced to stand on the ledge of the directors’ box to take the acclaim of the supporters.
The Celtic team was Bonner, Morris, Rogan, Aitken, McCarthy, Whyte, Miller (Stark), McStay, McAvennie (McGhee), Walker, Burns and the goalscorers were Morris (3) and Walker (75, 76).
Here are the match highlights:
SUPPORTERS MEMORIES COURTESY OF THE CELTIC WIKI
“I was 14 and had been at Tynecastle the week before when we could have had it sewn up. We were late in getting in to Celtic Park, about 2.30 I think and had to try and find a space in the Celtic end. We were right down the front next to the main stand.
“Until near half time anyway, we were being crushed from behind and spilled onto the track, I remember sitting on the grass at the back of the goals when the whistle went. We were then escorted along the track to the Rangers end where we watched Andy Walker get the two goals to clinch it.
“At the final whistle we were on the pitch with another few thousand and quickly got back off in time for the players to come into the main stand for the celebrations. What a day.”
(Bambi of Kerrydale Street forum)
“I was in my usual “Celtic End Fifth Leaning Post Down From The Pie Stall On The London Road Side” position at half one, because I didn’t want to miss out.
“As it got closer to kick off you sensed that there was going to be a space problem and I remember a guy I knew back then hanging off the fence which separated the Celtic End from the South Stand. He then was dragged down by someone, and I saw him being huckled to the Rangers End.
“I seem to remember folks sitting on the red blaes in front of the wall all the way round. When Walker scored his first, we knew it was our league and his second a minute later started the party for sure.
Happy days! I reckon there were no more than 45,000 in the Celtic End that day though.
(Arsene P Kerrydale Street forum)
“I was in the upper stand with my (late) dad. What amazes me is that it was pay at the gate, even for the upper stand! I can remember looking across at the Jungle. The main point of congestion was at the point between the Jungle and the Celtic end. I can remember thinking that you could not see any flashes of colour from clothing, just a kinda mass of white/pink.People were so crammed in it was just their faces you could see. Looked well dangerous.
“I also knew that my mates were in the Jungle at our usual spot. Was a bit jealous. Great day,topped off by the Scottish Cup Final a couple of weeks later. Oh,Hampden in the sun right enough.
My dad never saw us win the league again, and the next week was the last game we ever went to together v Dunfermline.
(Wispy of Kerrydale Street forum)
“That was my first ever game. I asked my dad if I could go and he said: “Yes, son. Yes, you can. Let’s you me and your brother all go to the football.”
“Rangers end, right down the front, not really seeing anything and having a hard time following a fecking thing. Saw Walker’s goals (or goal, the camera never caught the second goal) on Scotsport the next night.
“It was fecking scary and great. The most people I had ever seen in one place at that point was morning Mass on Christmas Day. I then went to the St Mirren game where we got the trophy and the Dundee United Cup Final and I was hooked.
(tacticalgenius of Kerrydale Street forum)
SHARE YOUR MEMORIES of your day at Celtic Park on this day in 1988…
Where you at this game when Celtic won the league at a packed Celtic Park? If you have any stories to share about this match – or indeed any other Celtic related subject – we’d like to hear from you. Simply email your stories to editor@thecelticstar.co.uk and we’ll do our best to get it published on The Celtic Star for you!
