THE earlier article on this rather incredible game, which was written by Lubo98, got me interested and I thought I’d have a look back myself. The Sunday Post headline was ‘90 minutes of magic’. The final score was Rangers 4 Celtic 4.
All four sides of Ibrox stadium stood to a man as referee David Syme blew his final whistle and applauded the spectacle they’d just witnessed. Supporter’s buses who crossed paths stopped and applauded each other.
The 22 March 1986 bore witness to possibly the best Glasgow Derby ever and the strange thing was both sides went home happy.
Under typical Glasgow weather conditions of wind rain and mud emerged a game you could never describe as orthodox. The like of it has never been witnessed again.
Celtic won the league that year with the amazing final day 5-0 victory over St Mirren, as long term leaders Hearts lost 2-0 at the hands of Celtic supporter Albert Kidd.
Kidd often gets Celtic plaudits for his part in all of that, it shouldn’t be ignored that without the boot of Murdo McLeod in the 70th minute at Ibrox, that title win on goal difference may never have happened.
Twenty minutes into a game that Rangers had dominated up to that point, saw a floodlight failure at Ibrox. Perhaps the change in ambience left Rangers disconcerted as before they knew it they were two goals down.
The first came from the driving run of Paul McStay who managed to feed the ball wide to Celtic’s left where Owen Archdeacon picked out Murdo MacLeod. MacLeod hit a shot that was heading nowhere in particular before Mo ‘Judas’ Johnston managed to turn the ball past Nicky Walker in the Rangers goal to put Celtic one up.
Rangers left winger Ted McMinn was having one of those days where he looked like a world beater rather than the usual panel beater, and he and Willie McStay both exchanged bookings in their early exchanges. A tussle that would come back to haunt the Celtic defender.
The second goal followed a clash that saw McMinn pick up his booking and Celtic get a free-kick midway inside the Rangers half. Willie himself took the free kick that was cleared by the head of McKinnon for Rangers. Archdeacon once again fashioned space on the left hand side and his cross was dreadfully defended by Rangers. Brian McClair pounced to side foot past Nicky Walker to make it 2-0 to Celtic.
Then came the daftest of tackles from the already cautioned Willie McStay. Ted McMinn chased a dreadful cross to the touchline and kept the ball in. For some reason that perhaps only Willie himself could explain, he slid in missed the ball completely and wiped McMinn out. Syme had no choice but to produce the second yellow card. Nowadays it would have been a red in its own right.
As Celtic tried to reorganise themselves Rangers struck. Durrant picked out McCoist who managed to lob the ball to the back post where Cammy Fraser met the ball and headed past Pat Bonner. The game changed on that sending off and Celtic with MacLeod in the process of moving to right back hadn’t quite had enough time to re-adjust.
As the half time whistle went and the score at 2-1 to Celtic the game hung in the balance.
Despite the numerical disadvantage Celtic drew first blood as the second half started. Mo ‘Judas’ Johnston found space in the middle of the park and guided the perfect through ball into the path of Tommy Burns who guided the ball past Walker to restore Celtic’s two goal advantage.
It didn’t last long. Perennial pain in the Celtic backside Ally McCoist fashioned a chance where none should have arisen and fired the ball past a slow to react Bonner from 22 yards and Rangers were back in the game.
It now started to unravel for Celtic. Robert Fleck scored a deflected effort past Bonner as Celtic looked like Willie McStay’s sending off was starting to weigh heavy.
Bonner managed to punch clear a Rangers corner kick that was met with a looping header, again by Cammy Fraser. As Rangers took fortitude to a new level the ball looped high in the air and dropped into the Celtic net to put Rangers into the lead for the first time in the game. It seemed lady luck had forsaken Celtic. There was though more fight left in the Hoops and back they came.
Johnston once again dropped deep and fashioned space, cutting in from Celtic’s left. As he looked for space to shoot the angles were closed down and with nowhere left to go the Celtic striker laid the ball off to Murdo MacLeod. With nothing left to lose and an angle opening up, McLeod let fly from all of 30 yards and the ten men of Celtic had drawn level at 4-4.
There was just enough time for a smiling Bonner to deny McCoist a winner, before referee Syme called time on the derby of derbies and the first 4-4 draw between Celtic and Rangers since February 1957.
A crowd of 41,006 on a day where some managed to pay at the gate saw Celtic line up.
David Potter would have been there, The Celtic Star editor told me that he was at Ibrox that day and in the main stand with thousands of other Celtic fans. If you were there we’d like to hear from you – email your memories of this game to editor@thecelticstar.co.uk and we’ll share your stories.
Bonner, W. McStay, Whyte, Aitken, O’Leary, MacLeod, P. McStay (McInally), Burns, Archdeacon (Grant 46), McClair, ‘Judas’ Johnston.
There is always time for reminiscing when it comes to football. On Mother’s Day share a moment with your old Ma and watch this classic together, or if you’re avoiding social contact send her the link!
Stay safe and God bless.
Niall J
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