Don of an era – Celtic’s 1979/80 season (Part 2)

HERE is part 2 of Don of an era – Celtic’s 1979/80 season. This is a two part feature and if you want to start at the beginning you can read Part 1 HERE

Don of an era – Celtic’s 1979/80 season (Part 2)

The following Saturday, we headed through to Easter Road to witness George Best’s first competitive appearance against Celtic. Ally MacLeod (no, not that one!) had hit the bar with a penalty kick in the opening minutes before the Irish genius put the bottom side ahead within half an hour,  a shot which Latchford should surely have stopped. An Aitken header brought Celts level ten minutes later and the scoring ended there.

ten clear of Aberdeen

February witnessed one of the most memorable Scottish Cup ties of that period – and perhaps Johnny Doyle’s finest hour – as Celtic were paired with St Mirren in the fourth round. There were over 30,000 fans inside Celtic Park when Hoops fan and scourge Frank McDougall gave the Buddies a first-half lead with a trademark header.

There was a certain irony in the goal, McDougall having been a signing target for Billy McNeill whilst at Clydebank, Celtic’s £100,000 offer then bizarrely being trumped by St Mirren, who paid an additional £80,000 to get their man. We would try again some time later to get him from Paisley,  this time losing out to Alex Ferguson, who secured him for Aberdeen.

We would pay for this prudence (or biscuit-tin mentality?) many times over the years. I remember coming back from Pittodrie after yet another defeat, this time McDougall scoring four goals against us.

As we trudged into the Celtic Social Club in Springburn, there’s the bold Frank standing at the bar in the poolroom, resplendent in his Aberdeen tracksuit, sinking a pint and chewing the fat with his Celtic mates! Talk about twisting the knife? However, on this occasion, Billy’s big signings would save the day for Celtic, Davie Provan setting up Murdo MacLeod for a last-minute headed equaliser.

The following midweek, I witnessed the biggest crowd I ever saw at Love Street, for the replay.

We were still queuing outside the ground, as first Latchford let a Bone header slip through his fingers then McAdam saw red, after a tussle with the aforementioned McDougall. The Saints striker was then stretchered off, following a Danny McGrain tackle, before Johnny Doyle ran through to equalise on the half-hour.

Over 27,000 crushed into the old ground to watch yet another heroic 10-man performance from Celtic, who suffered a further body-blow as the Buddies were awarded the softest of penalties on the hour mark. Despite a brave save from Latchford, Doug Somner followed up to make it 2-1 Saints. With twenty minutes to play, star man Doyle drew a Weir foul in the box and Bobby Lennox confidently brought Celts level. So to extra-time, Johnny then winning the tie for Celtic in the first minute with a classic goal, beating defenders then goalkeeper Thomson from the tightest of angles. Nearly forty years on, I remember that night so well, a real throwback to the cup-tie occasions of my childhood.

March commenced with a vital win in the top-of-the-table clash at a packed Cappielow, on Cesar’s 40th birthday, a quick piece of thinking by the veteran Lennox setting up Doyle for an early winner and a degree of revenge for the October defeat at the same venue.

The first half went much as predicted, Real’s star man, Englishman Laurie Cunningham causing problems and going close, however at the interval the game was still goalless. The second period saw a transformation in Celtic, who spied an opportunity and went for it. The unlikely hero was right-back Alan Sneddon, new to the team but already oft-maligned by supporters, careering down the stand side to set up both goals.

The first came in the early minutes, as Sneddon saw his fierce shot parried by the goalkeeper, only for George McCluskey to knock the rebound home and send Celtic Park into a frenzy. With fifteen minutes remaining, he then threw a high cross into the box and we watched in disbelief as the diminutive Doyle timed his run and jump to perfection to double Celtic’s lead.

Whilst there were other opportunities, the general consensus was that a two-goal lead without the concession of an away goal was a fabulous outcome and more than we had dared hope prior to kick-off. Of course, it was also acknowledged that Real on their own ground, venue for that season’s European Cup Final, would be a completely different proposition and would present the ultimate challenge for Billy’s young team.

So it proved a fortnight later in Madrid, in front of 120,000 baying fans. Two players survived from the previous clash in the Bernabeu in June 1967, in what was the great Alfredo di Stefano’s last-ever appearance. For Celtic, Bobby Lennox, scorer of the only goal that night in what was his great friend Jinky’s masterclass, facing legendary Real captain Jose Martinez Sanchez, better known as Pirri.

Both players had served their clubs with great distinction for many years, with double-digit title wins and a European Cup winners medal, providing mirror-image careers. This European campaign would be the last for both fine servants and, sadly, Lemon’s would end tonight in tears.

A glorious chance passed up in the opening minutes by George McCluskey would come back to haunt Celts just before half-time, as Latchford missed Cunningham’s corner and Santillana forced the ball home. With the crowd now behind them, Real stepped through the gears after the break.

A fantastic move ended with the German Stielike lashing the ball past Latchford and the tie was level within the hour. McNeill’s young team fought bravely, however, there was a certain inevitability about the winning goal, which came in the last ten minutes from a Juanito header.

In the Bernabeu museum last week, I was forced to relive the agony of that night, as I came across a display dedicated to that match. I suppose there was a certain comfort that in a club with such a spectacular history, they still regarded that comeback as one of their own special nights.

I felt very differently in 1980!

With the European dream over, there was still a title to be won. To bolster the attack, Billy had finally managed to sign a striker, Frank McGarvey joining from Liverpool for a club record fee of £250,000. He made his debut the following night against his old club St Mirren at Celtic Park, a game where Celts continued the worrying trend of throwing away a winning lead, this time two late goals from McGarvey’s Love Street replacement, Doug Somner, salvaging an unlikely point for the visitors.

Following the defeat in Madrid, the Bhoys finally got back to winning ways, with home victories over Hibernian and Rangers. Four second-half goals, including a first strike for Frank McGarvey, put paid to a poor Hibs side, heading for the drop even with the great George Best.

The following Wednesday, McGarvey was on target again, his late header from an Aitken cross being the decisive moment, as Celts surged seven points clear of Aberdeen, with Morton and St Mirren a further point behind. The Dons did have a game in hand of Celtic and would be the next visitors to Parkhead that coming Saturday, surely the last-chance saloon for them.

There were 40,000 fans in the old ground for what would prove a pivotal day in the title race. Aberdeen struck first, through Jarvie, Doyle heading Celtic level within minutes. The winning goal came on the hour, McGhee taking advantage of a kind break in the box to fire home. Substitute Bobby Lennox, who had replaced the concussed McAdam in the first half, had a glorious chance to level the match on 68 minutes, however his weak spot kick was easily saved by Clark and the Dons were back in business, five points behind having played one game less.

There was some respite the following midweek, as goals in the first minute of each half gave Celtic a badly-needed win at home to Kilmarnock. The same night, Aberdeen dropped a point at home to lowly Hibernian, enabling the Bhoys’ lead to stretch to four points.

However, both joy and the lead would be short-lived. On the Saturday, Celts travelled to Dens Park, an early Aitken goal giving us the perfect start. Then the roof caved in, as Dundee, who would be relegated the next week, responded with five on a sickening day for the large Celtic support in the ground. Another penalty miss, this time from Murdo MacLeod, merely added to the misery, an Aberdeen win at Kilmarnock bringing them to within two points of Celtic, still with that precious game in hand and a second Parkhead visit in April to come that midweek.

A virtual title-decider brought a near-50,000 crowd to Celtic Park on the Wednesday night. The majority were silenced early on, as Archibald struck again for the Dons with a close-range finish. Two minutes later, Celtic levelled through a penalty, earned and scored by McCluskey. Latchford then saved a Strachan spot kick before the game’s key moment, a free header for McGhee in first-half stoppage time and Celtic were on the ropes.

The game was over on the hour mark, as Strachan made up for his earlier miss by capitalising on a Latchford error, the big Englishman dropping a cross at his feet for 3-1. A fourth defeat in five games saw Aberdeen finally go top on goal difference, as the title won so spectacularly against the odds the previous May was being conceded with a whimper.

There would be a final act of defiance from Cesar’s Champions, with back-to-back wins against Partick Thistle and Dundee edging them a single point ahead with just one fixture remaining.

However, with an additional match to play, Aberdeen had the title to lose and a hunger and momentum which suggested that this would not be the outcome. On the Saturday it was all over, Celts drawing a blank at Love Street whilst Ferguson’s Dons went nap at Easter Road, securing a first title in twenty-five years and ensuring that the Championship would reside outside Glasgow for the first time since Waddell’s Kilmarnock pipped Hearts at Tynecastle, back in April 1965.

For McNeill’s Celtic, the season would be defined by the following week’s Scottish Cup Final. The sensational replay victory against St Mirren had been followed by a more straightforward win over Morton in the Quarter-final, a few days after the euphoria of beating Real Madrid. That set up a Semi-final tie with Hibernian at Hampden in April, a most untypical semi as Celts hit five without reply against the doomed Leith side.

The only goal came in the second period of extra-time, man-of-the-match Danny McGrain’s shot flicked into the opposite corner of the Rangers net by George McCluskey, leaving McCloy stranded. A nervous few minutes ensued before the final whistle created the famous black ash cloud at the Kings Park end of Hampden, as the vast Celtic support celebrated winning ‘our cup’ once again, after a two-year hiatus.

The shameful scenes which followed have been well-documented and diverted focus from a brave effort from a weakened Celtic side, still suffering the hangovers from European and League defeats. Also, sadly, the final game of his Celtic career for that fabulous servant, Lisbon Lion Bobby Lennox, after eighteen superb years, a medal collection to die for and more goals than anyone other than McGrory, is often overlooked in favour of less savoury headlines.

Following the loss of the title at Love Street, Bobby’s fellow Lion, manager Billy McNeill, had vowed to win the Cup and the next season’s title as a gesture of thanks and appreciation to the Celtic support, who had stuck with the team through a difficult second half of that season. Now, as a new era beckoned in Scottish football with the threat from the North-East, Cesar had delivered on the first part of that promise. There would be interesting times ahead.

Hail Hail,

Matt Corr

About Author

Having retired from his day job Matt Corr can usually be found working as a Tour Guide at Celtic Park, or if there is a Marathon on anywhere in the world from as far away as Tokyo or New York, Matt will be running for the Celtic Foundation. On a European away-day, he's there writing his Diary for The Celtic Star and he's currently completing his first Celtic book with another two planned.

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