BIRTHDAY wishes go out this morning to Lisbon Lion Jim Craig who is 76 today. Jim like all the remaining Lions is trying to come to terms with the loss of both Billy and Stevie in a week from hell for the Lions and The Celtic family.
Willie Wallace will be with them today and they’ll get comfort in being back together again as they prepare to say goodbye to their Captain in Friday and shortly afterwards their teammate from Lisbon who scored that goal that changed everything.
Following the news of the passing of Stevie Chalmers, Jim spoke to Celtic yesterday, as reported on the official site, about his fellow Lisbon Lion.
“Stevie scored the most important goal in the club’s history,” Jim said. “That goal made us the first British team to win the European Cup.
“Stevie was a lovely man but the thing I would like to stress about Stevie is, he was a great goalscorer. He was very good at taking a half a chance and evidence for that is in the record books. He had a good strike on him and had the instincts of knowing when to take a chance and have a shot.
“That’s a great thing to have as a striker – to have the confidence in your own ability to be able to hit it hard and hit it accurately when you get into the right position.
“That’s what gives you the chance to make your mark on history and Stevie certainly did that.
“The thing I’ll always remember him for most was his calmness in front of goal when that ball came across in Lisbon. He could have blasted it but he just pushed the ball into the corner, very calmly and very relaxed. That was a striker at the height of his powers, taking advantage of an opportunity when it mattered most.”
But Stevie Chalmers should also be remembered for the kind, humble, unassuming man that he was, Jim Craig believes.
“He had all these lovely attributes and was such a modest man so people might not have realised just how good a man he was.
“Stevie was a bit older than me and he was very kind to me when I first came into the team. I was a wee bit overawed when I first came into the team because I had come from university football but Stevie was very kind to me, as were all the players.
“He made me feel welcome and got me involved. On my first trip abroad to Russia in 1966 Stevie made a point of sitting alongside me to make me feel good. I was very touched to have that comfort from him and I’ll always be grateful to him for that.”
Jim took us through the first 365 days on The Celtic Star by providing The Celtic Family with an early morning diary which provided a remarkable insight into our club’s rich history and we’ll always be grateful to him for that. Happy Birthday Jim.
