What a fantastic day we all had yesterday. Mine’s was particularly memorable for two reason, outside of the brilliant hat-trick scored by Giorgios Giakoumakis and the wonderful tribute paid to Celtic founding father Michael Davitt.
I was a guest of Celtic Pools in hospitality yesterday and was sitting next to one of my all-time Celtic heroes, the one and only Danny McGrain.
in the second half when Nir Bitton blasted a shot well over the bar, I turned and said to the Celtic legend ‘that was like one of yours Danny’. His reply? “I’d have been proud of that one!” Great stories all afternoon from Danny about his goals, the time he got sent off, Tommy Burns – “a great player but an even better man” Danny said.
It was just a brilliant day . Here’s’ the view of the game from those soft seats in the Jock Stein stand.
My own seat in Paradise was used by my older (English) cousin Jack who had only been to Celtic Park once before and his last game was as a young boy when Celtic played Morton at Paradise on 20 April 1968. Yesterday he sat in my seat next to young Lubo98 and loved every minute of it.
It was a very different stadium 54 years ago when Jack was there within the 51,000 supporters at Celtic Park that spring afternoon as title chasing Celtic needed to win .
Here’s the Celtic Wiki’s review of that dramatic match.
This was one of the most dramatic games in Jock Stein’s reign as Celtic boss. Had the game been drawn then the advantage would have swung towards Rangers but Bobby Lennox scored in the 90th minute with virtually the last kick off the ball to send the Celtic fans at Parkhead into delerium. It was one of the most dramatic finishes ever seen inside Parkhead.
It took a quarter of an hour for the goal machines up front to get going and when Wallace scored with a flying header from a Hughes cross everybody assumed that normal service would resume. But Morton, without their talismanic captain and ex-Celt Jim Kennedy, fought back and just before half time centre forward Mason scored with a 25yd shot.
Celtic did everything but put the ball in the net in the second half. The fans became fractious and at the last possible moment up popped Lennox.
The Celtic team was Simpson, Craig, Gemmell, Murdoch, McNeill, Brogan, Johnstone, Lennox, Wallace, Gallacher , Hughes Substitute: Clark Scorers Wallace (14), Lennox (90).
Jack was saying that he hadn’t realised that a goal Celtic scored had been disallowed so couldn’t understand the reaction of the fans when that late winning goal was scored. He’d never seen anything like it before or since – ‘they were all going absolutely mental, crazy celebrations, it was a brilliant experience. I’ve never forgotten that day.”
Yesterday might not have been so dramatic but Jack loved it just as much and promised not to wait over 50 years for his next visit to Paradise! We dropped him at central station – Lubo 98 was on driving duties – with a programme signed by Danny and also Tom Boyd and a lovely wee matchday gift from Celtic Pools and he was over the moon.
This is how it feels to be Celtic. They should have played Perfect Day at the end…
