At this time of season 1960-61, Celtic were lying 11th in the league table, having lost four and drawn one of their first six matches.
On this day in 1960, the Hoops travelled through to Easter Road for what would be a vital match for both clubs, as Hibs were in an even worse position. The Celtic eleven that ran out that afternoon in front of a crowd of 28,000 was Haffey, Mackay, Kennedy, Crerand, McNeill, Peacock, Chalmers, Fernie, Carroll, Divers and Auld; and they got off to the perfect start with two goals in the first quarter-of-an-hour, both of them coming from Bobby Carroll.
After the break, the onslaught continued, with further goals from Willie Fernie (49), Bertie Auld (51) and Stevie Chalmers (2 – 52,62) making the final score 6-0, a result which have made the bus journey back to Celtic Park a lot more pleasant.
James Kelly is the man blessed with the honour of being the first ever captain of Celtic.
On this day in 1865, James Kelly was born in Renton. In the late 1880s, the name of James Kelly was known throughout the football world and he could have had the pick of any club he wanted. Imagine the surprise, then, when he chose to join this new club called Celtic in 1888, going on to make 139 appearances – with 11 goals – over the ensuing nine years.
James Kelly became a director of the club when he retired in 1897 and assumed the role of chairman from 1909 until 1914. He died in Blantyre in 1932.
Jim Craig
Want to read more about James Kelly? Why not order David Potter’s new book Celtic – How the League was Won 49 Times. It’s packed full of Celtic history from James Kelly to James Forrest and everyone in between!
Have you visited the new Celtic fans forum yet? It’s called Celtic Noise and gives you a great opportunity to join in the Celtic conversation…
