Celtic had picked up a League/League Cup double in season 1965/66 and went into the following campaign hoping for more.
In the opening match of the league cup sectional ties in 1966, a Joe McBride ‘double’ gave Celtic a comfortable 2-0 win over Hearts at Tynecastle in front of a 25,000 crowd.
In the second match, with 30,000 watching, two from Bobby Lennox, one from Steve Chalmers and a hat-trick from McBride made the final score 6-0 against Clyde at Parkhead; and, on this day in 1966, even the manager had a smile on his face as Celtic went on the rampage against St Mirren at Celtic Park in the third game of the competition.
McBride was on the score-sheet again with four and Lennox notched a double.
Bertie Auld was also on target just after the interval for Celtic’s 6th goal and four minutes from time, Stevie Chalmers made the final score 8-2, with the Celtic fans making up most of the 31,500 crowd in ecstasy over their side’s performance.
On this day in 1882, Hugh Watson was born in Maybole.
After a spell with Trabboch Thistle, Hugh joined Celtic on 29 May 1901, going on to make 58 appearances in the right-back position before moving back to Ayrshire and Kilmarnock in October 1905.
Jim Craig