Jimmy Johnstone – or ‘Jinky’, as he was popularly known – had joined Celtic from Blantyre Celtic in 1961 and did not take long to make an impression on everybody in Scottish football.
However, it was advent of Jock Stein in March 1965 that propelled the Wee Man to the glorious heights, where his talent became known not only throughout the British game but also on the Continent of Europe plus North and South America.
In 14 years at Celtic Park, Jimmy made 515 appearances for the Hoops and scored 129 goals. He was idolized by the support so you can imagine the uproar on this day in 1975 when Jinky was given a free transfer by the club.
Jim Craig
