Celtic had been drawn in a tough section in the Champions League group stages in season 2004/05, alongside Shakhtar Donetsk, Barcelona and AC Milan.
They got off to a poor start in the first tie against Barcelona, going down 1-3 at Celtic Park.
Things then got worse for the Hoops with another 1-3 loss, this time to AC Milan in the San Siro before they went down 0-3 to Shakhtar Donetsk also away from home.
Celtic regained some prestige with a 1-0 victory over Shakhtar in Glasgow, then did even better in the Camp Nou, drawing 1-1 with the Catalans.
On this day in 2004, AC Milan were the visitors to Celtic Park and both managers put out their strongest sides;-
Celtic – Hedman, McNamara, Varga, Balde, Valgaeren, Petrov, Thompson, Lennon, McGeady, Hartson, Sutton.
AC Milan – Dida, Maldini, Costacurta, Sevchenko, Rui Costa, Nesta, Coloccini, Ambrosini, Dhorasoo, Serginho, Brochi.
59,228 were packed into Celtic Park and they all thought the Hoops should have taken the lead in 2 minutes, when a McGeady cross was headed just past the post by Sutton.
All throughout the game, there were chances for both sides. Apart from that miss in the second minute, Celtic’s best efforts were a Hartson shot just before half-time which was tipped over the bar by Dida and a long-range effort by McNamara six minutes from the end which Dida pushed past the post.
The match ended in a goalless draw, a result which left Celtic in bottom place in the table with 5 points, behind Shakhtar Donetsk on 6, Barcelona on 10 and AC Milan with 13.
Willie Waddell, born on this day at Glasgow in 1919, spent a season-and-a-half at Celtic Park on loan during the early part of WW2, playing 53 matches at centre-half.
After serving with the army in Italy and north Africa, Willie returned to his home club of Aberdeen, with whom he won the Scottish Cup in 1947.
Willie Waddell died in December 1979.
Jim Craig
