On this day in 1966, Celtic played the last match of the tour to North America.
It had been an excellent experience from the players’ point of view and they had risen to the challenge, with a record at that point of P10 W7 D3 L0 F46 A6.
This final match of the tour was played on a Sunday evening in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 80 degrees of heat. By that time, the touring party was down to 12 names. Frank McCarron, John Cushley and Bertie Auld were all suffering from ankle injuries; Jimmy Johnstone and Ian Young had returned home for their weddings, so the team that ran out for the match that night was Fallon, Gemmell, O’Neill, Murdoch, McNeill, Clark, Gallagher, McBride, Chalmers, Lennox and Hughes.
The boys put on a great performance and ran until they nearly dropped in the sweltering heat. And with two minutes to go, after absorbing everything that Atlas could throw at them, Celtic came forward in what could have been the final attack.
Tam Gemmell charged down the left and got a cross in, it was met on the half-volley by Charlie Gallagher right on the six-yard line and the ball sped past the Atlas keeper.
The 1-0 win made Celtic’s final record even more impressive – P11 W8 D3 L0 F47 A6.
Jim Craig
