Jim Craig’s 7am start: Billy McNeill had played 787 games for Celtic

In the early rounds of the Scottish Cup in season 1974-75, Celtic had beaten Hibs 2-0 at Easter Road in Round One, Clydebank 4-1 at home in Round Two, Dumbarton 2-1 at Boghead Park in the quarter-final and Dundee by a single goal in the semi-final at Hampden, watched by a crowd of 40,702.

On this day in 1975, a better attendance of 75,457 was at the National Stadium to see Celtic take on Airdrie in the final, when the team was Latchford, McGrain, Lynch, Murray, McNeill, McCluskey, Hood, Glavin, Dalglish, Lennox and Wilson.

Eight minutes after the re-start, Celtic got the crucial goal when, after Lennox had been pushed off the ball, Pat McCluskey scored from the spot, the 3-1 score-line enough to give Celtic victory, the club’s 24th success in the competition.

Billy McNeill collected the cup and announced his retirement after the match; he had played 787 times for Celtic in his career.

Jim Craig

A Photo Tour of Celtic Park

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Kevin Graham, Paul John Dykes & Bryan Haggerty look back at a beautiful title winning Sunday, the French connection that is developing at Celtic, how Sunday, our success is all down to a well run club and how we can improve in the future. We also reclaim the Celtic Da’s moniker as a term of endearment. Music is from Guns and Roses & Franki Valli and The Four Seasons.

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