When you think of Celtic at Love Street in the 1980s you immediately recall that dramatic day on 3 May 1986 when Celtic were simply sensational and so too was Albert Kidd 90 miles the road at Dens Park! However there was also another very special St Mirren v Celtic game at Love Street right at the start of that decade and it was played on a Wednesday night on this day in 1980 in a Scottish Cup replay after the sides had played out a 1-1 draw on the Saturday at Celtic Park.
A decent sized crowd of at least 32,000 (cough) were at Celtic Park on the Saturday and we were heading out of the Cup – thanks to a Frank McDougall goal in the first half for visitors – when Murdo MacLeod headed home brilliantly to keep our hopes alive with to minutes remaining. So that set-up the unforgettable midweek reply at Love Street.
The attendance was given as being 27,166, maybe St Mirren were coughing too or that was just the number of Celtic The game was delayed by around 15 minutes as there were huge numbers trying to get in. Thousands of Celtic fans – including Matt Corr – were still outside when Tom McAdam was shown a red card with around 18 minutes played in the game.
“We only need 10 men, we only need 10 men” roared the travelling support a mere 9 months after that dramatic 4-2 win over Rangers when Ten Men Won The League.
St Mirren twice had the lead but Celtic, playing with ten men for the majority of the match, refused to accept defeat and it was Johnny Doyle – the man send off in that title decider against Rangers in May 1979 – who made all the difference in what was a memorable night at Love Street. Watch what happened below.
Celtic won the Scottish Cup that year, beating Rangers in the final – then there was a riot. Anyone else notice that riots at Hampden always happen when a Rangers club loses?
What a night.
Missed the first 20 minutes due to the queues outside the ground.
Johnny Doyle’s finest performance in the Hoops? https://t.co/5vOr7I14tr
— Matt Corr (@Boola_vogue) February 20, 2021
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