I was not at that victory in September. Old Firm games were still considered too “high risk ” by my parents for me to attend. Instead I got my football fix by going out to Douglas Park to watch the Lanarkshire Derby between Hamilton Accies and Albion Rovers. After the half time scores were announced though I had difficulty concentrating on the game on the park in front of me. Celtic were leading Rangers 1-0. Maybe this time we could hold on and actually win.
No internet in those days of course and I had no transistor to check with. Anyway part of me didn’t want to hear any updates. No news was good news. The longer I heard nothing the longer it was still 1-0 to Celtic. Coming out of the ground I thought I heard someone mention that Celtic had won but it was not until I got home I found to my delight we had won 3-1. For the first time I could sit down with my father and brothers on a Saturday night to watch Scotsport and Sportscene and see highlights of a Celtic win in an Old Firm game!
As we had also qualified from our League Cup group for the first time in my personal Celtic Fan lifetime hopes were high that the good days were here again. However, at the end of October Rangers beat us in the League Cup Final and our League form dipped. There was not much to sing about!
Crowds had dwindled and were generally under 20,000. A Boxing Day fixture with Motherwell as visitors saw less than 10,000 bother to turn up. I recall playing Hearts in the January of 1965. Bertie Auld had just rejoined from Birmingham City and that news plus a good away support whose team was topping the league meant that 21,000 were in attendance, one of only 6 home league games that season where the crowd exceeded the 20,000 mark.
A couple of weeks later though we had news that would change our lives! Saturday 30 January 1965 was bitterly cold with snow and ice covering the streets. Lots of games were postponed but Celtic Park had been covered with a blanket of hay and when this was lifted the pitch was deemed playable for the visit of Aberdeen.
The funeral of Winston Churchill was held that day and the players wore black armbands, which led to an incident I recall to this day. Another thing I remember about this match was that it was one of the few occasions I swopped ends at half time to be behind the goals Celtic were attacking in each half. As the crowd would have been less than 15000 there was no problem in making my way through the sparsely populated terraces.
I was rewarded by seeing an 8-0 win with Big Yogi netting 5. At one point Celtic were awarded a throw in on the Jungle side very close to the corner flag. Bertie Auld picked the ball up but then noticed his armband had come loose. He obtained the assistance of the linesman who successfully managed to tie it back around his arm. While the official was doing this Bertie had put the ball at his feet and casually rolled it a few paces into the corner arc. When play re-started he crossed the ball as a corner rather than the actual thrown in!
It was the following day that the great news arrived. Jock Stein would be taking over as the Celtic Manager! I had no doubt our fortunes would improve.
The following Saturday I boarded my first football special. Apart from a game at Dens Park when we had been on holiday in Broughty Ferry the only away grounds I had seen Celtic play in had been very local- Hampden, Ibrox, Firhill, Shawfield, Fir Park, Broomfield.
Love Street in Paisley was hardly an epic journey but there was still a sense of adventure as Joe McCormick and I got the train from Glasgow Central to Gilmour Street. Of course, we would go on to win the Cup that season but the atmosphere at the remaining league games was still rather grim with the realisation that we were going to finish around mid-table.
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A very nice read Mike, thank you, although I think we will have to disagree over YNWA, but still a good read and I can remember attending quite a few of they games from the mid sixties myself.
Thanks- To be honest I actually like seeing and hearing YNWA at the big European games. If I do manage to get over for one of the CL games this season I will be joining in! Probably because of my age and being a bit grumpy I tend to think that things were better when I was young! I would prefer though if we did have an “anthem” that a was bit more unique to us. When I got my first proper mobile phone a few years ago my son put YNWA as the ring tone. I had to get him to change it as I got fed up with so many people thinking I was a Liverpool fan when they heard it ringing!
Watching the Scottish Cup final against Motherwell from the school boys enclosure,there may have been a hundred thousand packed into Hampton,and when big John McPhail scored the winning goal,the place went crazy. That was our first trophy since the war,. Mat Lynch was a teacher at my school,st.margarets,and later brought the treasured cup tothe school,to hold or just touch was a thrill of my young life! So I share many of your memories Mike. Keep the faith Hail Hail.
You’ve watched them for as long as I have , Mike, and the passion never leaves you. A great read!