Illness saw me pretty much confined to bed for several weeks so I missed the Cup quarter final win against Kilmarnock along with the first couple of Jock Stein’s league games. I was at the last 3 home league games in my now usual spot at the Celtic End but not many others were sharing my enthusiasm.
With Big Jock using the games to see the players he had inherited, and tinker with positions and tactics Celtic’s last 6 games resulted in only 2 wins and 4 losses which included a 2-6 thumping at Brockville and a 1-5 thrashing at East End Park.
On 3 April I witnessed Third Lanark’s last ever visit to Celtic Park. Not much more than 4 years earlier my first ever Celtic game had seen a quality Hi Hi side win 3-2. Now they were in their death throes, well adrift at the bottom of the league where they would finish with only 7 points.
Celtic were not much better that day. It was a dreary affair with the fans letting the team know how dissatisfied they were. As it was a sunny day lots of us sat down on the terracing, the meagre crowd meaning that there was still no problem viewing the “action”. An own goal by ex Celt Dunky McKay at least saved Celtic’s blushes from dropping points to the cellar dwellers. Three weeks later though it was a very different story. With Mick Boyle and Frank Weldon I got a football special to Hampden to see the Bhoys at last win a trophy- a 3-2 win over Dunfermline. The Celtic End would be a more exciting place from now on!
The 1965/66 season kicked off with a League Cup sectional game at Tannadice. My uncle Eddie was living in Monifieth at the time so I got the train up on the Friday and went with him to the match on the Saturday. The first home game was the following Wednesday against Motherwell. My brother Gerry and I set out to Bellshill Cross to catch a bus to the game but with a combination of the size of the queue and the lack of buses we were beginning to panic about getting to the ground on time.
Just then a large van stopped beside the bus stop. A guy jumped out of the front passenger seat and shouted ” anyone fancy a lift to the game jump in the back.” A few of us stepped forward and the back doors of the van were opened. Inside were already dozens of bodies holding on to anything they could, or seated on the floor. Health and Safety was not so much of an issue then so we scrambled aboard and swayed and bounced our way to Parkhead.
We made the kick off but just satisfied ourselves with taking a stance at the Celtic End near the pylon at the Janefield Street side. The crowd was around 32,000. Not only was it bigger than most games in recent seasons but you could sense the new atmosphere. Hope had replaced despair.
It was a few days later at the home game with Dundee that I really sensed how much things had changed. I went to the game a bit earlier than usual and took my spot in the middle of the Celtic End. Entering the Celtic End Terracing was different from the Rangers End of the ground. There it was case of climbing up the steps and then making your way back down the terracing to your particular vantage point. At the Celtic End the terracing was cantilevered meaning you could walk under it and then enter the terracing at the midway point through several entry/exit ways.
Our spot was right in the middle of the Celtic End. Walk down a few steps and then into the right. On that Saturday I was in well before kick off and could see the crowd building up. Next to arrive was Danny Gallagher but by kick off time there was a fair number of St Pat’s pupils there, some in their green school blazers which we knew greatly annoyed the school rector! As it happened Dundee won the game but that did not really deflate us – we knew Big Jock would sort things out.
And of course he did. The next few years were the most glorious in Celtic’s history. It was a great time to be young and able to get to see the Bhoys in action every week. And there was no better place to enjoy it than in the middle of the Celtic End with the songs and passion.
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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!