No starring role at Fir Park for Harry Hood, but our Celtic Bhoy isn’t so lucky

No starring role at Fir Park for Harry, but Celtic Boy isn’t so lucky!

Thursday, 1 January 1976 would be a double rite of passage day for yours truly, a first Ne’erday derby and my first visit to Ibrox. Harry and Paul Wilson had both done enough in the reserve fixture 48 hours earlier to merit inclusion on the Celtic bench, as the following teams kicked off the year.

Rangers: Stewart Kennedy; Alex Miller & John Greig; Tom Forsyth, Colin Jackson & Alex MacDonald;
Bobby McKean, Johnny Hamilton, Martin Henderson, Tommy McLean & Derek Johnstone.

Substitutes; Ally Scott & Alex O’Hara.

Celtic: Peter Latchford; Danny McGrain & Andy Lynch; Johannes Edvaldsson, Roddie MacDonald & Pat McCluskey;
Jackie McNamara, Kenny Dalglish, Dixie Deans, Tommy Callaghan & Bobby Lennox.

Substitutes; Harry Hood & Paul Wilson.

With the hosts three points behind the League leaders at the 2pm kick-off, it was pretty much a must-win game for them, whilst any sort of positive result would see Celtic remain in pole position for the second half of the season. What was not in the Hoops favour was a second consecutive New Year visit to Ibrox – a fixture they had not won since a Joe Cassidy double secured the points on the opening day of 1921 – an unhappy consequence of the move to four fixtures per season between the clubs.

Jock Stein’s hopes of a cherished 10-in-a-row had been dashed on the Ibrox rocks 12 months earlier, with a painful 3-0 defeat, and sadly today would be another significant day in the inaugural Premier League title race.

The only goal of the game came on the half-hour via that familiar Rangers tactic, a lofted Tommy McLean free-kick towards the head of Derek Johnstone. Once again, the burly striker won the aerial battle to beat Peter Latchford from close range, and despite a second-half bombardment of the Rangers goal following the introduction of Paul Wilson and Harry Hood for Dixie Deans and Bobby Lennox, the hosts would stretch their unbeaten run against Celtic to seven games. That would be Harry’s final first-team action for Celtic against Rangers. Both Motherwell and Hibernian opened 1976 with home wins, all three main challengers now lurking just a single point behind the table-topping Hoops with 17 of the 36 games remaining. Game on.

That defeat would be compounded two days later as Gordon Strachan swapped his December Hoops for the navy jersey of Dundee to make his first senior appearance at Celtic Park. Like many of those to follow, the skilful midfielder would cause Celtic no end of damage as a 3-1 lead early in the second half disappeared before the final whistle.

With Paul Wilson in for Bobby Lennox and Steve Murray making his comeback from retiral on the bench at Harry’s expense, the Bhoys recovered from the setback of an early Andy Lynch own goal to take a winning lead, Dixie Deans’ quick equaliser followed by a Kenny Dalglish double, the Celtic captain looking more like himself after, by his own exceptional standards, a disappointing spell of form.

The alarm bells which sounded upon Wilson Hoggan’s goal for Dundee on the hour were set aside as the stadium rose to welcome Murray’s introduction for Roddie MacDonald with 15 minutes remaining, Johannes Edvaldsson stepping back into central defence. We were into the final minutes when Gordon Strachan’s corner was met by the head of visiting full-back David McIntosh, Peter Latchford helpless as the ball floated over him to steal away a precious point. With Motherwell drawing at Pittodrie and Hibernian’s visit to Tannadice falling victim to the weather, a narrow win for Rangers at Tynecastle enabled the Ibrox club to join Celtic at the top of the table, only a superior goal difference now keeping Parkhead noses in front.

With the pressure now truly on, Sean Fallon’s men produced two fighting performances to take maximum points from the difficult visits to Motherwell and Perth. The reserve fixture with Motherwell was brought forward to midweek, Harry one of a number of international players involved and on target in a 3-0 win at Celtic Park. The match at Fir Park three days later, on Saturday, 10 January 1976, brings back memories for me, as I was approached outside the main stand and invited to be the featured ‘Celtic Boy’ in the following edition of The Celtic View.

Those of a certain vintage will recall that you are photographed and asked to name your favourite player, who you then meet at a future home game as a guest of the club. Before I could explain how much grief I would receive at school for this, my dad was right in there, and Celtic Boy I was, like it or not. That’s my version anyway!

My choice of player had been Dixie Deans, and as it happened, he would be the key man on a day when Celtic again looked like champions. After a goalless first half, the striker scored twice against his old club in the opening 15 minutes of the second period to put the Hoops in the driving seat. There was a brief Groundhog Day feeling as that lead was halved just two minutes later, former Celt Vic Davidson knocking the ball over the line for 2-1 to save Johannes Edvaldsson the embarrassment of an own goal after the big sweeper had sliced a clearance.

But Celtic fought back, the restored midfield duo of Steve Murray and Ronnie Glavin adding a freshness and dynamism to the team which had been missing in recent weeks and allowing captain Kenny Dalglish to operate slightly further forward. The King would have the final say, with eight minutes remaining, Deans yet again involved as Dalglish beat Stuart Rennie, the Hoops roaring back to form with an exhilarating 3-1 victory over one of their main rivals for the Scottish crown.

Celtic now led Rangers at the top of the table only on goals scored.

Matt Corr

On this day…1976

Despite scoring for the reserves in midweek, Harry misses out as Kenny and Dixie inspire Celtic to a 3-1 win over title rivals Motherwell.

By the summer, Harry would be wearing the claret and amber of the Steelmen, following a spell in Texas. pic.twitter.com/6oCVh4LbMA

— Harry Hood: Twice as good (@HarryHoodBook) January 10, 2022

*An extract from Harry Hood – Twice as Good by Matt Corr and available from Celtic Star books (link below), Celtic stores and also on Amazon.