On this day in 1982 Paul McStay made his competitive debut for Celtic Football Club. It would be the birth of a legend.
Celtic faced Queen of the South in the Scottish Cup and won 4-0. A rare goal was scored by Danny McGrain who added to an early strike by Frank McGarvey. George McCluskey scored a penalty on 39 minutes and then another young debutant John Halpin scored in the 85th minute to cap a comfortable win.
The old traditional Rangers end of the stadium was closed due to burst pipes which had caused flooding, and the cold weather then caused the water to freeze over.
Only 12,000 fans were in attendance, but many didn’t realise that they were watching history unfold before their eyes as Paul McStay graced Paradise for the first time. Few could have imagined what he would go on to become.
McStay went on to make 678 appearances in a Celtic shirt, scoring 72 goals. Sadly, due to having the misfortune of playing in a turbulent era at the club, he only won three league titles in 16 years, though two of those league championships were among the best in our history (1986 at Love Street and the Centenary season). In addition to those triumphs, he won four Scottish Cups and a Scottish League Cup.
