Willie reached a personal landmark during the close-season, turning 30 years-old on 23 June, and two weeks later, Olive presented him with a second daughter, Fiona, born on 9 July 1970.
The new dad would find himself in trouble with officialdom for a third time in his Hoops career after an altercation with Clyde winger Sam Hastings, just before half-time in a League Cup-tie played at Shawfield on Wednesday, 19 August 1970. Celts would progress to the semi-final where they would face an old friend, Charlie Gallagher, having been released from Parkhead in the summer, now turning it on with his new club, last-four opponents Dumbarton.
Willie would feature prominently in the first game, played at Hampden on Wednesday, 7 October 1970, albeit he would probably rather have not, Sons keeper Lawrie Williams making a double save from his extra-time penalty kick as the match ended goalless. The pair would later become friends and teammates, as Willie arrived at Boghead, whilst surplus to requirements Charlie Gallagher, rather ironically, was later named as man-of-the-match. Such is football.
Willie would have a more pleasant role in the replay, five days later, edging Celtic 3-2 ahead in extra-time after Charlie had begun Dumbarton’s fightback from two goals down by scoring from the spot after 65 minutes, Lou Macari’s late strike ultimately proving decisive as Celts marched through to a seventh successive League Cup final later that month. A header from a 16-year-old Derek Johnstone would give Rangers a first trophy in four years and end Celtic’s run of successes at five-in-a-row, a third consecutive cup final defeat for the Hoops after Aberdeen and Feyenoord. There would be a few more defeats in that particular final to follow.
Finnish champions KPV Kokkola
Work to remove the Milan hangover began with landslide victories over Finnish champions KPV Kokkola and Ireland’s Waterford United in the European Cup, with Willie amongst the goals again, scoring twice in Finland then notching a hat-trick at Lansdowne Road in front of 50,000 spectators – his first struck within 20 seconds of the kick-off – before making way for Vic Davidson on the hour mark.
On Tuesday, 9 February 1971, Celts faced the now-world champions Feyenoord at Hampden in a friendly, the match ending 1-1. This was ahead of the upcoming European Cup quarter-final with current Dutch champions, Ajax.
The first leg was played in Amsterdam on Wednesday, 10 March 1971, Wallace coming up against another of the Dutch international side from that friendly at Hampden five years earlier, Piet Keizer. The legendary winger would have the final word that evening, his last-gasp strike making the score 3-0 and surely taking the tie out of Celtic’s reach. Despite a valiant attempt at Hampden two weeks later, Jimmy Johnstone’s solitary counter would see the dream end for another season, Ajax succeeding fierce rivals Feyenoord as European champions, driven by the genius Cruyff.
There would be another domestic double for Celtic to celebrate though, Willie scoring the second Celtic goal at Hampden on Thursday, 29 April 1971, which allowed Jock Stein to emulate Willie Maley by winning six consecutive Scottish League titles.
The home match had been moved there with construction work continuing on the main stand at Celtic Park. Two days later, the ground resembling a building site on one side, the Lisbon Lions took their final bow as a team, for the final League fixture of the season.
The retired Ronnie Simpson joined the other ten Lions down the enclosure steps before handing the gloves to his successor, Evan Williams, who would play against Clyde. On an emotional afternoon, 35,000 supporters gave the immortal Lions a fantastic ovation as they roared one last time, Willie scoring twice, Bobby Lennox grabbing a hat-trick and Stevie Chalmers hitting a sixth as they declared at 6-1.
Bertie Auld would be carried shoulder-high from the field on his last appearance, prior to leaving on a free transfer to join Hibernian. It would transpire to be the final call for John Clark and Stevie Chalmers also, they would both be in the blue-and-white Hoops of Morton in the new season. The times they were a-changing, as the fabulous Bob Dylan once sang.
