Every Saturday my dad and uncle Mick would wait till I finished alter boy practice at RC Holy Family Church in Dunblane then we would set off to watch the famous Glasgow Celtic.
This Saturday was no different.. a stop of at a pub in Bridge of Allan first then on our way to Hampden. Due to the pub visit we were late getting into Hampden so my dad parked at Mount Florida and we ran to the ground (was to be our downfall later on).
Once in the ground we watched a tense game, being a 10 year old I was taken back by the sheer volume that day… remember we never had the covered terrracing yet all I could hear were our own faithful.
This wasn’t my first game v Rangers but it was my first Final.
Extra time and bang! Danny fired towards goal and Big George sending McCloy the wrong way, sheer bedlam! Anyway we partied on for what seemed a lifetime only for my uncle to say let’s get home.
Leaving Hampden the very site of my dad snapping the cane of my newly bought tricolour started the worry, something wasn’t right, as we walked to the car at Mount Florida we were met by a huge crowd of seething blue-noses, which ended in a few slaps and my jacket getting covered in gob from the mouths of twisted bigots.
Jacket ditched we started our drive to Dunblane.. lucky to be in one piece but heart pumping wae pride…my mother that day said I would never attend another game against that mob (her words) but what she didn’t know it was the start of many, many more. Also it was the start of the pure dislike i had towards everything about them…why would you subject any 10 year to that only they would know… HH .
Kevin Connelly, Tommy Gemmell CSC, Dunblane????????
Also on The Celtic Star re the 1980 Scottish Cup Final…
The 1980 Scottish Cup Final Riot, among the first onto the pitch