Photo Of The Day: Celtic Fans At Tony Mowbray’s Testimonial In Middlesbrough

With all the summer football going on at present, today’s photo of the day followed that theme by revisiting Tony Mowbray’s Testimonial at Middlesbrough in July 1992. Then a Celtic player, Mowbray returned to Ayresome Park, where he had spent nine years plying his trade for the English club.

10,000 Celtic fans made the trip south, watching the Hoops play out a 1-1 draw. ‘Boro gave a decent account of themselves considering that they had only just been promoted to the Premier League, but there was not much respect between the fans of each club and there had been animosity throughout the game. Eventually, tensions spilled over when Celtic fans invaded the pitch and waved an Irish tri-colour, which triggered a section of the local support to try and recreate the Battle of the Boyne. The fact that the Troubles were still raging at this stage probably heightened tensions too.


About Author

Hailing from an Irish background, I grew up on the English south coast with the good fortune to begin watching Celtic during the Martin O'Neill era. I have written four Celtic books since the age of 19: Our Stories & Our Songs: The Celtic Support, Take Me To Your Paradise: A History Of Celtic-Related Incidents & Events, Walfrid & The Bould Bhoys: Celtic's Founding Fathers, First Season & Early Stars, and The Holy Grounds of Glasgow Celtic: A Guide To Celtic Landmarks & Sites Of Interest. These were previously sold in Waterstones and official Celtic FC stores, and are now available on Amazon.

1 Comment

  1. Patrick Heaney on

    Celtic fans invaded the pitch at half time in an effort to support fellow fans mainly with family being attacked by Boro thugs. It was not about the tricolour. Atmosphere was horrendous