Possibly the best Scottish Cup game of them all between Hearts and Celtic was at Tynecastle on 17 February 1962. Hearts were the favourites, but only marginally. It has to be said that Hearts had the better recent record.
They had won the League in 1960 and 1962, the League Cup in 1954/55, 1958/59 and 1959/60 and (the one that still hurt) the Scottish Cup in 1956 when Celtic simply, hampered by a crazy team selection, simply did not fight. In season 1961/62, Hearts were, like Celtic, in the mix for the League Championship and had already beaten Celtic at Tynecastle, in the League in October.
Celtic were steadily improving with fine players like Pat Crerand, Billy McNeill, John Hughes and John Divers, but were plagued with inconsistency. A great spell before Christmas had been thrown away by a miserable January and the week before the Cup tie, they had gone to Stirling Albion and lost 0-1. It was not League winning form, but everyone felt that they could be good enough to win the Scottish Cup.
The teams on this bright but cold Edinburgh day were as follows:
Hearts: Marshall, Kirk and Holt; Ferguson, Cumming and Higgins; Rodger, Wallace, Paton, Blackwood and Hamiliton
Celtic: Haffey, McKay and Kennedy; Crerand, McNeill and Price; Chalmers, Jackson, Hughes, Divers and Carroll
Referee: Mr R Davidson, Airdrie
The games showed that the inconsistent Celtic team of that year could sometimes fight back. 35,000 were there, it was claimed, and they saw a great game. 1-1 at half-time, (Divers scoring for Celtic) then after half an hour of hammer and tongs stuff, Frank Haffey dropped one for Johnny Hamilton to put Hearts ahead. With only 15 minutes to go, it looked like game over for Celtic.
Then Celtic equalised (frankly even the Celtic fans thought that it looked offside!) through Steve Chalmers, went ahead through a great John Hughes header, and seemed to have the game won until Danny Paton equalised for Hearts. 3-3 would have been fair (60,000 at Parkhead on Wednesday night into the bargain!) and most supporters would have settled for that.
But then came the most dramatic of endings. A penalty was awarded to Celtic at the death when John Hughes was fouled in the box. It was a softish penalty and there did not seem to be any great danger when he was brought down. But in a breathtaking sequence of events, Pat Crerand took it, Gordon Marshall saved, referee Bobby Davidson ordered a retake and Crerand scored this time.
Those Celtic supporters who thought that Bobby Davidson was in the pay of men from Kilwinning or Larkhall found the penalty and retake decision difficult to reconcile with that belief. In fact, the Press generally thought Davidson was right with the penalty decisions, but wrong with Chalmers’ goal.
Not for the first nor last time, did Hearts supporters become bitter, detecting a west coast conspiracy and agenda. Not at this stage was there any great sectarian feelings among the Hearts supporters, although that was slowly developing. It was more as if a line had been drawn down the centre of Scotland at about Shotts or Harthill. To the west of that line, everyone was determined that Hearts were not going to win anything!
For Celtic it was a great victory. Your writer was just too young to go to Edinburgh and listened to the game on the radio. The Haffey dropped ball and the goal scored by Johnny Hamilton was the cue for depression and the switching off of the radio. We were doomed.
Twenty minutes later, we put on the television to see David Coleman on BBC Grandstand and it was time for the teleprinter results sequence. Eventually up came the result HEARTS 3 (“Aw, no, they’ve scored again!) CELTIC – then a brief pause – 4!
Quite unbelievable and in fact we didn’t really believe it until the radio confirmed it!
David Potter
Pushing the launch of Matthew Marr’s debut Celtic book – ‘The BOULD BHOYS – Glory to their name’ back a week to Friday 24 March. Thanks to everyone who has ordered since we announced the book last night via an interview with the author. Please note that all pre-ordered books will be personally signed by Matthew Marr and you can order below if you’d like a signed copy posted out to you 24 March.
READ THIS...‘The Bould Bhoys – Glory to their name’ by Matthew Marr
