Coronation Cup Final – Celtic 2 Hibs 0 – 20 May 1953, Hampden Park (attendance 117,000)….
CELTIC defied all the odds to lift the Coronation Cup on this day in 1953. A crowd of just over 117,000 piled into Hampden to see the Battle of the Greens as both Celtic and Hibs had reached the final, seeing off Rangers and the best that England could muster.
Hibs had a fine side and were the overwhelming favourites with their ‘Famous Five’ forward line tipped to be too hot for Celtic to handle. And Celtic’s chances seemed even more remote when news broke that talisman Charlie Tully, injured in the semi-final, hadn’t made it and would be replaced by Willie Fernie.
The Celtic team was Bonnar, Haughney, Rollo, Evans, Stein, McPhail, Collins, Walsh, Mochan, Peacock and Fernie.
Yet Celtic were the better team in the first half and went in at the interval a little unlucky to be only one goal in front. And what a great goal it was too – a 30 yarder special from Neilly Mochan!
Hibs fought back in the second half but the Celtic keeper John Bonnar was in fine form and denied the Easter Road forwards time after time to keep Celtic ahead.
And as Hibs got increasingly desperate Celtic hit them on the counter and Jimmy Walsh scored a second to make sure that the green and white ribbons on the Coronation Cup would be from the East End of Glasgow and not Leith.
If you do the Tour at Celtic Park you will see the Coronation Cup which is displayed proudly and permanently in the boardroom at Celtic Park.
Jim Craig tells the story of Celtic Coronation Cup win here…
20th May 1953, Celtic defeat Hibs to win the Coronation Cup after previously beating Arsenal and Manchester Utd. pic.twitter.com/xGxsT7qM8E
— Li’l Ze (@LilZe85) May 19, 2019
And the delighted Celtic support made sure that the story of our Coronation Cup win would be passed down through the generations through this wonderful song…
