What was a surprise was the public announcement of Saturday’s team as early as 11.00am on the Wednesday. Jimmy Johnstone, Willie O’Neill and Jim Kennedy were the unlucky ones, and thus the team was Fallon, Young and Gemmell; Murdoch, McNeill and Clark; Chalmers, Gallagher, Hughes, Lennox and Auld. It was in fact the team who had produced the two best performances since Stein’s arrival, namely against Motherwell in the semi-final replay and Hibs in the 4-0 League win at Easter Road.
The announcement, made in bright pleasant spring sunshine as the players had a light training session at the Inverclyde Recreation Centre (to which they walked from their hotel!), was designed to remove all the harmful speculation in the Press and elsewhere.
There were those who deplored the dropping of Jimmy Johnstone, but then again, Jimmy, although immensely talented, did not always produce the goods and it was felt that Steve Chalmers was a safer option. Chairman Bob Kelly, it was said, approached Jock Stein and queried his deployment of Murdoch as a right-half. Stein smiled respectfully to his Chairman but said that Saturday would show what a great right-half Bobby Murdoch was.
The team returned to Glasgow on Thursday at lunchtime, relaxed and fit, while on the same day news broke of a considerably less happy football club’s trip. Eight Chelsea players were sent home from their Blackpool hotel by Manager Tommy Docherty. They included Scotsmen George Graham and Eddie McCreadie, and although no great details were issued, the Press talked about “incidents” at the Blackpool hotel. It is not difficult to work out that this had something to do with alcohol and possibly some less than totally respectable Blackpool ladies, but it was a brave action for Docherty to take considering that his team, already winners of the League Cup, were still in with a chance of the English League, won this year in the event by Manchester United.
Friday passed uneventfully. Dunfermline did not yet name their team, but their Provost – the curiously named James Forker – announced plans for welcoming home his triumphant heroes, and the local MP Adam Hunter announced that he was having his “surgery” early on Saturday morning so that he could get to Hampden. Meanwhile, Gair Henderson of The Evening Times revealed his skill at prophecy.
He stated it would be “Dunfermline’s Cup” and “Hearts’ Flag” because the Fifers were “Ahead in Team Work” and “Hearts won’t slip now.” Gair Henderson (sometimes unfairly called “Gers” Henderson because of his perceived Rangers sympathies) was a fine football writer; Cassandra, (the daughter of the King of Troy who was always correct in her prophecies) he was not.
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