On Saturday 27 April 1968, without kicking a ball, Celtic won their third Scottish League championship in a row. It had been a closely fought campaign with Rangers the slight favourites since the turn of the eat . Jock Stein though was a master at keeping the pressure well and truly on and on Scottish Cup Final day Rangers cracked losing to a Aberdeen at Ibrox, meaning that Celtic were the champions unless they lost to Dunfermline Athletic by some impossible score…16-0.
In some ways, this could be described as Celtic’s best League championship of the lot because they were so far behind at New Year, but won through by playing good football and piling the psychological pressure on Rangers.
Rangers lost 2-3 at home to Aberdeen in the league on the same Saturday that Dunfermline won the Cup, beating Hearts 3-1 at Hampden, with Jock Stein and the entire Celtic squad there to watch the game.
Celtic’s game v Dunfermline was postponed until the Wednesday night, but with Rangers losing, we couldn’t be caught – we were so far ahead on goal average, we could afford to lose 16-0.
Nevertheless, a monster crowd packed in to East End Park to salute the Champions and also the Scottish Cup winners, including supporters on the roof (as had happened at Fir Park in ’66!).
Celtic won 2-1, with both goals coming from Lennox. The Buzz Bomb had scored in each of the last 11 league games of the season!
Great photo of Big Billy and Roy Barry leading their teams out. Dunfermline had been denied a lap of honour at Hampden on the Saturday as celebrations were banned due to behaviour of Rangers fans at League Cup Final in 1965. They did the lap of honour at this game and got a great reception from the Celtic fans. There was a great relationship between the 2 clubs In those days. I had gone to the Cup Final on the Saturday with a load of other Celtic fans on Phil Cole’s bus from Coatbridge. Same bus as we used for the game at East End Park a few days later