More from The East is Green…

The Sniper in Madrid 

After the brutal match against Atletico Madrid in 1974 European Cup semi final the second leg was never going to be easy silly rumours started circulating that a sniper was gunning for Jinky.

He always roomed with Bobby Lennox on away trips, mischievous Buzz Bomb was winding him up saying you better keep away from that window Jimmy someone might have their sights on you.  So Jinky drew the curtains, oh aye that’ll save you. There was a bowl of fruit in their room and Jimmy picked up and took a bite out of an apple. Bobby goes hold on minute how do you know that apple hasn’t been poisoned Jimmy taking in every word spat out the bit put the apple down and lay on top of his bed staring at the ceiling.

Tommy Gemmell brought him up to Dundee when he was manager there hoping for a grand finale but after just three games it was obvious it wasn’t going to work big Tam said it was one of the saddest days of his life seeing him off in a taxi from Dens Park knowing he did not have much in his pocket.

The cruelest OG 

There is always the danger of a deflection or rebound when defenders are running back towards their own goal you see it time and again. On 13 December 13th 1978, against Rangers in the League Cup semi-final fate played its cruel hand for Jim “Ben” Casey.

With the game delicately poised at 2-2 in 113 minutes Roy Baines saved a Derek Johnstone shot, the ball rebounded of the inrushing Ben and rolled into the Celtic net. It was Celtic’s first League Cup defeat outwith the final since 1964 and ended a run of 155 successive League Cup games without being eliminated from the competition. The run stretch from 1964/65 until this match a world record 14 League Cup finals in a row (seven as winners)

This was desperately unlucky for the young player. When these things happen there’s no point in being
miserable you just have to swallow it and get on with it. Go for a pint.

The Joe Miller Cup Final…

Had to miss this game due to working offshore which is torture. When there is a big game on you’re constantly trying to find out the score. For this game we’ve got to hand it to Roy Aitken, in a tussle with John Brown of all people it must anger him to this day, the ball came of Roy’s foot and should have been Rangers throw in.

Sometimes a referee genuinely doesn’t know whose it is if their view is obstructed by other players, anyway it’s only a throw in so just get on with it. This is a perfect example of the “ Auld Heid” experienced managers, coaches and players should pass this on to younger players. Grab the ball and chance it, you might get away with it!

Although Rangers had the chance to recover both Richard Gough and Gary Stevens touched the ball before Wee Joe put it away. When you think about it, Big Roy chancing it probably stopped Rangers from winning the treble that year.

There was a guy on the job who did not like Roy Aitken. He was forever slagging him. I was fed up listening to him one day I said to him look I know he is not a silky ball player but he is to Celtic what John Greig was to Rangers.

Anyway I says he sickened you three times in one game. How do you make that out he says, I pointed out that it should have been Rangers throw in this guy didn’t even seem to realise this, that was the first then in the dying minutes he took a free kick and booted it into the crowd behind the goal using up time, if this guy did not like Roy before he detested him now then he says what was the third thing I says when he lifted the cup big man.

Must be great to have a cup final named after you, Joe Miller.

“Whit a bloody cairry oan”

The East is Green is a self published booklet written by life-long Celtic supporter Brian McAuley, who has also personally designed so many Celtic Supporters Club badges and many of them will be shown on The Celtic Star as we serialise this brilliant little Celtic book. Running to just over 100 pages it’s a great insight into supporting Celtic and attending games stretching as far back as the 1950s to the modern day.

As we have done previously with Jerry Woods’ brilliant To Lisbon and Back on a Fiver, we’re happy to put any reader in touch with Brian and he’s post and package you a copy of The East is Green for the very reasonable cost of £5 plus postage.

Just drop an email to editor@thecelticstar.co.uk and we’ll be pleased to make the necessary introductions. More from The East is Green on The Celtic Star over the coming weeks. HH

ON CELTIC SHORTS…Exclusive Photos – A phoenix rising, a house of steel and 60,000 Celtic dreams