Tommy Callaghan’s Dunfermline Double dreams die as Celtic and Kilmarnock claim the prizes

The Tommy Callaghan Story – Part 6: Dunfermline’s Double dreams die as Celts and Killie claim the prizes…

The first Saturday of April 1965 in Scotland saw five teams still in with a chance of domestic silverware by the end of that month. Rangers’ shock home defeat to Morton in midweek had ended their hopes of retaining the flag, albeit the performance of two Danes for the Greenock side – goalkeeper Erik Sorensen and right-back Kai Johansen – would soon earn them a transfer to Ibrox, but the top four teams in Division One still harboured dreams of clinching the League title.

That would be a first-ever Championship for either third-placed Kilmarnock or Dunfermline Athletic, currently in fourth spot, whilst Hibernian supporters were looking for a first such win since the spring of 1952 in the heyday of their Famous Five forward line. The Easter Road men were currently tucked into second place, one point behind bitter rivals Hearts. The League leaders and bookies favourites had tasted a Championship win in the current decade, the flag flying proudly over Tynecastle in 1960.

Willie Cunningham’s Dunfermline actually had two paths to glory, outsiders in the title race now perhaps after their midweek defeat at Easter Road but still very much in contention for the Scottish Cup. The Pars were looking forward to a rematch of the 1961 final later in the month, where they would take on a rejuvenated Celtic team now under the leadership of Jock Stein.

Ironically, Stein had been the manager who had brought the cup to East End Park for the first time four years earlier, crushing the dreams of some of his young Parkhead proteges in the process. Celtic were out of contention for the League title, but their long-suffering supporters were looking to end a seven-year-plus wait for major trophy success which stretched back to Hampden in the Sun in October 1957. The Scottish Cup would do that job quite nicely, thank you very much.

Jock Stein’s immediate concern was a home League clash with Third Lanark, as he sought the team formation which would give him the best chance of ending that silverware drought, albeit the Celtic manager, perhaps unusually, missed the game to carry out a scouting mission in England.

The Hi Hi were under the stewardship of his old colleague Bobby Evans and were already doomed to relegation with just seven points from 29 games. Evans chose three former Celtic players in his team, two of whom had certainly been at Parkhead when Stein was coaching the reserves, former skipper Dunky MacKay and inside forward Mike Jackson.  The third visiting player with Celtic connections was outside-right John McGuire, although I am struggling to find much information on his career in the Hoops.

The match itself was a dreadful disappointment for those Celtic supporters who rolled up to see the same eleven who had reached the Scottish Cup final in midweek at Motherwell’s expense struggling to break down the bottom-dogs. Indeed, it took a late own goal from one of their former heroes – the aforementioned MacKay – to keep the two points at Celtic Park as the Hoops toiled to a 1-0 victory. Part of the credit for that goes to promising young Thirds goalkeeper Evan Williams, a Hoops diehard.

No-one would know at that time but the two sides who had contested the 1889 Scottish Cup final – Celtic’s first – would never meet again. By the summer of 1967, Third Lanark would sadly be consigned to the history books, following several years of gross mismanagement.

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Another group of supporters not enjoying their football that afternoon was those of Hibernian, following a 2-1 defeat at Dens Park courtesy of a double from 17-year-old Dundee striker Jocky Scott. That allowed Hearts – 4-1 victors over St Johnstone at Tynecastle – to stretch their lead at the top to three points with just three games to play. Kilmarnock now joined Hibernian on the 44-point mark, following their 2-1 win over Clyde at Rugby Park, whilst Dunfermline maintained their challenge by beating St Mirren by the same score at East End Park. The Pars were two points behind that duo with a game in hand, so relatively in the same position as Hibernian and Kilmarnock. It was Hearts’ title to lose now surely, although not according to Dunfermline manager Willie Cunningham.

“All is not lost because we dropped both points on Wednesday. Hearts and Hibs could be caught quite easily in their remaining games, and what impresses me about my boys is the way they are playing – with great spirit and determination.”

The Pars were not in action in midweek but two sides with title aspirations were involved with very different outcomes. Kilmarnock crept up to within a point of Hearts with a 1-0 win over Falkirk at Brockville, but Hibernian’s championship dreams seemed all but over after Celtic came to Easter Road and blew the hosts away with a 4-0 victory, a second defeat in four days for Bob Shankly’s men.

Three goals in seven minutes from Bertie Auld, Stevie Chalmers and Bobby Murdoch midway through the first half finished the contest, Auld adding a fourth after the break as Celts avenged their 4-2 reverse in Glasgow a few weeks earlier. Hibernian misery was complete when John Fallon saved a late Neil Martin penalty. It will forever be a question which will haunt Hibernian fans from that era, just what could have been achieved had Jock Stein remained in charge there until the end of that season. A genuine Sliding Doors moment.

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Saturday, 10 April 1965 would prove to be another pivotal day in the title race, albeit most eyes were on Wembley as Scotland toiled to a 2-2 draw with an English team who played most of the second half with just nine fit players. There were two vital League games played the same afternoon, Hearts travelling to Tannadice knowing that a win would leave them just two points from the title.

As it turned out, the Gorgie men trailed for most of the afternoon to an early Finn Dossing strike and it took a superb late effort from Willie Wallace to salvage a draw, leaving them two points clear of Kilmarnock with two matches remaining. The other big match was at Cathkin, where Dunfermline edged Third Lanark by the odd goal in three to keep their outside chances alive, the Fifers now just two points behind Kilmarnock.

The Pars also had a game in hand of the leading duo and that took place at East End Park four nights later. Defending champions Rangers were the visitors but the Fifers tore them apart with two goals in a devastating opening 15 minutes, Jackie Sinclair opening the scoring before Harry Melrose doubled the lead from Tommy Callaghan’s free-kick. Tommy was then involved in the action again as the hosts sought a third, his penalty kick brilliantly saved by Norrie Martin.

Fellow Fifer Jim Baxter was also foiled from 12 yards, Jim Herriot twisting to block his spot kick in the 41st minute. We then had a bizarre episode as referee Henderson of Dundee immediately blew for half-time with four minutes still remaining, despite clearly being advised of the situation by his linesmen as they headed down the tunnel. Sure enough, the officials re-emerged with the teams within a few minutes to play out the first half. Dunfermline did get a third goal when Sinclair beat Martin again with 20 minutes to play and the match was in its dying seconds before Davie Wilson pulled one back to make the final score 3-1.

That victory took the Fifers into second place, now above Kilmarnock on goal average. Indeed, Dunfermline had the best goal average of the three title contenders, 2.26 to Hearts’ 1.85 and Killie’s 1.72. And with Hearts and Kilmarnock playing each other on the final day, hopes were raised once again that the League flag would be flying over East End Park by the end of April.

And those more optimistic Pars fans believed that the Double was also a distinct possibility, a view endorsed when they heard that Scottish Cup final opponents Celtic had been trounced 6-2 by third-bottom Falkirk at Brockville the same evening. Not a bad way for Falkirk manager Alec McCrae to end his five-year tenure with the Bairns. He resigned the following morning following a disagreement with the directors over club policy.

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The penultimate round of League fixtures for the season took place on Easter Saturday, 17 April 1965 and saw the first part of Dunfermline’s Double dream die. The Pars were at home to lowly St Johnstone and needed both points to maintain the pressure on Hearts and Kilmarnock, the Gorgie men facing a hazardous trip to Pittodrie whilst Killie hosted Morton. Both of the leading duo duly completed their bit by winning their respective matches 3-0, setting up a mouth-watering clash between the pair at Tynecastle seven days later for the title, but the Fifers challenge ended in abject disappointment when they could only manage a 1-1 draw with Bobby Brown’s St Johnstone.

In fairness to the Pars, they enjoyed no luck whatsoever on the day, Alex Ferguson leading the assault on the Saints’ goal but denied on several occasions. As often happens, the visitors then broke away to score with Ian Hawkshaw the man on target midway through the first half, despite appearing to be well offside. Ten minutes from the break, Dunfermline were level thanks to a wonderful solo goal from Ferguson, his 19th strike of the campaign.

The second half followed a similar pattern, the Pars doing the bulk of the attacking football but always wary of the counter. Tommy almost scored the goal which would have won the title as it turned out, his fine shot following a corner-kick bringing out the best in Perth hero Mike McVittie. Now three points behind Hearts with only one game remaining, the League flag would not be flying over East End Park that summer despite a most wonderful effort.

Their Scottish Cup final opponents Celtic also experienced disappointment ahead of the Hampden showpiece seven days later, Jock Stein’s men brought crashing to earth after their midweek heroics in Leith, a team featuring several changes photographed before kick-off then beaten 2-1 at home by Partick Thistle. Celtic were then linked with a bid for England striker Joe Baker, the former Hibernian and Torino hitman having asked Arsenal for a transfer. Had Baker been the mystery signing target for Stein south of the border two weeks earlier?

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The performance against Partick Thistle would prove costly for Jim Kennedy and Jimmy Johnstone, both players missing as Jock Stein made two changes to the line-up for Hampden announced at Celtic’s Largs headquarters at 11am on the Wednesday morning. The Celtic boss decided to go with the team which had comprehensively beaten Motherwell in the semi-final at Hampden then Hibernian at Easter Road. Back into defence came Tommy Gemmell, whilst Stevie Chalmers would move from the centre to the right wing in a revamped attack which also featured the return of Charlie Gallagher. What an important decision that would turn out to be.

Dunfermline Athletic manager Willie Cunningham was playing his cards closer to his chest, naming only a 16-man squad.

“I may announce a team [on Friday]or I may not. I may stick to my usual procedure and announce the team when we reach Hampden. The players all know the position. They know my tactics in that respect. I do not think it is necessary to name a team to instil confidence. The boys are confident enough.”

Cunningham’s apparent confidence seemed to be shared by The Evening Times’ chief football correspondent Gair Henderson, who confidently predicted “Dunfermline’s cup, Hearts’ flag” on the day before the vital matches. If Jock Stein was looking for a clipping for the dressing-room wall, then he needed to look no further. Willie Waddell too, for that matter.

The Dunfermline cloak-and-dagger approach continued even after the team bus arrived at Hampden, the Fifers ushered into the away dressing-room with no further updates provided. It was only when the Pars took the field a few minutes before 3pm that the shock exclusion of their top goalscorer Alex Ferguson was revealed, former Clyde and Morton striker John McLaughlin wearing the number nine jersey instead, despite a vastly inferior goals total.

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The teams lined up at a packed Hampden on Saturday, 24 April 1965 as follows.

Celtic
John Fallon; Ian Young & Tommy Gemmell; Bobby Murdoch, Billy McNeill & John Clark; Stevie Chalmers, Charlie Gallagher, John Hughes, Bobby Lennox & Bertie Auld.

Dunfermline Athletic
Jim Herriot; Willie Callaghan & John Lunn; Jim Thomson, Jim McLean & Tommy Callaghan; Alex Edwards, Alex Smith, John McLaughlin, Harry Melrose & Jackie Sinclair.

The match would turn out to be one of the all-time great cup finals. Harry Melrose, a veteran of Dunfermline’s cup-winning side of 1961 struck first, nipping between a static Celtic defence to beat John Fallon after 15 minutes. The bulk of the 109,000 crowd were backing Celtic, and their moment of glory arrived on the half-hour. Charlie Gallagher – another who played in the final four years earlier – weaved into position 30 yards out before exploding a shot towards the Dunfermline goal. The ball beat Jim Herriot all ends up to strike the crossbar before arcing high into the Hampden sky, Bertie Auld the first to react and connect with his head for 1-1.

The third goal of the first half arrived just before the break, this time Melrose and John McLaughlin working a neat free-kick for the latter to justify his surprise inclusion with a clinical finish into the corner.

A goal behind and now playing into a fierce, swirling wind, Celtic had it all to do. No team in history had come from behind twice to win the Scottish Cup, but within six minutes of the restart Bertie Auld and Bobby Lennox combined brilliantly down the left flank for Auld to net his second of the afternoon with a powerful low drive. With the match finely balanced, John Fallon thwarted the Fifers on several occasions with excellent saves, but the decisive goal arrived at the Mount Florida end. Once again, the delightful Gallagher was involved, his curling corner-kick delivery met perfectly by the flashing head of Celtic captain Billy McNeill to win the Scottish Cup for his team. The fairytale club was back in business and The Celtic Rising would be built on this foundation. It remains an iconic day in the history of the club.

For Tommy Callaghan and the players and supporters of Dunfermline Athletic, they would have to endure a very different set of emotions. Seven days earlier, they were on the brink of a domestic Double, a feat never previously achieved by a club from outwith Glasgow. The dropped point against St Johnstone at East End Park that afternoon had cost them their shot at the League title, a fact painfully rammed home by the news of Kilmarnock’s 2-0 win at Tynecastle, the Ayrshire club pipping long-time leaders Hearts on their own backyard by 0.04 of a goal.

Had the Pars beat the Perth team, then a win in their final League game – at home to cup-conquerors Celtic the following midweek – would have given them the title on goal average from both Kilmarnock and Hearts. That would no doubt be scant consolation to the Pars supporters who witnessed Dunfermline thrash a much-changed Celtic team by 5-1 four days later, with the restored Alex Ferguson scoring the final goal to take his tally to 20 for the campaign.

As Tommy reflected on the season just ended on his summer break, there would be plenty to take encouragement from. A virtual ever-present in a Dunfermline Athletic team which was one agonising goal away from winning the title, lost to a resurgent Jock Stein-inspired Celtic in the Scottish Cup final and suffered a narrow play-off defeat to a top-class Spanish side in European competition.

His day would come.

Hail Hail,

Matt Corr

Follow Matt on Twitter @Boola_vogue

Don’t miss The Celtic Rising ~ 1965: The Year Jock Stein Changed Everything by David Potter and published by Celtic Star Books available in hardback and on Amazon kindle.