The following week saw one of the great Celtic occasions, as the legend Danny McGrain was honoured for his fabulous service to the club. A testimonial game with Manchester United, in front of 45,000 adoring supporters, was Danny’s reward.
Former Quality Street team-mate Lou Macari was captain for the night against his old friend and club, later joking that it had been the first time in his career where he would have been happy losing the match! The game finished goalless, with United then winning on penalties, however, it was also significant for another player who would join the ‘600 club’ with Danny and Celtic, young goalkeeper Pat Bonner stepping in for the injured Latchford, soon to make the position his own for pretty much the next decade.
League action got underway with victories over Morton and Kilmarnock, Nicholas making his League debut as a second-half substitute at Rugby Park. He was again on the bench but this time unused for the third and final Premier Division match in August, against Rangers at Celtic Park, as the McAdam brothers squared up for the first time.
Having dominated the first-half, Celts took the lead within two minutes of the restart, Tommy Burns blasting home from close-range after a Jardine error. New signing Bett brought the Ibrox side level before the turning point of the game, as a perfectly-good Murdo MacLeod goal was first given then cancelled after a conversation between referee and linesman.
The knife was fully twisted with just thirty seconds remaining, as journeyman full-back Alex Miller received a short throw in front of the Jungle, then hit a shot any respectable Brazilian superstar would have been proud of, the ball looping over Bonner and the two points which had been in our grasp were lost.
This was Rangers’ first victory at Parkhead for six years, since my own first experience of the fixture, standing at the back of the old Celtic End with my brother. That day, back in September ’74 in front of 60,000, began well, with a classic Dalglish strike off the underside of the bar, but ended badly, thanks to Jim Brogan’s red card and second-half goals from McDougall and Jackson.
There were further ramifications for Celtic as the week progressed, George Connelly’s curious absence from the team then explained, as he walked away from senior football for the last time, followed by a disappointing midweek home draw against our only previous Greek opponents, Olympiakos Piraeus, in what would be Billy McNeill’s final European tie. Our instincts that the good times under Jock were on the wane proved correct, as for the first time in my Celtic-supporting life, the title was surrendered in the spring.
But in August 1980, there was another title to be regained and we would have taken great comfort had we known then that it would be the best part of a decade before a third home derby defeat would have to be endured. A few days earlier, the latest European campaign had commenced at Celtic Park, a sensational second-half goal blitz destroying the Hungarian Cup winners Diosgyor VTK Miskolc, a McGarvey hat-trick the highlight in a 6-0 win.
