For the first time in five years, there was a Celtic fixture on New Year’s Day to kill or cure the Hogmanay hangover. The previous occasion had not been a memorable one for me, my first visit to Ibrox ending in defeat thanks to a first-half Derek Johnstone header, as that great Celt Sean Fallon struggled to steady the ship in the absence of a recovering Jock, despite the presence of world-class stars McGrain and Dalglish.
As Stein convalesced, following a serious road crash the previous summer, Jock Wallace’s Rangers would go on to win the first-ever Premier League as part of a domestic treble. Thankfully, with the Big Man back at the helm, Celtic stormed back to win the double the following season, as natural order was restored for those of a Hoops persuasion.
In 1981, the holiday fixture was at Rugby Park and a packed, pale-faced Cairn bus headed down to Ayrshire to watch the Bhoys come back from a goal down in the opening minutes to win with a McGarvey double. Frank was again on the mark twice just two days later, in a 3-0 home victory over Morton, then scoring the winner against Dundee United at Parkhead the following Saturday, as Celts put the heavy Pittodrie defeat behind them with a perfect start to the New Year.
Next up was a first-ever trip over the border to play Berwick Rangers at Shielfield Park in the Scottish Cup. The pre-match media hype was all around the possibility of a second giant-killing act from the Wee Rangers, following their victory over the Ibrox side at the same stage in the holy year of 1967. On that occasion, a certain Jock Wallace was in the home goal as player-manager, setting an unique record having played in both the Welsh and English FA Cups earlier that season for Hereford United.
Fourteen years on, it was an ex-Celtic goalkeeper in the Berwick dugout, as mild-mannered Frank Connor sought to put one over on his old club. It was not to be, as goals in each half from Nicholas and Burns edged Celtic into the draw for the Fourth Round.
Back on League business at Tynecastle, a run of five straight January victories was completed with an easy 3-0 win over a doomed Hearts side, McGarvey, Burns and Sullivan on target. The mood in the packed Gorgie Terrace was lifted still further at full-time, with news of Aberdeen’s defeat at Ibrox, a combination of results which took Celtic to the top of the table.
Momentum was now very much with the Hoops, who progressed in the Scottish Cup with comfortable home victories over Stirling Albion and East Stirling. Between those ties, we witnessed Charlie Nicholas coming of age against Rangers, scoring twice as Celts stormed from behind to win 3-1, thus avenging the two earlier defeats to leave the old rivals a distant eight points in our wake.
