the start of an era
part 3

In part 3 of our Jock Stein commemoration NTV takes a stroll down Amnesia Lane with a look back at the 1965-66 season. Manfred Lurker looks back at Celtic's first trophy of the new season

With the Scottish Cup replacing the Chairman's ashtray on the boardroom mantlepiece the fans were entitled to feel slightly more optimistic as the 65-66 season loomed. During the summer big Jock had invited four Brazillians to Parkhead for trials. In the end they were all released after they failed to agree terms so the eager supporters had to make do with the signing of Henry Quinn from St.Mirren, a player whose career at Parkhead took off like a lead balloon.

However, Stein had also swooped for Motherwell's Joe McBride, his first of many inspired purchases, tormentor of the Celts in the previous season's Scottish cup semi-final, a move which would turn out to be the equivalent of signing a combination of Marco Van Basten and Gerd Muller.

The Celts could have used some Brazillian inspiration as the League Cup got under way in the days of the old sectional ties though. A 1:0 victory over Motherwell, complete with the Girvan Shitehouse Peter McCloy between the sticks, was sandwiched between defeats at the hands of Dundee United at Tannadice and, worse, Dundee at Parkhead; but the troops were duly rallied by the wily Stein who masterminded a 4:0 win at Tannadice on the opening day of the League season, the prelude to victories in all of the remaining League Cup games.

Plucky Raith Rovers kept up a stiff resistance in the quarter-finals before succumbing to a 12:1 aggregate, which light relief set up a fraught semi-final against Hibs. It took a last-minute equaliser from Bobby Lennox to save the first match and force extra time before Celtic administered a 4:0 gubbing in the replay which went ahead at Ibrox despite the protests of both clubs over the quality of the Ibrox floodlights which hadn't improved much since the days of wartime blackouts.

The Huns were to be Celtic's opponents in the final. The first Old Firm game of that season had ended in a 2:1 victory for the Forces of Darkness at Ibrox in September, thanks mainly to some desperate defending for the last 30 minutes of the game. Stein's chance for revenge and his first trophy as Celtic manager came on October 23rd at Hampden.

The teams lined up; CELTIC:
Simpson; Young, Gemmell; Murdoch, McNeill, Clark; Johnstone, Gallagher, McBride, Lennox, Hughes
RANGERS: Ritchie; Johansen, Provan; Wood, McKinnon, Greig; Henderson, Willoughby, Forrest, Wilson, Johnston

"Within seconds of the kick-off Ian Young served notice to the record crowd of 107,609 that Rangers were about to experience Celtic's new-found determination when he sent Johnston crashing with a crunching tackle. Celtic were going to fight for every ball, to contest every yard, and it was Rangers who cracked first." (Campbell & Woods; The Glory And The Dream)

More specifically it was Ronnie McKinnon, a centre half of an immense stature matched only by sublime ugliness, who cracked first, leaping to palm away a John Hughes cross with nobody near him in the Rangers box apart from a dumbfounded John Grieg, who promptly skelped McKinnon's arse. Yogi made short work of the resultant spot kick.

Ten minutes later it was bedlam once more at the Celtic End of Hampden. Jinky was once again in the process of turning the gangling Hun full-back Davie Provan (for description see McKinnon in previous paragraph) inside out before Provan decided to turn Jimmy into a tin of cat food. Big Davie's judgement was such that he commited his attrocity in the middle of the penalty area three feet away from referee Hugh Philips from Wishaw who had no option other than to award another penalty to Celtic and contemplate the prospect of a lonely old time at the Lodge that Saturday night. Yogi once more stepped forward to do the needful.

The Huns rallied in the second half when Iain Young unfortunately put through his own goal but it was to be Celtic's day. Alas, post-match celebrations were curtailed when hundreds of Rangers supporters, many brandishing bottles - and they weren't offering the Celtic players a celebratory drink - invaded the pitch thereby depriving Celtic fans of many more laps of honour in the years to come.

Meanwhile, the league championship had become a two horse race by Christmas. As they went into the crucial New Year period Celtic had a slight goal average advantage over Rangers with both teams on 27 ponts.

On December 27th Stein invited a Danish goalie with the unlikely name of Bent martin for a month's trial. On January 3rd he would be there to see one of the most remarkable Old Firm clashes of them all.

part one
part two
part four
part five
part six
season stats