1972-11-20: Celtic 4-1 Dundee, League Cup Replay

Match Pictures | Matches: 1972 – 1973 | 1972-73 Pictures

Trivia

• This was a Monday night game played at Hampden. The only person making it back extra to the Saturday team against Hearts was George Connelly who had got over his 'flu and trained on Sunday and was ready at centre half for the Monday night. This meant Jimmy Quinn dropping to the bench, Jim Brogan moving to left back and Davie Hay switching to left midfield.
• All four Celtic goals come from headers.
• Third game replay played at Hampden Park after the teams were locked at 3-3 after two legs.
• Bobby Davidson referees game despite protest from Celtic Director Tom Devlin.
• Scotland youth team beat the Scotland under 23 side 2-1 in a friendly at Easter Road. Brian McLaughlin captained the youths who had Roddy MacDonald and Andy Ritchie in the team. The under 23 side had no Celts but future Celts Doyle (Ayr), Sullivan (Clyde), McAdam (Dumbarton) and Lynch (Hearts) played.

There was no official programme printed on the night but this pirate programme is popular amongst collectors.

Report

In what was becoming a common theme, Celtic gave away the opening goal but then hit back strongly.

Jocky Scott started the move from Dundee and finished it off with a cracking shot past Williams. On 26 minutes Celtic equalised. A Dalglish shot was pushed out for a corner by Allan. Jinky sent the ball over, Dixie Deans headed it back across goal and Harry Hood popped up to nod home. The second goal was a crafted effort of beauty between Dalglish and Deans. Two minutes later Dixie himself scored from a Dalglish cross and he quickly added a fourth, which was probably the best, and started out from Connelly, to Johnstone, to Hood who sent the ball into Deans who had charged into the area and headed home. All the goals came in the first half.

Teams

Celtic:
Williams, McGrain, Brogan, McCluskey, Connelly, Hay, Johnstone, Deans, Dalglish, Hood, Callaghan. Substitute: Quinn
Goals:Hood (27), Dalglish (36), Deans 2 (38,42)

Dundee:
Allan, R Wilson, Houston, Robinson, Stewart, Pringle, J Wilson, Duncan, Wallace, J Scott, I Scott (Gray)
Goal: J Scott (17)

Referee: R. H. Davidson (Airdrie).
Attendance:- 36,483

Articles

• Match Report (see below)

Pictures

• Match Pictures

Articles

Glasgow Herald November 20 1972

An abundance of talent could complicate Celtic’s selection

By Ian Archer

Celtic tonight attempt to extend one of the most perfect records of modern times. They have never failed to be present at a league cup final since Jock Stein arrived to take charge of affairs.

They meet Dundee in a replay of a quarter-final that has so far created controversy without being able to produce a concrete result.

The winners move on to a semi-final with Aberdeen in seven days’ time as this competition, which has been grinding on with the boring regularity of a soap-opera, at last reaches its final stages.

Jock Stein will pick his side shortly before the start at Hampden Park and he may find that selection process a little difficult.

IMPORTANT WIN

He could choose the men who beat Hearts for that was an important victory handsomely gained. But that would leave out four Scottish Internationalists, unfit on Saturday but who might be able to play tonight.

Billy McNeill, George Connelly, and Lou Macari all sat and watched that game while Bobby Murdoch tested a damaged leg in the reserves, his first piece of action since injury a month ago.

Yesterday Stein said that the quartet would come into his plans, and, if that is the case he will be severely embarrassed by the talent at his disposal. But whatever team he picks, a record of nine goals in their last two matches — one every 20 minutes — make Celtic firm favourites to leave Hampden as victors.

That is not to say that Dundee's challenge will be less than firm and insistent. They have met Celtic three times to far this season and twice they have won. This team may infuriate the Dens Park fans by its inability to win the matches that it should, but they have shown a great appetite for the games that ought to be beyond their scope.

They beat St Johnstone comfortably and their manager Davie White wants that form to carry over to Hampden. He says that a fast start is vital for his team.

The replay could be decided by Celtic’s central defence if McNeill and Connelly both play — and show their usual understanding – Jocky Scott could find little room to prompt his strikers. Any other Parkhead combination could give Dundee, who should field their usual side, a little more heart.

But in the last resort there is always Jimmy Johnstone. He needs only to find some of Saturday’s form to make any other outcome than a Celtic victory a most fanciful idea. This is a competition that Celtic always relish and if their enthusiasm was dulled in the early stages it has recovered now that another piece of silverware is somewhere in their sights.

OTHER ISSUES

But there will be other issues in this tie besides the actual playing of the game. Bobby Davidson is again referee, despite a request from Celtic Director, Mr Tom Devlin to the League Management Committee to have him changed.

Mr Davidson had not refereed Celtic for almost three seasons before he was appointed for this tie. All the parties seem reluctant to discuss the reasons for his exile, but in the second leg at Parkhead he ran into trouble.

Jock Stein is due to meet the SFA referee committee on December 1 to explain to them the remarks he made to Mr Davidson on the field during the interval before extra time started.

BAD MATCH

I believe that the referee had a bad match at Parkhead where he was given little help by the fans. But he is an experienced referee and tonight should be given every support by the players of both teams. Central authority in essential to the game of football and Mr Davidson is entitled to respect.

The affair of Mr Davidson is curious. Here is one of Scotland's best referees and he had not refereed the country's best club for three years. Whatever the outcome of tonight’s match, the Scottish League should appoint him quickly to take charge of another game at Parkhead.

Glasgow Herald November 21 1972

Six-minute scoring burst puts Celtic into semi-finals

By Ian Archer

Dundee 1, Celtic 4

Celtic last night sent us searching once more through the pages of Mrs. Roget’s invaluable Thesaurus to find an elegant phrase suitable to match their latest achievement.

Alas little remains unused in that well-thumbed volume. But the facts alone are eloquent enough expression to bring from a cool November night at Hampden Park.

Celtic won this quarter-final replay by scoring three goals in just about the same time it takes to smoke a regulation-size cigarette, dragging deeply all the way. It took six minutes from them to move into a semi-final against Aberdeen back at the same stadium on Monday.

MAGIC

During that period – from the 35th to the 41st minute – they were touched by magic. Hampden, the scene of so many legendary occasions, can have seen no spell as magical nor as murderous as this tiny segment of the tie.

If during those precious seconds, Celtic had been asked to play blindfold and find every man with a 50-yard pass they would probably have done so. Dundee, who had already extended the cup match for more than four hours, at last bowed to the inevitable. The rest of the game became meaningless.

Yet there had been no indication in the first half hour that Celtic would eventually win this game so easily. Dundee in fact looked like the side that had their sights quite firmly set on that meeting with Aberdeen.

While the Glasgow fans had been waging a cruel and occasionally obscene war of nerves with a referee that they did not want, Dundee hit the crossbar and then took the lead.

Mr Davidson, it should be mentioned here, went on to have a fine game, booking Celtic’s Jimmy Johnstone and Dundee’s George Stewart to show that he had no fear nor was swayed by any bias. On a satisfactory night all round, this was a major cause for joy.

In 15 seconds Dundee might have taken the lead when Duncan hit a strong shot that Williams had no right to reach let alone hold. After 13 minutes, Wallace, breaking from midfield hit the bar with a thunderous shot and so it was no real surprise when this composed side did score a fine goal.

It came straight from the drawing board, sketched by Jocky Scott, a twisting scourge of an inside forward at this stage. He laid a ball wide to Duncan, whose cross was breasted down by Wallace into the path of the innovator of the attack. Scott struck it away low and hard and not for the first time in this serial Celtic found themselves behind.

But any side that dares to take the lead against Celtic in these late autumn weeks stands a good chance of being punished and chastised without mercy. So it was that Dundee were brought back to parity after 26 minutes.

It was a goal of total injustice to goalkeeper Allan. Forced to become the bravest player on the Hampden pitch. He turned round a Dalglish shot with a save that was made off balance, but his skill brought him no reward. Johnstone took the corner. Deans headed the ball across the area and Hood was waiting at the far post for the last and decisive header.

Yet these were still only the overtures and there remained little to suggest that the tie was about to burn itself on our memories. Allan saved well from Dalglish and Hood but soon the storm was to break and the bottom fall out of Dundee’s world.

After 35 minutes, Deans, who had shown doggedness, produced a moment of high skill. He beat Stewart on the left but delayed knocking his cross into the penalty area. Dalglish running from a deep position was allowed to arrive before the pass was struck. He arched his body through the air and gracefully headed his side into the lead.

Three minutes later the roles were swapped with a great display of courtesy. This time the move was swifter, the result the same. Dalglish thumped a fine swinging cross into the penalty area and Deans, hurtling forward, headed the ball in full stride past the unfortunate Allan, who had no chance of making the save.

These were very good goals. The fourth, four minutes before half-time was a great one. It started deep, as all the best goals should, with a Connolly pass under pressure to Johnstone. The winger put on his travelling boots, switched into overdrive, and pushed forwards over the half-way line.

Hood was motoring outside him and at this stage Deans was running through the Dundee half on the other side of the field, some 50 yards away. As Deans closed in—his arm raised in premature salute—Hood crossed and the striker, never breaking his sprint, cannoned in another header that flew into the back of the net.

Eighty yards, three passes, a killing header and every piece of skill inch perfect. So it was three goals in six minutes, four in 15, and Dundee were beaten.

The rest of the match was meaningless. Celtic, quite content for long stages to sit on this lead, still contrived shots from McCluskey – who had a match full of authority—and Hood, who hit the bar with Allan looking crestfallen underneath it.

Johnstone was booked for needlessly stamping on Jimmy Wilson’s foot and so too was Stewart, hacking down another Celtic attacker in frustration. Dundee sent Gray on as a substitute more to apportion grief more widely than for any tactical reason.

PLAYED WELL

Dundee had played well until they disappeared in the maze of Celtic’s intricate passing and lethal finishing. This remained a match when the goals will be remembered through long winter nights. Jock Stein’s team is now in the middle of one of those purple patches.

Here, it should be said as a postscript, Celtic were still without the services of McNeill, Macari, and Murdoch. But there were so many others willing to step into their places. We are gaining more good football than we deserve these last few weeks.

DUNDEE – Allan; R. Wilson and Houston; Robinson, Stewart and Pringle; J. Wilson and Duncan; Wallace, J. Scott and I. Scott. Substitute—Gray.

CELTIC – Williams; McGrain and Brogan; McCluskey, Connelly and Hay; Johnstone and Deans; Dalglish; Hood and Callaghan. Substitute—Quinn.

Referee – R. H. Davidson (Airdrie).