| Match Pictures | Matches: 1889 – 1890 | 1887-1900 |
Trivia
- This game was to have been a Glasgow North Eastern cup-tie which was postponed due to a "hard pitch" and both teams agreed to play a Friendly Match.
- Played at Celtic Park.
- Before 10,000 spectators.
Review
In the second round of the Glasgow North Eastern ties these teams met at Celtic Park, Parkhead, but on account of the hard nature of the ground only a friendly game was played.
The game started well, and Cowlairs in a very short time scored. The Celts, roused at this, pressed hard, but the visitors broke away three minutes later, and repeated. The Cowlairs now defended, and at half time led by two to one.
The second half was all in the visitors favour, and finally ended – Cowlairs, 6 goals; Celtic, 1 goal.
Teams
Celtic:-
Mclaughlin, Reynolds, McKeown, Dowds, Kelly, McLaren, McCallum, Madden, Groves, Coleman, Dunbar.
Goal:- Groves 30.
Cowlairs:-
Duff, Mcleod, McCartney, McCreadie, Masterton, James McPherson, Fleming, Binks, Calderwood, McClair, John McPherson.
Goals:- John McPherson 10, John McPherson 13, John McPherson 55, Unknown 59, Binks, Unknown.
Articles
- Match Report (See Below)
- Official Site
Pictures
- Match Pictures
From newspaper report from the time.
Report 1
These teams met at Celtic Park to play off their tie in the second round of the North eastern Cup competition. Owing to the hardness of the ground the teams agreed before going on to the field to play a friendly game.
Cowlairs kicked off, but the Celts were first to assume the aggressive. In less than five minutes the Celts, by good combined play, approached Cowlairs' goal, and Duff saved a good shot in brilliant fashion. A corner was conceded, but McCallum shot over the bar. Cowlairs then had a fine run down the field, but Fleming allowed the ball to go into touch, and a foul given against the Celts immediately afterwards was unproductive. Some keen play followed, the Cowlairs gradually finding their way down the field, and from a pass by McPherson (half-back) he enabled his brother to score a splendid goal. McLaughlin being helpless in his effort to save. This point was scored tem minutes from the start, and in a few minutes afterwards McPherson again scored in a similar manner for Cowlairs. The Celts had not settled down to their usual combined game, and so far the strangers had decidedly the best of it.. The Celts, however, had a good chance, but Groves fumbled the ball, and a corner, which followed, came to nothing, McCartney heading the ball away. On the other hand, Cowlairs had hard lines in not increasing their score. Not to be denied, Cowlairs still pressed, and it looked as if they must score again, but Fleming shot over the bar. Even play followed, Cowlairs having probably more chances than their opponents, but could not manage to get the ball through. After about half an hour's play, Groves scored a splendid goal for the Celts from a foul a few yards in front of Duff, who could not have saved. The Celtic played more determinedly after this, and would have equalised but for a grand save by McCartney. Duff was hard pressed for a long time, but he saved in marvellous fashion several times. The Celts were having all the play, but the Cowlairs' half-backs played a strong defensive game, and repeatedly spoiled the efforts of the home team. The ball travelled rapidly from end to end, the game being exceedingly fast, considering the hardness of the ground. At half-time the score was – Cowlairs, 2 goals; Celtic, 1 goal.
At the beginning of the second half the Cowlairs men pressed their opponents, and but for the activity of McKeown they would have scored very early. There was a commendable amount of smartness about the Cowlairs players that was totally absent from the Celtic style and everything in the play indicated thus early, a win for the Cowlairs men. John McPherson, about ten minutes after kick-off, scored the third goal for Cowlairs, and three or four minutes later the visitors put on a fourth point. It was apparent, however, that the Celts could not act on the had ground, and the decision arrived at before the game started not to play a cup tie, but a friendly match only, proved a fortunate one for the home players. Keeping up the pressure, Binks scored a fifth goal for Cowlairs. Except on the odd occasion the Celts seemed fairly out of their usual play, while the Cowlairs men, evidently bent on making their victory a substantial one, wrought hard to increase their score, and were peppering at the Celts' goal, McLaughlin being kept busy punting put shots from the centre, right, and left forwards of the Cowlairs combination. Although latterly playing very well, the Celts took it easy in the knowledge that it was a friendly game only.
The result was – Cowlairs, 6 goals; Celtic, 1 goal
Report 2
The surprise in Glasgow football circles on Saturday was the defeat of the Celtic by Cowlairs by 6 goals to 1. The teams met at Celtic Park to play off their tie in the second round of the North Eastern Cup competition, but as the ground was very hard it was decided – fortunately as it turned out for the Celts – to play a friendly game only.
The Celts, probably on account of the insecure footing and the knowledge that it was a friendly game only, were not nearly so effective as usual.
Cowlairs, however, deserve great credit for the surprisingly good all round form which they displayed. Their forwards are a smart, dashing lot, ably supported by the half backs, while at full back on Saturday McLeod played in his usual finished style
None of the goals scored against the Celts could have been saved, and the first two taken by John McPherson, the Internationalist, showed that, although he has taken part in few matches this season so far, he has lost none of his brilliancy.
By a strange coincidence the other Irish team, the Glasgow |Hibernians, were beaten by exactly the same number of goals in playing off their tie in the same competition, and that too by the Northern, who, like Cowlairs, are also a Springburn club.