| Match Pictures | Matches: 1921 – 1922 | 1921 pictures |
Trivia
- Featuring in the Kirkcaldy side this day was Tom Jennings (See Match Pictures) who would go on to have an amazing career including being shipwrecked on the Rovers tour to the Canary Isles and giving a bravura performance of “The Rosary”.
- The coverage of this match on page 3 of The Glasgow Herald is minimal and a fraction of that given to the England/Australia Test Match cricket. LINK
- Elsewhere in the Herald Ireland dominates Home News with a sub-heading “Dublin Reflections” describing the burnt out Custom House building from recent events and the ruined General Post Office from a previous attempt “to seize the reins of government in Ireland”, while the trial of those accused of the Smashing of The Van goes on in Edinburgh.
- Page 4 of the Herald carries an advertisment for the British Motor Trading Corporation, City Rd. Glasgow for their stock of Swift motor cars from £395 upwards.
Review
Celtic start the league season in fine style with a comprehensive home win.
Teams
CELTIC- Shaw; McStay and Dodds; Gilchrist, Cringan, and McMaster; McAtee, Gallacher, Longmuir, Cassidy, and McLean.
RAITH ROVERS- Jimmy Brown; Inglis and Moyes; Raeburn, Morris, and Collier; Tommy Duncan, J. Duncan, Jennings, Bauld, and Archibald.
Referee- Mr. Bell, Hamilton.
Attendance: 15,000.
Goals: Longmuir (5, 65) Cassidy, McAtee
Articles
- Match Report (see end of page below)
Pictures
Articles
Mathch report from The Scotsman, 16th August 1921
In the opening League match at Celtic Park, Glasgow, last night, fully 15,000 spectators witnessed Celtic defeat Raith Rovers by four goals to nothing. The play throughout was fast and keenly contested, and on the run of the game the Rovers were decidedly unlucky. Five minutes after the start Longmuir opened the scoring for Celtic, and this lead they held until the interval. In the second half the Rovers looked like drawing level, J. Duncan just failing to beat Shaw with a great drive. Twenty-five minutes from the end Longmuir scored a second goal, and the Rovers’ defence wavering, Cassidy and McAtee again got past Brown’s guard.
The Courier, Tuesday August 16, 1921
RAITH ROVERS FALL AT PARKHEAD.
WHY RAITH ROVERS FAILED.
FORWARDS WEAK NEAR GOAL.
Despite the rather tall score against them at Celtic Park last night, Raith Rovers have nothing to be ashamed of in their first visit to Glasgow. For a goodly part of the game the Fifers were the superior team, and rank bad front line tactics and lack of stamina were responsible for the loss of the points. They were up against a strong Celtic side, which included McStay at back for McNair and Longmuir in centre vice McInally.
Right at the start the Rovers were unlucky. Celtic broke away from the kick off, and after three minutes McLean lobbed a ball over, which McAtee fastened on to. The outside right shot hard at Brown, who crouched to save, only to put the ball a yard or so from him, and Longmuir rushed in and scored.
This reverse should easily have been nullified, for all the rest of this half the Rovers were mostly in Celtic territory. The two Duncans and Jennings made things hum round about McStay and Dodds. Indeed, the whole front line played splendid football up to a point. The point was goal-getting.
Rovers Superior.
Celtic were nervy, and so hard pressed was the defence that the forwards seldom got the ball. McStay was none too sure, and had Bauld and Archibald been played to goals would have come.
Duncan was not in luck when Shaw saved a super shot, and Bauld also put in a dangerous one, but where the Rovers erred was in trying to get too near Shaw. All the three inside men were at fault in this.
Celtic showed them a lesson in the later period, when they rattled on three goals in seven minutes. Cassidy, Longmuir, McLean, and McAtee shot whenever they got a glimpse of the goal. Shaw was busy enough at the other end, but it was mostly in dealing with by-kicks, although he had one great save from a high shot by Duncan, with Jennings and the other Duncan on top of him. There was no mistake which was the better team at this stage. Moyes and Inglis cleared with great confidence, and the half-back line –Raeburn, Morris, and Collier—made the Celtic forwards look very small beer, Raeburn especially kept Cassidy and McLean well in hand.
Encouragement for Raith.
Brown had only a couple of shots to handle, and every minute it looked as though the equaliser would come. The crowd cheered on the Fifers in their efforts, so enamoured were they of the skill and endeavour of the Rovers. But a fall was theirs, however in the next period.
Only 18 minutes had gone when the second goal for Celtic came from Longmuir, but it was apparent that there was to be a vast change in the game long ere this. The Celtic forwards, disjointed before, now linked up cleverly, and after J. Duncan had shot high over Shaw’s head in the first minute it seemed that the Raith halves were mastered. Twice Cassidy was unmarked, and it was lucky for the Fifers that the international was not in shooting form, and then Brown nearly lost a goal when he trusted to the ball hitting the bar. Instead it fell over his head, and he was lucky in clearing.
Why the Game Changed.
The falling away of the Raith half-backs left too much work for the backs, and Inglis had more than enough to do with his wing pair. McLean was often beaten in the sprint, but he managed to get the ball across, and Longmuir took the chance first time. The same thing happened a minute later, when McAtee beat Collier and swung the ball into goal. Longmuir missed the header, but Cassidy was behind him and headed through. Although the Rovers appealed for offside, the referee and linesman decided otherwise. Further disaster befell them when McAtee accepted a pass from McLean and shot past Brown.
The three goals all came within seven minutes, and after that the Celtic seemed to ease up. As a result the Rovers made several raids on Shaw, but the same old fault was there, Bauld being the great sinner in this respect. The Rovers were at a loose end towards the close.
Brown’s Daring Save.
Brown had to do several smart things. Once he dared greatly, running out to snatch the ball from the foot of Gallagher, who was past everybody. Apart from the first goal, when he might have got rid of the ball better, no blame attaches to the goalkeeper.
The Raith backs compared favourably with the other pair, both Inglis and Moyes kicking nicely until they got too much to do. The half-back line, of which Collier was best, was all right up to a point, but lack of stamina against a perfect front line full of running told its story. It is only fair to say, however, that all three got many hard knocks.
Duncans in Form.
Of the forwards, the Duncans on the right made most of the openings, and if the inside man had more confidence in his shooting it would have paid him. Jennings kept Cringan on tenderhooks up to half-time, but he failed to link up in the later period. Bauld did many clever things, but should have played more to Archibald. The outside left has been seen to better advantage many a time. Of the Celts, Dodds, McMaster, McAtee, Gallacher, and McLean were best. Celtic had still a great team, and will take a lot of beating.
CELTIC- Shaw; McStay and Dodds; Gilchrist, Cringan, and McMaster; McAtee, Gallacher, Longmuir, Cassidy, and McLean.
RAITH ROVERS- Brown; Inglis and Moyes; Raeburn, Morris, and Collier; T. Duncan, J. Duncan, Jennings, Bauld, and Archibald.
Referee- Mr. Bell, Hamilton.