| Match Pictures | Matches: 1924 – 1925 |
Trivia
- Debut for Willie Fleming, who incredibly scored four goals!
- Willie Fleming is the last player to score a hat-trick or more goals on their Celtic Park debut until Kyogo Furuhashi scored a hat-trick in his Celtic Park debut (but not his Celtic match debut) in August 2021.
- Bizarrely both the Scotsman and Glasgow Herald match reports are quite muted on this incredible achievement by Willie Fleming.
- Debut also for James Healy, who only went on to play one more game.
- It also surprising that Celtic only led Killie 1-0 at half time on that iconic day, before a late flurry from the Bhoys turned the game into a rout.
- An advertisement in The Glasgow Herald depicts Dr Johnson extolling the virtues of Waverley cigarettes for just one shilling for 20. LINK
Review
Teams
CELTIC: Shevlin, W.McStay, Hilley, Wilson, J. McStay, McFarlane, Healy, Gallacher, Fleming, A. Thomson, Connolly
Scorers: Fleming (4), Connolly, Wilson
KILMARNOCK: Gould, Hood, Gibson, Brown, Clark, McEwan, Walker, Smith, Morton, Bird, Borland
Referee:
Attendance: 6,000
Articles
- Match Report (see end of page below)
Pictures
- Match Pictures
Articles
It is hard to believe that Fleming’s record stood for almost a century! It also surprising that Celtic only led Killie 1-0 at half time on that iconic day, before a late flurry from the Bhoys turned the game into a rout. Indeed, the following report from the 10 November 1924 edition of The Scotsman newspaper gives a fascinating summary of proceedings:
CELTIC GET SIX GOALS
The play at Celtic Park, Glasgow, where Celtic opposed Kilmarnock, was of a moderate class, and there was no real excitement after the interval. There was always a chance of Kilmarnock bringing off a surprise, but with the ordering off of Smith and the retirement of Morton, the latter stages were really a farce. There was not a great deal between the sides in the first half, in which the Celtic forwards showed the better football. But they were good up to a point only, and when it came to shooting they were no better than the visitors. Fleming got the only goal of the first half, two minutes after the start. For twenty-five minutes of the second half Kilmarnock held their own, but a run by Gallacher opened the way for Connelly to score a second goal. Two minutes later Wilson scored what seemed a good goal, but the Kilmarnock players got round the referee, protesting, and ultimately Smith, Kilmarnock’s best forward, was ordered to the pavilion. Morton, who had been injured earlier, also retired, and the visitors were left to fight with nine men. They were kept continually defending and Fleming, who was leading the Celtic attack, scored three goals in succession. Gould kept a good goal for the visitors and could in no way be blamed for the heavy defeat. The attendance was 6000.
The Glasgow Herald – Mon Nov 10, 1924
Celtic also were under strength against Kilmarnock, as McGrory and McLean, two of their leading forwards were absent through injuries, yet the Parkhead team won decisively. The emergency centre forward introduced by Celtic, Fleming, a half-back from Vale of Leven, scored four goals.