| Match Pictures | Matches: 1931 – 1932 | 1931 Pictures |
Trivia
- A new season starts with familiar faces as Jimmy McGrory with goals in the 36th and 61st minute, and Bertie Thomson in 73 minutes secures the points for the bhoys.
- Thomas Whitney recruited in the summer from Bridgeton Waverley makes his debut at outside-left for Celtic and has an assist to a McGrory goal. In his 39th year, ex-Celtic stalwart Jimmy McColl, who earlier in the year had played against Celtic as a Hibernian, does battle against his old team as a Leither.
- The football season in Scotland started on Saturday, and, though the condition were not of the best, most of the matches had good attendances. Ibrox saw the biggest crowd and nothing out of the ordinary happened in the way of results. Few of the clubs showed convincing form, but that perhaps was hardly to be expected in the first matches of the season. The Celtic were not seen at their best, but they were full value for their three goals win over Leith Athletic at Edinburgh in front of a ground record crowd of 22,000.
- In the Second Division 4,000 spectators were at Easter Road, Edinburgh, to see the Hibernians commence their struggle to get back to the First Division of the League. To many the fact that they had a single goal win over Alloa would be acceptable enough, but it cannot be said that their exhibition was a satisfactory one. Their play was scrappy and lacking in understanding.
- New York, August 9. — Jack—"Legs"—Diamond, the famous gangster and bootlegger, was yesterday convicted of owning an unlicensed still in the Catskill mountains, and of conspiring to violate the Prohibition law. With this conviction, Jack Diamond has a record of 25 arrests and only two convictions in his long career as one of the uncrowned "kings" of the underworld. His last conviction was 15 years ago when he got the worst of a tussle with the authorities over a tame little matter of "unlawful entry." The 23 cases in which he came out top-dog included charges of homicide, assault, and grand larceny.
Review
Teams
LEITH ATHLETIC:
Boyce, Mitchell, Forrest, McNeil, Lockie, Crawford, Pullar, Forbes, Laidlaw, Jimmy McColl, Johnston.
Scorers:
CELTIC:
J. Thomson, Cook, McGonagle, Wilson, McStay, Scarff, R. Thomson, A. Thomson, McGrory, Napier, Whitney.
Scorers:
McGrory, (2); R. Thomson.
Referee: H. Watson (Bishopbriggs).
Attendance: 22,000
Articles
- Match Report (see end of page below)
Pictures
Articles
The Scotsman – Monday, 10th August 1931, page 4
SCOTTISH LEAGUE
LEITH ATHLETIC'S HEAVY FALL
Leith Athletic's recruiting campaign during the off-season did not save them from a sharp rebuff from the Celtic in the opening game at the Marine Gardens, Edinburgh. Included in the Leith team were four newcomers in Boyce and Forbes, goalkeeper and inside-right respectively, from Bristol Rovers; Lockie, a centre half-back from the Rangers; and McColl from the Hibernians.
The presence of those experienced players was expected to make for strength, but the Celtic, with only one new player in Whitney, an outside-left from the Intermediate ranks, were able to repeat the 3-0 victory they scored on the same ground in the last game of the old season in April.
The Parkhead players won without being greatly stretched. Their football was not brilliant, but their team work was sound, and they had a distinct pull in forward play.
A slow start by the cupholders was not turned to account by Leith Athletic. Some alertness and enterprise on the part of the Leith forwards might have brought an early goal and helped them to keep the Celtic off their game. As it was, the worst that befel the visitors was an escape when the goalkeeper had to run out and daringly throw himself at the feet of Laidlaw.
A save from Pullar was another notable effort by Thomson. Otherwise, the Leith forwards, and the outside-men and centre in particular, were weak and halting in their style and fell in easy prey to the capable, Celtic backs and half-backs.
Forbes was active enough, but achieved little, and McColl's foraging qualities were wasted on colleagues who had no thrust. It was nine minutes from the interval before the Celtic opened the scoring. McGrory had been closely shadowed by Lockie, but a cross from R. Thomson taken on the run yielded him a good goal.
Fifteen minutes after the interval McGrory headed a second goal from a corner kick well placed by Whitney. The third goal fell to R. Thomson, who got the ball after a Leith defender had blocked a free kick close in.
Latterly the Celtic eased up; their supremacy was complete, although they were lucky to escape a penalty kick when McColl was held back.
Defenders took what honours were going on the Leith side. Boyce made a slip at the second goal, but otherwise played well; the backs, moderately good, were often indebted to Lockie, whose game was almost entirely a defensive one. McNeill kept a better grip of his wing than did Crafword. All over it was a disappointing show by the Leith players.
The attendance, estimated at over 20,000, was stated to be a record for a football match at the Marine Gardens. [See Match Pictures]
