| Match Pictures | Matches: 1938 – 1939 |
Trivia
- The Glasgow Herald coverage of the Glasgow Cup final at Hampden is full of praise for Celtic new boy Birrell and avers that but for the heroics of Clyde’s keeper (the original Broon frae Troon) the winning margin would have been higher. LINK
- The Herald also reports the imposition by British officials of a 24 hour curfew in Jerusalem, capital of Palestine.
- Further reports in the Herald detail the Japanese invasion of China.
- The Letters section of the Herald is dominated by views on the Munich Agreement recently reached with Great Britain, Germany, France and Italy.
Review
Teams
CELTIC—Kennaway, Hogg, Morrison, Geatons, Lyon, Paterson, Delaney, MacDonald, Crum, Divers, Birrell.
CLYDE—Brown, Robertson, Hickie, Beaton, Falloon, Weir, Kirk, Wallace, Martin, Noble, Gillies
Referee: M C Hutton (Glasgow)
Attendance: 43,976 Gate Receipts: £1,772
Articles
- Match Report (see end of page below)
Pictures
- Match Pictures
Link
Articles
The Glasgow Herald – Oct 17, 1938
CLYDE’S COURAGEOUS DEFENCE OVERPOWERED
Celtic Half-Backs Urge Forwards on to Glasgow Cup Victory
Worn out repulsing fierce and furious attacks in the first half, when in addition, they faced a strong wind, the Clyde defenders were gradually overplayed in the Glasgow Cup final at Hampden Park, and in the end Celtic won as they pleased.
Despite their all-round advantage, Celtic had to wait until four minutes after the interval for their first goal. Previous to that the wiles of McDonald, Crum and Divers, and the adventurous dashes of Delaney could not break down the gallant Clyde resistance.
UNCANNY GOALKEEPING
And Brown towered above his fellows.
Whether on the ground or in the air, he revealed uncanny anticipation of the flight of the ball, and time and again he had the large crowd roaring by his spectacular saves when all seemed lost.
It was a constant bombardment, Patterson shot, Birrell shot, Geatons shot, Delaney shot—all with speed and precision—and each time Brown “brought down the house” by either clutching the ball with great assurance or parrying it deftly for a corner.
Brown had willing and unstinted support from Robertson, Hickie, and Falloon. The burly little Irishman followed Crum right and left to the centre’s discomfiture, and even found time to cover up Beaton and Weir when the wing halves were hard pressed.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END
But the outcome was inevitable. And the recruit Birrell set Celtic on the high road to victory when he gathered a cut back-heeler from Crum, evaded Robertson with not an inch to spare, and crossed the ball just far enough out of Brown’s reach, and Delaney, with characteristic intuition, was on the spot to head past the goalkeeper.
That was the beginning of the end, and Clyde’s sallies into Celtic territory became weaker and weaker. Geatons scored Celtic’s second goal with a fast ground shot from 18 yards, and before the finish Crum, with almost impudent ease, completed a bewildering McDonald-Delaney-Divers movement by side-stepping Brown and walking the ball into the net.
One felt sorry for Martin, Clyde’s tall centre forward. Try as he might he could not escape the clutches of Lyon, but he was ill supported because Wallace and Noble were too busily occupied giving a hand in defence.
The consequence was that there was little or no co-ordination in the Clyde attack. Gillies and Kirk, the wingers were as isolated as Martin, and when the ball did go in their direction they usually had no colleague at hand to back them up.
THE CONTEST
But Gillies and Kirk might have shown more enterprise by going for the ball instead of waiting for it.
That was Delaney’s policy, and Scotland’s outside right won the admiration of all by his unflagging energy and blood-stirring incursions into the centre. Never afraid of the tackle, Delaney was a daring raider, and the manner of his goal stamped him as a brilliant opportunist.
It was not until the Clyde defence withered that Crum came into his own, nor did Divers find the ball running kindly for him, many of his passes going astray.
His service to Birrell was not all that it might have been, but that did not hinder the outside left from showing his paces.
BIRRELL PLEASES
With two good feet—he gave Brown one hot handful with a right hook—Birrell was in no way put out by the importance of the occasion and his ball-control and timely passing were in the Celtic tradition.
But where Clyde could not hold a candle to their opponents was at wing half-back. Paterson and Geatons were the real driving force behind the Celtic attack. Besides giving their forwards admirable service, they also, on occasion together advanced with the ball, and more than once Clyde were almost caught napping when Paterson exploited a shrewd cross-pass, which Geatons used to shoot for goal.
Indeed Geatons’s penchant for trying a pop at Brown was ever apparent, and he caused the goalkeeper as much worry as any of the men in front of him.
Kennaway, Hogg and Morrison had a comparatively quiet afternoon.