| Match Pictures | Matches: 1938 – 1939 | 1939 Pictures |
Trivia
- First all-ticket match at Fir Park,
- Scottish Cup match 4th round
- Johnny McCulloch gives Motherwell a two-goal lead with strikes in the 20th and 26th minute and Celtic struggle before Jimmy Delaney pulls one back in 75 minutes, but veteran George Stevenson restores Well’s two-goal lead minutes later with an overhead kick. Much praise goes to Andrew Murray, Motherwell’s goalkeeper.
- Herald and Scotsman report “stonethrowing”. Herald says at Murray the Motherwell goalkeeper in the second half.
- The Scottish Cup favourites bow out at Fir Park where gate receipts were £1,938; as against Aberdeen’s receipts of £1,407 from a bigger crowd of 34,950.
- An attempted Nationalist uprising at Spain’s chief naval base at Cartagena has been crushed it is reported. A number of Nationalist officers had briefly seized the base before being arrested and shot.
Review
Teams
MOTHERWELL:
Murray, Wales, Ellis, McKenzie, Blair, Telfer, Ogilvie, Bremner, Mathie, Stevenson, McCulloch.
Scorers:
McCulloch, (2); Stevenson.
CELTIC:
Kennaway, Hogg, Morrison, Lynch, Lyon, Paterson, Delaney, MacDonald, Crum, Divers, Murphy.
Scorers:
Delaney.
Referee: J. M. Martin (Ladybank).
Attendance: 31,000
Articles
- Match Report (see end of page below)
Pictures
Link
Articles
The Scotsman – Monday, 6th March 1939, page 5
MOTHERWELL DESERVING WINNERS
CELTIC ERRATIC AND MISS CHANCES
In the past four seasons, Motherwell have been knocked out of the Scottish Cup in the fourth round. But they managed to get over that hurdle at Fir Park on Saturday, even although the opposition was Celtic, against whom they could only record one victory from their last seven encounters in the Cup competition.
Motherwell were winners of a hard keen, and fast tie by three goals to one, and there was no question but they deserved to qualify for the semi-final stage. McCulloch, their outside left snapped up two chances in the first half and there was no more scoring until 15 minutes from the end when Delaney, easily the best Celtic forward, reduced the leeway. For a moment or two it seemed quite a possibility that victory would be again snatched out of Motherwell’s grip—it had happened so often before—but Celtic were not of the same calibre as former Parkhead teams, and when Stevenson, with a neat overhead kick, netted another Motherwell goal seven minutes from the end the game was won and lost.
The match, a typical Cup-tie, was fought out in good spirit, and amidst a continuous roar from the 31,000 spectators. Although admission was by ticket only, such was the crushing at certain parts of the terracing that several spectators before play started jumped over the retaining wall on to the pitch, and they being followed by hundreds more, it was necessary to call in the help of mounted police to restore order. This was quickly done, but the excitement remained, and culminated in some stone-throwing near the end of the game.
The winners displayed grand courage. Both first half goals resulted from bad slips by the Celtic defenders, yet McCulloch deserves commendation for being on the spot to score. All through, the visiting defence was not very steady. Stevenson, Motherwell’s master forward, was greatly responsible. His winding runs and his fine service to McCulloch would have troubled any set of defenders, and though the home right wing was not so subtle, Bremner and Ogilvie paid their way. as also did the lively Mathie, whose duels with Lyon were good entertainment.
Blair was the complete centre-half-back, and even if Telfer tired, the whole defence deserves great praise, none more so than Murray, a sound and brilliant keeper.
As for Celtic, they were not in their best form. The forward line was lop-sided, and, in fact, Delaney was the only attacker of note, and he has played better many times. The wing half-backs were over-wrought and the main defence definitely suspect. While the Motherwell rear-rankers were excellent, the Celtic forwards ought to have made more of their chances. Celtic were more often on the attack than their opponents. For once, their Cup luck deserted them.
