| Match Pictures | Matches: 1949 – 1950 | 1949-50 Pictures |
Trivia
- Following the incident at 30 minutes between Cox and Tully that occurred at the Celtic end, fights, bottle throwing and injuries occurred as well as arrests being made.
Review
On 40 minutes Findlay scored for Rangers. Ten minutes after half time Rangers were awarded the obligatory penalty after Waddell had been tackled by Alec Boden.
Young hit the crossbar from the spot but Rangers went on to get the decisive second goal late on through Waddell. The Celtic fans were unhappy throughout the game with the refereeing decisions.
The big incident which changed the whole tone of the match occurred in the first half. On about 30 minutes a thru ball was played back to Brown in the Rangers goal. Cox followed the ball back shielding it from Tully who was racing to chase down the ball and challenge for it. Brown gathered the ball and Cox swivelled around and kicked Tully in the stomach. Tully went down in agony a few yards from the Rangers goal line. Play went on. Penalty kick? Sending off? Neither was given.
pandemonium broke out in the Celtic end behind the goal. Bottles flew and fights broke out. The police and ambulance men arrived in front of the stand as the crowd spilled over onto the track.
The referee eventually stopped the game and the trainer came over to administer to Tully who was eventually able to resume the game. Both Cox and Tully were cautioned later in the game for a minor misdemeanour. The game went on to be more and more fractious.
However, this was not the end of the issue. Celtic requested an SFA Enquiry. The findings of the Enquiry got to the press on the 7th September 1949 and this indicated that the cause of the trouble at the game was the incident between Tully and Cox, and that Tully and Cox were therefore responsible for the crowd trouble. The inexperienced referee was also cited as “…. having made an error of judgement in his handling of the game.” They also recommended:-
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- Both clubs were at fault for the disturbances and both clubs needed to bear equally the reponsibility for the events. Both clubs would be required to post warnings on the conduct of the players in the dressing rooms prior to the game.
- Cox and Tully were to be formally reprimanded.
- The referee received a formal warning.
- Finally, that in future games between the clubs the SFA should appoint a referee from another British Football Association – something that Robert Kelly had been calling for in the light of what was commonly perceived as biased refereeing by Scots referees in the Glasgow derby games.
At the SFA Council meeting on the 26th September, the Enquiry findings, a minute and a motion of censure were read out. Robert Kelly moved not to approve the minute and censure believing quite rightly that Tully’s involvement had only been to receive a kick in the stomach, that a penalty should have been awarded and that Sammy Cox should have been sent off. He also pointed out a clear inconsistency. The original report stated that the referee had not seen the incident. But the Enquiry and referee’s report said that he had seen the incident but decided that it was not an infringement and decided to let play run. So did the referee see the incident or did he not? The Committee voted on the minute 25-5 to censure Tully and Cox and further stated that “….Tully had simulated any slight injury he may have received.”
This followed incidents at the Celtic – Rangers game at Celtic Park on 13th September 1948 when following poor refereeing decisions Celtic had been about to walk off the field. Charlie Tully was said to be the ‘ringleadeer’ in the Celtic protests.
Teams
Rangers:
Brown; Young, Shaw; Cox, Woodburn, Rae; Waddell, Findlay, Thornton, Duncanson, Rutherford.
Scorers: Findlay (40), Waddell (82)
Celtic:
Miller, Mallan, Baillie; Evans, Boden, McAuley; Collins, McPhail, Johnston, Tully, Haughney
Scorers:
Referee: R B Gebbie
Attendance: 95,000
Articles
- Match Report (see end of page below)
Pictures
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