| Match Pictures | Matches:1961 – 1962 | 1961-1962 Pictures |
Trivia
- Pat Crerand is suspended on 5/7/61 for the first two games of the season by the SFA following his sending off in Czechoslovakia during a Scotland international. On 5/8/61 Celtic extended his suspension to four weeks without pay. This followed a 5-a-side tournament at Brockville in July when Crerand and Mike Jackson were both ordered off. Jackson, McNeill and Crerand were also involved in an SFA investigation of Scottish players playing in a game in Spain during the closed season for which money was taken at the gate. Their explanation, that they thought it was just a practise game was taken by the SFA and no further proceedings were heard.
- Players reported back for pre-season on 16/7/61 – a full week ahead of most teams. Bob Rooney was the trainer (his son Benny Rooney had just been taken onto the Celtic books) and Sean Fallon was first team coach with Jimmy McGrory ever present as manager.
- In May Duncan MacKay handed in a transfer request to join the Scottish émigrés heading south for better wages. He was finally told at the start of August that his transfer request would not be accepted.
- The short list for captain for the season was down to three – Duncan MacKay (who had been vice-captain under Bertie Peacock), Billy McNeill (who was probably too young) and Pat Crerand (who was in the doghouse after getting sent off on Scotland duty). MacKay was duly handed the captain's armband.
- 31/7/61 Billy Price was signed from Falkirk for £1000.
- The public trial was played on the 5th August with a 7:00 pm kick off. This was followed by another game on 8th August which was rained off and cancelled.
- Duncan MacKay missed the public trial with a muscle strain. However Frank Haffey missed this game due to an injury he picked up during the public trial. Frank Connor was preferred in goal to John Fallon (who was playing for the Reserves – see below). Crerand was suspended and his place taken by John Kurila. Tommy Ewing, Thistle's inside forward was unfit and the Jags also rejigged their forward line.
- The 'A' Reserves played Partick Thistle Reserves with the team being Fallon, Donnelly, O'Neill, Rob Reilly, Young, Don McMillan, Rooney, Gallacher,George McBride, Byrne, Frank Brogan
Review
The first game of a new season with both teams prepared well and ready to go.
Celtic showed a rejigged forward line with Mike Jackson starting. And it was Jackson that got the opener on just 2 minutes. A poor backpass from a defender saw Divers control the ball and pass across goal to Jackson who disappeared into the net with the ball and several Thistle defenders. It took Thistle some time to come back from this and Celtic dominated the half without adding to the score.
The second half began better for the Jags and they equalised when Joe McBride pounced on a ball that had cannoned off the chest of Connor from a powerful Smith shot. A goalkeeping error at the other end allowed Celtic their second when a goal kick went to Carroll who passed to Hughes to shoot home. Back came Thistle and equsalised from a good McParland cross that McBride headed home. Both teams pushed for the winner cancelling each other out. Ten minutes from time Chalmers won the ball on the left and sent in a cross which Jackson controlled and shot into the roof of the net.
| Team | P | W | L | D | F | A | Pts |
| Celtic | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Hibernian | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| St Johnstone | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Partick Thistle | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
St Johnstone 1-1 Hibernian
Teams
Partick Thistle:
Gray; Muir, Brown; Harvey, McKinnon, Donlevy; Smith, Wright, McBride, Duffy, McParland.
Scorers: McBride 2 (50, 66)
Celtic:
Connor; MacKay, Kennedy; Kurila, McNeill, Clark; Carroll, Jackson, Hughes, Divers, Chalmers.
Scorers: Jackson 2 (2, 80), Hughes (57)
Referee: F S Crossley (Motherwell)
Attendance: 33,549
Articles
- Match Report (see end of page below)
