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Trivia
- Bobby Brown became the full-time Scotland manager. The job was becoming a poisoned chalice for the manager despite having a pool of very talented players to chose from and a committed and spirited national setup.
- Once again Jock took the players off to Seamills for three days for light training returning on Wednesday. Remaining at Celtic Park were Joe McBride and John Cushley who were in more intensive training to come back after major injuries.
- Highland league side Elgin City visit Celtic Park. They did not lack support with two special trains coming from Elgin with 1500 supporters and a further 500 coming by bus and car.
- Bertie Auld was rested for the game as he had been previously against Ayr Utd. In came David Cattanach at right back. He had played in the experimental team in the friendly against Dinamo Zagreb, but had actually already made his first team debut the previous season against St Mirren. Wallace dropped to the bench and in came Bobby Lennox. Celtic played in the all-green strip.
- Willie Wallace is the first Celtic player to appear as a substitute in a Scottish cup tie when he replaces Bobby Murdoch.
Review
Three goals in two minutes just before half time put pay to the Highlanders.
Elgin had prepared well even sending a scout to watch Celtic play the Ayr Utd game the previous week.
But the gap in standard was all too apparent (even though Elgin City had knocked Ayr Utd out of the Cup in the previous round) despite making a decent showing in the first half.
They had to sub their right half Sanderson early in the half after a collision with Tommy Gemmell.
Laing and Gemmell were both booked in the first half.
Chalmers got the first with a header from a Hughes cross. Lennox netted a second and then a third.
The second half was all Celtic with Hughes scoring before Wallace on for the injured Bobby Murdoch (who went off in the 64th minute with a leg injury) added two and Lennox completed his hatrick.
Teams
Celtic:
Simpson, Cattanach, Gemmell, Murdoch (Wallace), McNeill, Clark, Johnstone, Lennox, Chalmers, Gallacher, Hughes.
Scorers: Chalmers (43), Lennox 3 (44, 45, 70), Hughes (62), Wallace 2 (83, 89)
Elgin:
Connell Gerrard Laing Sanderson (Rattray) D Grant Smith Graham Gilber W Grant Middleton Fraser.
Referee: J Gordon (Tayport-on-Tay)
Attendance: 34,000
Articles
- Match Report (see end of page below)
Pictures
Articles
The day I scored for Elgin against the Lisbon Lions
http://www.northern-scot.co.uk/Sport/Football/The-day-I-scored-for-Elgin-against-the-Lisbon-Lions-18022017.htm
Written byC raig Christie
GEORGE Gilbert will never forget the day he silenced the roar of the Lisbon Lions.
A wing wizard for Elgin City during the ’60s, George Gilbert looks back to the famous day in 1967 when he was part of a City team who took on the mighty Celtic just weeks before they became the first British team to lift the European Cup.Picture: Eric Cor
The Elgin City football legend can’t believe it’s 50 years this weekend since he faced up to a Celtic team on their way to making history.
The Glasgow giants, led by captain Billy McNeill, became the first British club to win the European Cup on May 25, 1967 beating Inter Milan 2-1 in Lisbon to earn their Lions badge of honour.
Only weeks earlier the Celts had to overcome some stern resistance from Highland League “minnows” Elgin and a shock provided by the boot of Gilbert, to progress towards Scottish Cup glory.
The history books show a 7-0 scoreline in Celtic’s favour, yet City held the future European champs for 43 minutes and thought they had taken the lead when Gilbert found the back of the net.
“Billy McNeill headed the ball and it sort of looped up in the air and bounced just outside the 18 yard box,” he recalled. “I hit it on the half volley, straight in past Ronnie Simpson in the Celtic goal.
“Maybe he’s still looking for the ball yet!”
That strike temporarily stunned the Celtic masses – 34,000 attended the match – until an offside decision against one of Gilbert’s team-mates cut short his celebrations.
“I was just elated that I had scored a goal against Celtic, then I realised it had been disallowed.”
Elgin never recovered from the setback of losing centre back Tommy Sanderson to a broken leg sustained in a clash with Celtic’s Tommy Gemmell when the score was still 0-0.
They looked like holding out until half time, but three home goals in as many minutes right before the break served as a hammer blow to City’s plucky defence.
Stevie Chalmers, who went on to score Celtic’s famous European Cup winner, opened the scoring with a flashing header and Bobby Lennox quickly added two more before the half time whistle.
The home side added four more in the second half to run out convincing winners, leaving Gilbert to reflect on what could have been.
“I think Tommy’s broken leg must have affected us at the time,” he said.
Elgin City’s team which faced Celtic 50 years ago this week. Back: Jim Gerrard, Tommy Sanderson, Dougal Grant, Adrian Connell, Peter Smith, Gordon Laing. Front: Keith Rattray, Gerry Graham, George Gilbert, Tony Fraser, Willie Grant, George Middleton.
Elgin City’s team which faced Celtic 50 years ago this week. Back: Jim Gerrard, Tommy Sanderson, Dougal Grant, Adrian Connell, Peter Smith, Gordon Laing. Front: Keith Rattray, Gerry Graham, George Gilbert, Tony Fraser, Willie Grant, George Middleton.
“There was no harder player in our team than Tommy. He once hit me in a training session, was it my thigh? I remember I never played for a fortnight.
“If only we had held on to half time. We went more than 40 minutes against that Celtic team and it was still nil-nil. To know the team that beat us that day went on to win the European Cup, it was like a feather in our caps.”
Celtic’s team contained nine members of the side which became Lisbon Lions three months later.
They included legends like McNeill, Lennox, and the late Jimmy ‘Jinky’ Johnstone, who was later voted the club’s greatest ever player and went on to have a spell with Elgin during the seventies.
Gilbert’s City team-mate Gordon Laing had the unenviable task of trying to stop Jinky’s skilful runs down the wing.
“I remember Gordon saying to me after the game: ‘I knew which way he was going to go, George’ – and Gordon was quick – ‘but I still couldn’t catch him’.
“As for big Billy McNeill, he was so powerful in the air you just couldn’t jump with him. His head was up through the roof.”
But Gilbert said the most imposing figure he was that day was the great Jock Stein, Celtic’s legendary manager who led the club to their league title nine-in-a-row triumph.
Stein spoke with respect for Elgin in his match programme notes, saying he believed their league defeat against Ross County a week before the game would not have had the slightest effect on their approach to the tie.
“I know that ever since the draw was made Elgin had their minds set on a visit to Celtic Park. No doubt this inspired them to knock out Ayr United in the first round.”
Gilbert said of Stein: “He showed us on to the park before the game and there was an aura around him.
“You knew he would not take any nonsense off anybody. That’s just the way he was. But he must be one of the most successful managers there has ever been.
“They were a very professional club and Jock Stein would have left no stone unturned in his preparation for the game.”
The occasion itself drew an army of 2000 City supporters who travelled by bus, train and car to Glasgow and see their heroes in action.
But any noise they produced in the stadium was largely drowned out by the cheers of the Celtic faithful.
“I was always very nervous as a player and the big crowds made it worse. I think there was 35,000 at the game.
“We had stayed in a hotel the night before and I remember Tommy Sanderson telling me he got absolutely no sleep because of the traffic.
Stevie Chalmers heads home to finally break Elgin's resistance. Photo: The Celtic Wiki.
“When we got to Parkhead, what sticks in my mind was the dressing rooms, where the pegs were away high up to hang your clothes on.
“Jock Stein was there to show us on to the park and he was speaking to (Elgin coach) Innes Macdonald.
“Then there was the big crowd, far bigger than any of us had ever seen.
“They had the corrugated tunnel then, and what a roar when the teams came out. Celtic were not daft, they let us go out first so we could hear the roar when they roar. Oh, what a terrific roar it was.
“It must have been a wee bit of psychology.
“The Elgin fans were supportive and there was quite a noise from them.”
Gilbert was part of a determined Elgin performance, which so nearly kept the scoreline blank until the break. Even at 3-0 down City kept plugging away, but the introduction of talented youngster Willie Wallace, a big money signing from Hearts, gave the mighty Celtic a further boost.
Read more: Celtic 7 Elgin City 0. The Celtic Wiki.
Wallace scored twice, Lennox completed his hat-trick and John Clark was also on target as Elgin’s resistance wilted.
“The lad Wallace was razor sharp and I remember a fantastic goal he scored. It just flew into the net.
“I actually ended up playing against him later in my career when he came up and played for Ross County for a season or two.”
The teams that day. Celtic: Simpson, Cattanach, Gemmell, Murdoch (Wallace), McNeill, Clark, Johnstone, Lennox, Chalmers, Gallacher, Hughes.
Elgin: Connell, Gerrard, Laing, Sanderson (Rattray), D Grant, Smith, Graham, Gilbert, W Grant, Middleton, Fraser.