| Match Pictures | 1970 – 1971 | 1970-71 Pictures | Testimonials Guests | Forum |
Trivia
- Celtic's first visit to London in 12 years.
- Celtic officials delighted at the privilege of being invited to play for the benefit of the great Bobby Moore. West Ham were managed by Ron Greenwood who would become manager of the England national team.
- Estimated 3,000 Celtic fans travel south for the occasion and the game was a sell-out. The Celtic party travelled south on the Monday morning arriving at the Gresham at 1:00 pm.
- This is reckoned to be the first ever sponsored football match. Esso were match sponsors.
- Controversy over admission prices which were much higher than for league games.
Review
Celtic travelled down to the Boleyn Ground,Upton Park to take part in the Testimonial for West Ham and England World Cup winning Captain Bobby Moore.
Moore was a truly World Class footballer and it was befitting that it was Celtic who he chose for his Testimonial.The match itself was not the usual orchestrated Testimonial fixture and by all accounts was a great game played out at full pelt by two totally attack- minded teams and ended in a well deserved 3-3 draw.
It is a game Celtic fans who attended were happy to recall in years to come.
Teams:
West Ham United:
Ferguson, McDowall, Lampard, Eustace, Taylor, Moore, Ayris, Lindsay, Hurst, Best, Greaves. Substitute: Howe.
Goals:- Hurst (18), Ayris (63), Best (68).
Celtic:
Williams, Craig, Gemmell, Murdoch, McNeill, Brogan, Johnstone, Connelly, Hughes (Wallace 70), Hay, Lennox.
Goals:- Lennox (12), Johnstone (33), Connelly (64).
Referee: J. Finney (Hertford)
Attendance: 24,448
Pictures
Reports
- Match Report (see below)
Articles
Evening Times 17th November 1970
GLASGOW HERALD REPORT
CELTIC RISE TO THE OCCASION IN TESTIMONIAL
WEST HAM UNITED 3-3 CELTIC
Bobby Moore, England’s captain, will remember his testimonial match last night at Upton Park as one of the great occasions of his life. Celtic, the Scottish champions, put on a display of the football arts worthy of such an evening, winning themselves a host of new friends and admirers.
West Ham are disciples of attacking football, and on the heavy ground they met the European past masters of attacking football at their peak. The score does justice to the efforts of both sides in an encounter that turned the green surface to an earthy brown long before the end.
Celtic should have won the match. There were two palpable misses, one by Lennox in nine minutes and one by Johnstone in the dying seconds. But both players must be forgiven for otherwise turning in a display that breathed of quality.
The first half belonged to Celtic, who moved sweetly forward with Johnstone causing havoc in the middle and Hughes was his usual awkward self amongst the sorely pressed West Ham defenders.
Lennox made amends for his early miss by scoring in twelve minutes but six minutes later Hurst headed home a good goal from a massive cross field kick from Moore. However Johnstone added a second for Celtic to conclude a sparkling passing movement.
For the early part of the second half Celtic were very much in command with Bobby Murdoch dominating the midfield. But West Ham were determined to give their captain his full reward, and 17 year old Ayris, showing real promise on the right wing, lobbed home an equaliser in 63 minutes.
Celtic came storming back downfield and, in another minute, Connelly who had been a stalwart in the attack, thundered one in from 25 yards off the left hand post.
Celtic slowed in the closing stages and Best headed an equaliser for the third time from Hurst’s cross. Wallace, who substituted for Hughes, came close in the remaining seconds and then came Johnstone’s dreadful miss. Only a yard out from goal and with no one blocking his path, he skied the ball over the bar.
WEST HAM UNITED – Ferguson McDowell Lampard Eustace Taylor Moore Ayris Lindsay Best Hurst Greaves
CELTIC – Williams Craig Gemmell Murdoch McNeill Brogan Johnstone Connelly Hughes Hay Lennox
Referee J Finney (Hereford)