| Match Pictures | Matches: 1970 – 1971 | 1970-71 Pictures |
Trivia
- John Hughes (muscle strain) and George Connelly (back strain) were both back in training and on the road to return. Davie Hay played for Scotland U23 side in Wales during the week and returned from the 1-0 defeat with an injury.
- Bertie Auld played his first league game of the season.
- Hibs' victory over Aberdeen at Easter Road hauls Celtic back into the title race.
- Dundee were a top side, so this was a great victory run of the Dons is over, after 15 successive league wins.
- Dundee had lost their first goal after a stretch of 1157 minutes (a European record).
- The Reserves took on Dundee Reserves at Celtic Park drawing 1-1. The team was Lally, McCluskey, McGrain, Dalglish, Connelly, Clark, Chalmers, Davidson, Macari, Cattanach, Hughes with Wilson as sub.
- Author & Celtic Podcaster Paul Larkin on Twitter: "Bertie Auld told me he was carrying an ankle injury in this game so Bobby Murdoch told him “when you get it, just gie to the wee man” the result was one of Jinky’s finest ever performances."
Review
From a newspaper report.
As the great run of Aberdeen ended before the feet of Hibs at Easter Road, Celtic blasted out a clear message to the league leaders by ripping Dundee apart at Dens Park with their most devastating play of the season.
Eight times Dundee ‘keeper Alistair Donaldson picked the ball out of his net – and he played well. Jimmy Johnstone hit world class form as he tore the Hearts out of the Dens Park defence and inspired his team-mates to such effect that Dundee were completely outclassed.
The goals of Harry Hood, Willie Wallace, Jimmy Johnstone, Tom Callaghan, and an in-off from Doug Houston – gave Celtic victory by 8-1, and a better goal differential than Aberdeen.
A delighted Jock Stein, who had pulled Bertie Auld back in the team for the first time this season said: “We really played tremendously. We ran better off the ball than we’ve been doing all this season.”
The Dons lost their first goal after a stretch of 1157 minutes (a European record) when Pat Stanton scored in 64 minutes at Easter Road, and lost the game when Joe Baker scored a second goal three minutes later. A Davie Robb goal five minutes from the end only cut the margin of defeat.
So the great victory run of the Dons is over, after 15 successive league wins.
Teams
Dundee:
Donaldson, Wilson (Johnston 65), Souter, Steele, Phillip, Houston, Duncan, Gilroy, Wallace, Scott, Kinnonmouth.
Scorer: Duncan (80).
Booked:- Steele.
Celtic:
Williams, Craig, Gemmell, Murdoch, McNeill, Brogan, Johnstone, Wallace, Hood, Callaghan, Auld. Substitute: Hay .
Scorers: Hood (18), Wallace 2 (44, 57), Houston (67 og), Callaghan (75), Johnstone 2 (77, 85), Hood (87).
Referee:- A McKenzie (Larbert).
Attendance:- 20,000.
Articles
- Match Report(see below)
- Manager Interview
A delighted Jock Stein, who had pulled Bertie Auld back in the team for the first time this season said:
“We really played tremendously. We ran better off the ball than we’ve been doing all this season.”
Pictures
Match Report
From a newspaper report by Cyril Horne.
Maybe it was a coincidence but the return of Bertie Auld heralded the greatest Celtic display of the season.
Dundee have been on the receiving end of many a fine Celtic performance in recent seasons – they haven’t, for instance, beaten Celtic in Jock Stein’s time as manager at Parkhead – but never have they been so outplayed as they were on this Dens Park day of Celtic wizardry.
Apart from the splendid return of Bertie Auld, playing his first league match this season, Jimmy Johnstone must be singled out for special praise.
The dexterity of his dribbling was matched by the shrewdness of his passing, and completing a well-nigh perfect exhibition of entertaining yet profitable football, was his ability to read his colleagues’ moves and to be in at the kill for two goals.
Dundee took a real thrashing but I don’t reckon any club in Scotland would have withstood this most impressive Celtic display of pace and skill.
At half-time, when Celtic led 2-0 and looked forward to kicking downhill, Dundee’s hopes were slender indeed.
Harry Hood, with the first of many very good shots, left-footed a brilliant goal from 20 yards as Johnstone thrust the pass through the centre.
That was in 18 minutes, and before Willie Wallace in 44 lashed a Hood pass from the left into the net, both these players had hit a post and Tommy Gemmell and Bobby Murdoch (twice) had blasted shots only a foot or so wide.
Dundee had a good spell in the middle of the first-half during which the agile Evan Williams made excellent saves from John Duncan and Jim Steele.
The Dundee danger-man in attack was John Scott but he was the only forward capable of going direct for goal.
Dundee made far too many square passes and even passes in the directions of their own goal.
The second-half was the story of Celtic’s speed and skill in attack. Tommy Callaghan and Auld dovetailed in calculated passing bouts on the left, and Johnstone, Hood and Wallace varied shrewd individual thrusts with astute running into the open space.
Wallace, who had a grand second-half, scored in 57 minutes after Auld, Wallace himself, and Callaghan had taken the Dundee defence apart.
Auld, revelling in the occasion, twice shot grotesquely high just when it seemed that he must get into the scoring act.
While Steele was being booked in the 65th minute for one of several trips on the tormentor Johnstone, Dundee brought on David Johnston for Bobby Wilson. Hardly was the new man on the field than Doug Houston turned a Hood cut-back into his own net.
Then came five goals in a tremendous spell of 15 minutes.
Callaghan in 75 swept the ball into the net after a Johnstone-Auld dribbling and passing bout.
Then Wallace cut in along the left bye-line and laid the sixth goal on for wee Jimmy.
John Duncan headed Dundee’s goal in 80 minutes from a cross by Johnston, then wee Jimmy and Hood, in 85 and 87, respectively, completed the rout of Dundee.
The point about these goals was that they were scored almost from the goal-line, with the defence bewildered as well as beaten.
All this great skill came after an alarming couple of minutes early in the second half when missile throwing at the Provost Road end caused hundreds of youngsters to invade the track and pitch.
So completely did Johnstone and his merry mates take over the occasion that one is inclined to forget the solidarity of the Celtic defence and the command of wing-halfs Bobby Murdoch and Jim Brogan.
