| Match Pictures | Matches: 1970 – 1971 | 1970-71 Pictures |
Trivia
- The much-awaited League deciding game between Aberdeen and Celtic. Whoever won this one would be favourites to lift the title.
- Heavy snow falls in Aberdeen overnight and thaws by morning.
- 15,000 Celtic fans travel by car, bus and train to Pittodrie.
- A ticket forger is arrested in Charing Cross, Glasgow after printing counterfeit tickets.
- Capacity is kept at 35,000 after a fire in the Pittodrie stand in February means most of the stand is still closed
- Gemmell who had been carrying an ankle injury and missed the last League game played in the 2nd XI Cup game as did returning Bobby Murdoch. Both were played to assess their fitness to return. Gemmell had just turned down an invite to play in Lev Yashin's Testimonial in Moscow.
- After much circumspection by everybody, Jock Stein surpassed everyone and picked the same team that had played so well in the 3-0 win against Motherwell at the start of the week. Jimmy Quinn was named as substitute. John Clark and Steve Chalmers were named in the pool for the game.
- Celtic virtually wrap up the championship again.
- Only careless play in their last three games can prevent them from equalling their own long standing record of six-in-a-row.
- On the same day Celtic defeated Aberdeen 3-2 in a Reserve League match at Celtic Park. The Celtic team was Lally, McCluskey, McGrain, Dalglish, Gemmell, Cattanach, Wilson, Davidson, Macari, Murdoch, Hughes Sub White. Vic Davidson scored the three goals.
Review
This was one of the most vital games in Celtic's nine in a row period. Defeat would have given Aberdeen the initiative and it was important Celtic did not lose.
The pitch was bare and bumpy which did not make good football easy to play and as a result the match was played in the frenzy of a cup tie.
Celtic's early goal settled their nerves but Aberdeen regained the initiative and equalised before half time.
The major incident in the match took place in 56 minutes when Arthur Graham burst through. Evan Williams just managed to touch the ball and as the player swept round him he caused the Aberdeen man to hesitate fractionally before shooting at the empty goal. McNeill made the save of the match by blocking the shot after making a tremendous recovery. From that moment Celtic felt that the title belonged to them.
So the decider coming out a draw left the table looking like this – it was still all to play for with Celtic having to win their two games in hand though the bookies made Celtic favourites. Aberdeen had one game left against Falkirk. Celtic had to play St Mirren, Ayr Utd and Clyde.
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| Aberdeen | 33 | 24 | 6 | 3 | 68 | 17 | 54 |
| Celtic | 31 | 23 | 5 | 3 | 79 | 20 | 51 |
| St Johnstone | 32 | 19 | 5 | 8 | 59 | 44 | 43 |
| Rangers | 33 | 15 | 9 | 9 | 54 | 33 | 39 |
Teams
Aberdeen:
Clark, Boel, Hermiston, Murray, McMillan, M Buchan, Forrest, Willoughby, Robb, Graham, G Buchan (Harper).
Scorers: Willoughby (38).
Celtic:
Williams, Craig, Brogan, Connelly, McNeill, Hay, Johnstone, Lennox, Wallace, Callaghan, Hood (Quinn).
Scorers: Hood (3)
Referee: W Anderson (Glasgow)
Attendance: 36,000.
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Articles
Glasgow Herald report
Celtic can wrap up the Scottish League Championship package once more. Only careless indulgence in their three remaining matches can prevent them from equalling their own record, dim with time of winning it for the sixth successive season.
Aberdeen, their sole challengers, had to win at Pittodrie in the crucial confrontation on Saturday to retain their mastery of the situation but now they must depend on the Parkhead side throwing away their priceless advantage.
Jock Stein summed it up as thus; 'Aberdeen can only sit and suffer and watch what we do in our last three games.'
Celtic rarely make major mistakes and although their outstanding opponents – Ayr United, Saint Mirren and Clyde – intend to hotly dispute their advance to the summit and the European Cup once again; the road is open for them to reach the 57 points mark, one ahead of the maximum Aberdeen can achieve with only a game at Falkirk to play.
Neither Mister Stein or Mister Turnbull, his chief protagonist, are claiming victory or conceding defeat yet but I feel the issue was clearly decided at Pittodrie in a match that was a credit to the two leading teams in the country and the 36,000 all ticket capacity attendance. The result in my opinion was right although the respective managers would maintain his side would have won but for sheer bad luck.
Play resembled a fiery, exciting cup tie on a dry ground. The only marking feature was a tricky, gusty, wind and its idiosyncrasies meant that the tense players had to eye the ball with intense concentration.
Individual skills were often subdued but there were men who tamed the pitch, the wind and the lively ball. Harry Hood and Alex Willoughby, the two scorers, were in a class by themselves.
Hood certainly surpassed all in the Celtic side, even Jimmy Johnstone, from whom was expected the filigree artistry that can bewilder opponents. It was Hood who took the strain off Celtic immediately with a goal from a Johnstone corner kick after three minutes. This imposed extra stress on Aberdeen who had to open out more and thus become more vulnerable.
But the home side accepted the challenge. Willoughby, who until now had been almost a permanent twelfth man, took control of the midfield with Steve Murray. Celtic's Tom Callaghan made a brave attempt to wrest back the initiative, but his partner George Connelly was out of touch and apprehensive about the pitch conditions.
Nevertheless, Aberdeen attacked relentlessly, but Davie Hay, who has added stability in the middle of the Celtic defence where he partners Billy McNeill, kept the tightest checks on Davie Robb and Arthur Graham.
Jim Brogan's accurate tackling on Jim Forrest removed a threat on the right wing. But it was Forrest's cousin, another former Rangers player, Alex Willoughby, who probed subtly, and as his confidence increased so he ventured further into the front line. In 38 minutes Evan Williams blundered badly by failing to hold a cross ball and Steve Murray staked out his pass with great precision for Willoughby to score the equaliser.
Aberdeen found new life, although they had to counter several threatening runs by Jim Craig. When the pressure was on the home defence, Martin Buchan covered magnificently and Henning Boel and Jim Hermiston played with great determination.
But the turning point came in 56 minutes when young Arthur Graham burst through. Williams managed to touch the ball and as the player swept round him he caused the Aberdeen man to hesitate fractionally before shooting at the empty goal. McNeill made the save of the match by blocking the shot after making a tremendous recovery. From that moment Celtic felt that the title belonged to them.
The match had been sporting and only in the final minutes was there the slightest hint of temper. Joe Harper, who had been substitute for George Buchan – Celtic used their twelfth man, Jimmy Quinn for the injured Hood near the end – was booked by the referee for a foul on goalkeeper Williams.
