| Match Pictures | Matches: 1972 – 1973 | 1972-73 Pictures |
Trivia
- No team was announced prior to arrival in Arbroath. When it was just before the teams ran out Jock Stein had freshened up the front line with Harry Hood and Dixie Deans reinstated for the first time this season with Jimmy Johnstone out injured and Vic Davidson making way. Lennox and Hay were both still getting match fit and Brogan was out injured.
- There was a ticket limitation for the match with the police setting the ground limit at 13,000. They shouldn't have worried!
- The Press box in the new Main stand at Celtic Park was deemed unsafe and Celtic to were asked to play their home games at Hampden for short period.
- In goal for Arbroath was ex-Celt Gordon Marshall Snr. who had started the previous season at Celtic Park and gone to Aberdeen. another ex-Celtic keeper John Fallon was on trial at Morton along with Roy Baines (who would join Celtic in the future) and Eric Sorensen.
- Rising star Brian McLaughlin makes a cameo appearance.
- On the same day Celtic lost 3-2 to Motherwell in the Reserve League Cup in a match at Celtic Park. The Celtic team was Carr, Welsh, Hay, McNamara, McDonald, McCluskey, Hancock, V. Davidson, Wilson, White, Lennox. Sub J. Davidson. The Celtic scorer was Vic Davidson who scored both goals.
In Iceland the famous battle in the chess world between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky was progressing. Fischer was the first 'superstar' chess player ever to emerge and the duel between these two was like the Cold War played out by proxy.
Review
Bobby Murdoch got the ball rolling from the spot when McNeill was bundled over in the area. Dalglish scored a wonderful goal on the half hour lobbing the ball over the defenders and into the goal from a difficult line. It was all Celtic for the rest of the half.
Celtic almost immediately made it three at the start of the second half when Dixie Deans set up Dalglish. And dean himself finished it off with two excellent goals.
East Fife 0 – 0 Stirling Albion
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| Celtic | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 5 |
| East Fife | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Stirling Albion | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Arbroath | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 0 |
Teams
Arbroath:-
Marshall, Milne, Buchan, Cargill, Waddell, Winchester, Sellars, Cant, Rylance, Pirie (McAlpine), Payne.
Scorers:
Celtic:-
Connaghan, McGrain, Quinn, Murdoch, McNeill, Connelly, Hood, Dalglish, Deans, Macari (McLaughlin 51), Callaghan.
Goals: Murdoch (pen 14), Dalglish 2 (30,48), Deans 2 (79,83)
Attendance: 7,607
Referee: E. H. Pringle, Edinburgh.
Articles
- Match Report(see below)
Pictures
Articles
Sunday Mail, August 20, 1972
CELTS IN A GOAL CANTER
BY CYRIL HORNE
ARBROATH………………………………………0 CELTIC………………………..…………………5 (H.T. 0-2)
Scorers : Celtic—Murdoch (pen 14), Dalglish (30, 48), Deans (79, 83).
CELTIC repeated their 5-0 score of the last occasion they played at Gayfield in November 1968—and gave the disappointingly small attendance of 8500 a second-half treat.
A former Celt, Gordon Marshall, saved Arbroath from complete humiliation. There is little doubt Celtic would have reached double figures but for the heroics of the tall Marshall.
The only feature that may have caused Celtic disappointment was the fade-out of Harry Hood in the second half when he was switched from the right to the left side of the field.
The move was caused by an injury suffered by Lou Macari in 51 minutes.
On came yet another of the Jock Stein youngsters, Brian McLaughlin, who fitted in admirably. Brian can be called upon at any time.
Arbroath too used their substitute. Former Hearts full-back Billy McAlpine came on for the injured Billie Pirie and tried to urge on his attack.
Full backs Danny McGrain and Jimmy Quinn repeatedly were auxiliary attackers and Bobby Murdoch, who opened the scoring in 14 minutes from a penalty kick, was skill personified.
Arbroath right-half Tommy Cargill conceded the penalty when he pushed McNeill as he rose for a Hood corner kick.
It was almost no contest from that point on.
In 30 minutes Dalglish coolly lobbed his first goal over Marshall's head.
In the fourth minute of the second half, Deans crossed brilliantly with his left foot and Dalglish bulleted a header out of Marshall's reach from 10 yards.
Deans placed the fourth goal in 80 minutes after magnificent team work by Celtic and he scored another exhilarating goal seven minutes from the end.
ARBROATH—Marshall; Milne, Buchan; Cargill, Waddell, Winchester; Sellars, Cant, Rylance, Pirie, Payne. Sub: McAlpine for Pirie in second-half.
CELTIC —Connaghan; McGrain, Quinn; Murdoch. McNeill, Connelly; Hood, Dalglish, Deans, Macari, Callaghan. Sub: McLaughlin for Macari —51 minutes.
Ref.— E. H. Pringle, Edinburgh.
Attendance—8,500.
'McLaughlin has that cockiness that spells class and tons of natural ability'.
