1972-11-25: Falkirk 2-3 Celtic, League Division 1

Match Pictures | Matches: 1972 – 1973 | 1972-73 Pictures

Trivia

  • Having overcome Dundee in the League Cup replay on the Monday Celtic trained through the week and prepared for this away league game.
  • Macari was back in training and due to play a Reserve game against Clyde on the Tuesday night with a view to being ready for this game. Murdoch and Lennox also played in the Reserve game. The Reserves duly won 2-0.
  • Things had calmed down at Brockville after the walk-out and threatened strike by the players earlier in the season and a truce prevailed between the players and manager Cunningham.
  • Jock Stein refused to name a squad before the game. Jimmy Johnstone was rested after looking at the ground and none of the recovering injured were risked but Lennox started in place of Jinky with Harry Hood going to outside right. Denis Connaghan also started in goal with Evan Williams also rested. Jim Brogan was captain for the day.
  • Falkirk's Shirra breaks leg in clash with Deans.

Report

A great game from Dalglish with Jim Brogan also having a commanding game.
Yet again the opposition opened the scoring after starting off at a fast pace but Celtic came right back and scored from the restart with Dalglish receiving the ball and weaving past defenders before firmly shooting past Donaldson. From that point Celtic pounded the Falkirk goal and just before half time Dalglish put the Bhoys ahead with a replica of his first goal.
Dixie added a third after five minutes of the second half when Callaghan set up Hood who tore down the wing before sending over a cross which was neatly headed home. Shirra broke his leg after an accidental collision with Deans with 20 minutes left to play and was subbed by ex-Celt Cattanach. Jimmy Quinn also came on for Tommy Callaghan then. Falkirk fought back in the latter stages and were rewarded with a goal on 77 minutes. Celtic hung on for the last quarter of an hour spending much of the time attacking the Falkirk goal without scoring.

At the end of November the League table looked like this.

Team P W D L F A Pts
Celtic 13 11 1 1 38 13 23
Hibernian 13 9 1 3 30 15 19
Rangers 13 8 2 3 22 14 18
Aberdeen 13 7 3 3 29 18 17
Hearts 13 8 1 4 23 14 17
Dundee Utd 13 8 0 5 23 20 16
East Fife 13 7 1 5 21 20 15

Teams

Falkirk:
Donaldson, Kennedy, Shirra (Cattanach), Markie, McMillan, McLeod, Hoggan, Harley, Scott, Young, Ferguson
Goals:- McLeod (21, 77)

Celtic:
Connaghan, McGrain, Brogan, McCluskey, Connelly, Hay, Hood, Deans, Dalglish, Lennox, Callaghan (Quinn)
Goals:- Dalglish 2 (22,45), Deans (50).

Referee: G R Smith (Edinburgh)
Attendance: 15,000

Articles

  • Match Report (see below)

Pictures

Articles Glasgow Herald November 27 1972


Celtic made to fight
By RAYMOND JACOBS

Falkirk 2, Celtic 3
Falkirk lived up to their recently acquired reputa­tion for making things difficult for Celtic at Brockville. The result on Saturday was not a match to engage the senses of the purist, rather one who relishes the sweep of the broadsword than the thrust of the rapier.
The cramped confines of the ground persistently have a curious effect on the conduct of important games. This one was out of the rugged mould that is typical; the pace was furious, but whereas Falkirk were constantly stretched, Celtic, at something well below their full strength, nevertheless played more within themselves.
Such was the speed of play and the uncompromising tackling that a coherent build-up was almost out of the question. In the circumstances McCluskey did not seem the part of the midfield player. For that matter, Connelly looked out of character at centre half and the late tackle on Scott which earned him a caution seemed to underline his dis­comfort.
WEALTH OF TALENT
What the victory did show once again was the extent of Celtic's reserve power. Two points were gained in the absence of McNeill, Murdoch, Macari, and Johnstone.
Celtic, by the way, repeated their recent habit of coming from behind to win. McLeod took advantage of a defensive error almost mid­way in the first half, but Dalglish equalised within a minute and just on the interval took Celtic into the lead. For the way Harley and Young in particular had harried Celtic's defence into confusion and distraction at times, this was perhaps rather less than they deserved.
On the other hand, Falkirk's defence with the notable exceptions of Kennedy and Shirra did have a tendency to stand and stare when Celtic injected some rhythm and sharpened the edge of their attacks. When, five minutes after the interval, Deans glanced in a header from the finest of angles from Hood’s cross, there seemed little chance of Falkirk saving the day.

LEG BREAK
.The odds lengthened in the saddest way when, 20 minutes from time, Shirra was carried off, his left leg broken after an entirely accidental collision with Deans. This brought on Cattanach, and Quinn substituted for Callaghan and either Celtic unconsciously relaxed their efforts or Falkirk gained a new lease of life, but most of the final period belonged to the home side.
.
With 12 minutes left McLeod stole round the end of Celtic’s defence and shot home Cattenach’s crafty free kick, and before the end Connaghan twice had Celtic supporters’ hearts in their mouths with confused attempts at clearing his lines.

FALKIRK— Donaldson; Kennedy and Shirra; Markie, McMillan and McLeod; Hoggan and Harley; Scott, Young and Ferguson. Substitute—Cattenach.
CELTIC—Connaghan; McGrain and Brogan; McCluskey, Connelly and Hay; Hood and Deans; Dalglish, Lennox and Callaghan. Substitute—Quinn.
Referee—G. B. Smith (Edinburgh).

1972 Falkirk 2-3 Celtic