1974-04-03: Celtic 1-0 Dundee, Scottish Cup Semi Final

Match Pictures | Matches: 1973 – 1974 | 1973-74 Pictures

Trivia

Played at Hampden on a Wednesday night.
There had been doubts about Jim Brogan's fitness for the match but he came through all right.
Celtic strolled into yet another Scottish Cup Final with a surprisingly easy victory over Dundee in a no-contest semi-final.
Tommy Gemmell famously said "Jimmy Who?", when asked how he felt having to play against Jimmy Johnstone, by the press before the game.
Jinky came back to haunt him with the only goal.
With this win Celtic qualified for their 9th Scottish Cup Final in 10 years.

Review

The score bears no relation to the game. Dundee were never in it. Celtic in the end walked to victory and should have scored more goals.

The goal that dumped Dundee came in the 43rd minute and it was fittingly scored by the wee man Tommy Gemmell called "Jimmy Who?" Tam knows who Jimmy is now all right. For the little Celtic winger was in sparkling form, doing practically as he liked with his former colleague.

He crowned a splendid night's work with a slick goal. It came after Billy McNeill had headed on a Harry Hood corner. Standing on the six-yard line, Johnstone hooked the ball into the bet. And that really was that.

Dundee had no answer. At no time did they look like making Celtic worry, and indeed the nearest they came to scoring was when Gordon Wallace, on in the second half for Duncan Lambie, lashed a vicious shot just over.

If Dundee, were disappointing, Celtic, as they do so often, rose magnificently to the big occasion. Dundee were shattered tactically, Jim Brogan, marking Jocky Scott, had the ideas man of the Dens attack hardly getting a kick at the ball. Scott was so much out of it that Brogan left him alone when Gordon Wallace came on as substitute… then he marked Gordon out of the match.

Neither could Dundee match Celtic in individual skill. Not only jinking Jimmy Johnstone had a gala night. So had Kenny Dalglish, in Scotland form, making the Celtic attack tick like an expensive watch. Harry Hood also played his part, as did Tommy Callaghan playing at left back. His swift excursions into the Dundee penalty area brought danger time after time. The 58,250 crowd had plenty of action at the start for it was tough and tense with artists having little chance against stern tackling.

But although John Duncan of Dundee was booked for a foul the game settled to a better pattern later on, a pattern set by Celtic. Dundee were lucky to escape so lightly. They disappointed their fans, never knitting up front and leaving gaps in defence which especially in the the second half should have been exploited by the Celtic adventurers.

Surprisingly, too, Dundee were sadly stereotyped. Where was the craft and flexibility. Not, alas, at Hampden.

It was Celtic, Celtic all the way. Faster, crisper, more confident. Bobby Ford and Bobby Robinson tried their utmost to get their team into gear, but with Scott out of it there was no generalship, no flair. Most of their attacks consisted of high crosses which gave Billy McNeill a pleasant night. Hardly once was the Celtic defence in a whirl and Dennis Connaghan dealt superbly with the little he had to do. Dundee bunnets drooped and let's hope the Dens Park bubble isn't burst.

But on this form Celtic, without being stretched, are again hot favourites for the Cup.

A rhythmic powerful team, who never looked in trouble.