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Trivia
- Pre-match there was almost the sense that the team had turned the corner following the League Cup win against St Mirren in midweek. Burns and McGrain and Stanton were all still out but McAdam and Filippi were both available again. McGrain had had the plaster removed from his injured foot but for Stanton it would be a much longer road back.
- Tommy Craig of Newcastle Utd was linked to a move back to Scotland to Celtic but any deal had to wait till Newcastle appointed a new manager.
- Frank Munro's one month loan was about to end and he was in talks on a full time contract at the club. He was out injured for this game.
- The all-ticket game filled the ground limit of 56,000
- Tom McAdam has a goal controversially disallowed by referee Thomson.
- On the same day Celtic lost 4 – 0 to Rangers in a Reserve League match at Ibrox. The Celtic team was Baines, McGrane, Ward, Temperley, McWilliams, Kay, G. McCluskey, Lennox, Newman, Dowie, Gibson Subs J. McCluskey and Godzik.
Review
Celtic went behind in this crucial game when Derek Johnstone scored from a Davie Cooper cross. Edvaldsson and MacDonald performed well in the Celtic defense after an initial uncertainty and for all their possession in the first half Rangers should have been further ahead. The second half was all Celtic's. The equaliser soon arrived from Tom McAdam scored after Joe Filippi crossed and Craig knocked the ball down for McAdam to shoot home. Celtic took control of the midfield and pressured Rangers. Then followed a succession of controversial decisions from referee Eddie Thompson and Rangers just held out for the draw.
Jock Stein was livid after controversial refereeing decisions cost Celtic. Craig was denied a clear penalty after a foul in the area, the referee playing advantage and then McAdam had a goal disallowed much to the frustration of the Celtic players and fans when Thompson brought play right back to the Celtic area for a free kick denying advantage. A win would have put Celtic back in the title race but it was not to be.
Teams
Celtic:
Latchford, Filippi, Lynch, Edvaldsson, MacDonald, Aitken, Doyle, Glavin, Craig (Wilson), McAdam, Conn Sub Mackie
Goal: McAdam (50)
Rangers :
Kennedy, Jardine, Greig, Forsyth, Jackson, MacDonald, McLean, Russell, Johnstone, Smith, Cooper. Subs Parlane Miller
Goal: Johnstone (26)
Referee:E Thompson (Edinburgh)
Attendance: 56,000
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Articles
Evening Times 14th November 1977
Glasgow Herald 14th November 1977
GLASGOW HERALD REPORT – CELTIC…..1-1…..RANGERS
STEIN NOT HAPPY BUT DRAW WAS RIGHT
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Moral victories never won anyone any prizes, but in recording one at Parkhead on Saturday Celtic look at long last as if they are going to emerge from a long, dark tunnel which they entered at the start of the season and managed to lose themselves in.
But a measure of the new found confidence at Parkhead can be taken from Steib's comment's yesterday. 'I am certainly not happy with the result, I think we should have taken more from the match…we certainly deserved to, taking everything into consideration'.
Although Stein acknowledges SFA rules by not talking about controversial issues, it was clear he was not satisfied with referee Eddie Thomson's handling of the game and I am sure all Celtic fans will feel the same.
After Tom McAdam had given Celtic what looked like the lead in 54 minutes, the referee pulled the play away back into Celtic's half and awarded them a free kick. The referee had indicated for a free kick some seconds before the ball had reached McAdam.
Twelve minutes later however, Thomson boobed and it caused Celtic both points. Joe Craig rounded Tom Forsyth in the penalty area and was sent sprawling…a glaring penalty but the ball had broke to McAdam and he played the advantage rule.
Rangers were much the better side in the first half as Celtic fought to overcome obvious nerves – and in that spell Derek Johnstone, Alex MacDonald and Tommy McLean turned on their own particular brand of magic.
But for all their pressure Rangers were only one goal ahead at the interval – thanks to the sterling effort of Roddy MacDonald and Johannes Edvaldsson. Ironically Rangers scored by hitting on the break. Stewart Kennedy punted a long ball towards the Celtic goal, Davie Cooper collected it and ran round Joe Filippi before crossing for Johnstone to sweep the ball past Peter Latchford.
But it was a different Celtic after the interval. They equalised in 50 minutes when Filippi crossed for Craig to knock down to McAdam, who clipped it past Kennedy. From that point until the final 10 minutes the Parkhead side looked the more likely team. They won the midfield and forced Rangers back on their heels but the goal
that would have put the seal on their fightback just did not come.