| Match Pictures | Matches: 1978 – 1979 | 1978-79 Pictures |
Trivia![[Untitled]](https://wikifoundryimages.s3.amazonaws.com/6HlJSlYcu7MrzQ-4RQo-SQ66323 "[Untitled]")
- The club sought to bring Davie Provan from Kilmarnock. The Scotland U21 international was unhappy at Rugby Partk and had handed in a transfer request at the beginning of the season.
- 1:00 pm kick off in an all-ticket match.
- Billy McNeill wins his first Old Firm game as Celtic manager.
- Latchford saves a penalty from Alex Miller.
- Highlights shown on Sportscene that night.
- Joe Craig's last game for Celtic. He signed for Blackburn for £40,000 days later.
- Mark Reid, who had gone from S-Former to Groundstaff at 16 became full time on his 17th birthday
- Negotiations were ongoing to bring Bobby Lennox back in to team affairs at Celtic. Lennox had left at the end of the last season to play for Houston Hurricanes in the States and with the end of the season their he had returned to Scotland. Celtic wanted the use of his talents but had to persuade the Hurricanes, with whom Lennox was still under contract, that if he returned to the USA it would be to play for them and no one else.
- In the Sunday Mail Sir Alf Ramsey watches the game and gives his opinions on Scottish football's big two.
- The Reserves were beaten 3-0 at Ibrox. The team was Baines, McGrain, Sneddon, Ward, Coyne, Dowie, Mackie, Weir, Wilson, Lumsden, Godzik Subs: McPhee, O'Donnell.
Quick Review
This game marked the first Old Firm game between the new young managers Billy McNeill and John Greig who had both been appointed in the summer.
Celtic overcame the odds to defeat Rangers 3-1. The Celts were handicapped by the loss of experienced men Roddy MacDonald and Alfie Conn but replacements Mike Conroy and George McCluskey were excellent.
Celtic took the lead in 2 minutes when Tom McAdam cracked home a tremendous shot after Rangers failed to clear a Glavin free kick. They were 2-0 up after 14 minutes when young McCluskey cut in from the right and fired a low shot past McCloy from a tight angle, the ball skidding past the goalkeeper on the wet surface.
Rangers regrouped after half time when Parlane scored but Celtic increased their lead in 76 minutes when McAdam scored after substitute Joe Craig had shown great determination to escape the clutchesof Tom Forsyth.
Rangers rallied again and were awarded a penalty in 83 minutes but Latchford made a brilliant diving save to deny Alex Miller and it finished 3-1. Champions Rangers remained winless after 4 games in the division with Celtic top with a maximum 8 points.
This marked Joe Craig's last appearance for Celtic and he signed for Blackburn Rovers a few weeks later for a fee of £50,000.
Teams
Celtic :
Latchford, Fillipi, Lynch, Aitken, Edvaldsson, Conroy, Doyle, Glavin, McAdam, Burns (Casey), McCluskey (Craig).
Scorers: McAdam (2), McCluskey (14), McAdam (76)
Rangers :
McCloy, Jardine, A Forsyth, T Forsyth, Jackson, McDonald (Miller), McLean (Cooper), Russell, Parlane, Johnstone, Smith.
Scorer: Parlane (49)
Referee: D Syme (Glasgow)
Attendance 60,000
Pictures
Articles
Evening Times 11th September 1978
Glasgow Herald 11th September 1978
GLASGOW HERALD REPORT BY JIM REYNOLDS
As far as Celtic – Rangers games go, it seems just like another Old Firm Saturday at the weekend…great goals, jet paced action, bookings galore, a missed penalty and the Glasgow constabulary ending the day with almost 200 miscreants in the bag.
But for both side, the early afternoon happenings at Parkhead could, in the coming weeks, be of special significance. Celtic's victory must give them a tremendous boost and the confidence which has been apparent in their play this season should now be running over. It was their tenth straight competitive win under Billy McNeill and by far the most important.
It is true that the two points reward is the same that they would gain for a league victory over any other side, but this was the biggest test for McNeill's men and they passed with honours. Only now can we say that after 10 wins and 32 goals that Celtic are again a team to be feared by all.
Playing without such as Danny McGrain, Roddy MacDonald and Alfie Conn they took on the reigning Champions and won with style and courage. The spin off should be there for all to see in the games ahead. For Rangers, the weekend's events must call for a rethink. They have struggled to find their form, especially up front, and now that they trail their bitter rivals by six points, time becomes a bitter enemy.
Of course the season is still in it's infancy, but such a gap at any stage is a rather frightening one for those in pursuit and any other slip ups in the games ahead could be catastrophic as far as Rangers' chances of retaining the title are concerned.
The latest setback could not have come at a worse time for Rangers, who set of for Turin this morning for Wednesday's European Cup clash with Juventus. John Greig, of course, will be channeling all thoughts towards that one, but immediately when it is over, he has to address some problems.
Is it time to abandon – at least temporarily – the idea of playing Derek Johnstone in defence ? The big fellow has not looked comfortable there this season and he even looked out of place in midfield in the first half against Celtic. Only when he moved up front did he look like the player he was last season. He is a proven goalscorer and that is what Rangers need, above all, at the moment.
Rangers were caught cold at Parkhead as Celtic stormed into attack straight from the kick off and had the Rangers defence running in circles. After McCloy let a Johnny Doyle shot squirm out of his within seconds, Celtic scored within the minute. Ronnie Glavin hit a a free kick into the penalty area, Johannes Edvaldsson tapped it back to Tom McAdam, and the big striker fired a great shot into the net. Celtic continued to play with confidence and went two up in 14 minutes when the young Celt George McCluskey cut in on the right hand side and, cleverly, beat McCloy at his near post from a difficult angle.
But one thing Rangers do not need to improve on is their fighting qualities and the battled back with Derek Parlane scoring their first Premier League goal of the season in 49 minutes. That signalled their best spell and just when it seemed that an equaliser must come, Celtic struck again.
With 14 minutes left Joe Craig set up the clincher with a tenacious run down the right towards the penalty area. McAdam had backed him up well and when Craig squared a pass across the area, McAdam carefully steered the the ball past McCloy.
Rangers still continued to fight but seven minutes from time they lost their final lifeline when Peter Latchford, a magnificent keeper on the day, brilliantly saved an Alex Miller penalty.
Five players were booked on the day in a match in which Celtic thoroughly deserved to win : Tommy McLean, Alex MacDonald and Tom Forsyth of Rangers and Celtic's Johannes Edvaldsson and the hard working Ronnie Glavin.
John Greig summed up the match from Rangers' viewpoint and said afterwards, 'In a match like this you cannot give away a two goal start, miss a penalty and still deserve to win'.