Match Pictures | Matches 1979 – 1980 | 1979-80 Pictures |
Trivia
- Johnny Doyle was still out with a leg injury.
- Tom McAdam plays in the unusual number 11 shorts.
- Celtic play in their new 'V' neck hoops top for the first time.
- Dom Sullivan makes his Celtic debut 24 hours after signing from Aberdeen for £80,000.
- The Reserves drew 0-0 at Ibrox with a team of Bonner, Filippi, Lynch, Weir, Duffy, Casey, Mackie, Davidson, Nicholas (Halpin), Reid, Lennox,. Sub: Crainie.
Review
Rangers were in fine mood after their excellent midweek draw in Valencia in the ECWC.
This game hinged on the second half substitution of Edvaldsson for McCluskey. Rangers defence struggled to cope with Edvaldsson's physical presence and when Provan swung over a fine cross from a corner Roddy MacDonald was free to head home as the Rangers defenders fussed over Edvaldsson.
McGrain and Burns on Celtic's left side were fine players on the day but new signing Sullivan was perhaps the most impressive player on view.
Stubborn defending and McCloy's goalkeeping kept Celtic at bay until their goal and after that Rangers opened up looking for an equaliser but couldn't find one.
At the end of the month Celtic held a 1 point advantage over second placed Morton.
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
| Celtic | 11 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 24 | 10 | +14 | 17 |
| Morton | 11 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 28 | 16 | +12 | 16 |
| Aberdeen | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 23 | 13 | +10 | 13 |
| Partick | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 13 | 14 | -1 | 12 |
Teams
Celtic:
Latchford, Sneddon, McGrain, Aitken, MacDonald, MacLeod, Provan, Sullivan, McCluskey (Edvaldsson), Burns (Conroy),.McAdam.
Goals: MacDonald (76)
Rangers:
McCloy, Miller, A Forsyth, Jardine, Stevens, Watson, McLean (Smith), A MacDonald, Johnstone, Urquhart, Cooper. Substitute: J McDonald
Referee: B McGinlay (Balfron)
Attendance: 56,000
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Match Reports
Evening Times 29th October 1979
Glasgow Herald 29th October 1979
GLASGOW HERALD REPORT BY JIM REYNOLDS
MACDONALD GOAL BREAKS CELTS' OCTOBER JINX
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Roddy MacDonald's winning goal in the latest Old Firm confrontation at the weekend pushed Celtic six points clear of their great rivals in the Premier League table and helped to break an October jinx for manager Billy McNeill.
In his short spell as manager, McNeill has come to dread this particular month, and with good reason. Last season Celtic failed to win a single league match in October, dropping seven points out of a possible eight, but despite that they went on to win the Championship.
Events during the last few weeks did nothing to ease McNeill's apprehension, but MacDonald's goal on Saturday raised Celtic's points total to five out of eight for the month and that has brought smiles to the faces of those at Parkhead.
Alan Sneddon was restored to right-back with Danny McGrain moving to the left and McGrain looked much more comfortable there. Roy Aitken went into centre of defence, which McNeill considers his best position, and was outstanding ; new signing Dom Sullivan brought a smooth, silky touch to the midfield, and Tom McAdam got through a mountain of work up front.
Admittedly, Rangers have been hard hit by injuries lately but they still managed to field a team packed with experience. Their European style, however, in which they conceded territorial advantage, suited Celtic. It made for long spells of boredom but you will not hear a Celtic fan complain this morning.
It might all have been different if Rangers had shown the same committment all way through as they did after MacDonald's goal, for they gave Celtic's defence more trouble in the final 10 minutes as they had done in the previous 80. But they did not, and therefore did not deserve to win.
Celtic, with Davie Provan right in the mood, spent most of the afternoon in the Rangers' half, but due to fine work in Ibrox defence they were only allowed to create a few chances in that first half. But after an hour they began to find more gaps in the Ibrox defence and and it became apparent that if any team was to break the deadlock then it would be Celtic, especially with the arrival of substitute Edvaldsson causing concern in the Rangers' rearguard, and with 14 minutes left they did just that. Provan, that immaculate crosser of a ball, flighted over a perfect corner kick, and there was Roddy MacDonald soaring over everyone to head home that dramatic winner.
Celtic – Latchford Sneddon McGrain Aitken MacDonald MacLeod Provan Sullivan McCluskey Burns McAdam – subs Edvaldsson Conroy
Rangers – McCloy Miller A Forsyth Jardine Stevens Watson McLean A MacDonald Johnstone Urquhart Cooper – subs Smith J McDonald