| Match Pictures | Matches: 1986 – 1987 | 1986-1987 Pictures |
Trivia
- At this point in the season with 19 games played Celtic topped the Premier Division 4pts ahead of Dundee Utd. Rangers were in 4th – 8 points adrift. The season had begun and progressed well to this point but there were worrying signs in the shaky defense and that since the start of th 1985/86 season Celtic had failed to beat Rangers on all but once in 8 games. On the plus side -the Celtic end was now covered with a spanking new roof – except the Celtic end had to be closed again in mid to late Novemebr to effect repairs to this new edifice.
- Peter Grant started and finished the game as Right Back. With Danny McGrain used sparingly in this, his final season, Grant was commonly called to play at right back and was an indication that there appeared to be little forward planning as to how the position would be filled to the benefit of a solid defense.
- Derek Whyte played at Left Back where he had originally made his debut. He was clearly better suited to playing as a central defender but needs must and there was no recognised left back. Tommy Burns – who was a long term injury at this point from the first Dynamo Kiev game – had been playing there and Murdo MacLeod had had to fill in here also. The situation wouldn't be resolved till newly arrived Anton Rogan, the 20 year-old signed this season from Distillery came to make his debut on the 3rd January.
- Johston and McClair were in fine form up front and were about to become the highest scoring partnership in the Premier Division.
- Whispering under everything like a slumbering volcano was the contract situation of key players. The top scorers Johnston and McClair, along with Alan McInally and Murdo MacLeod were all out of contract at the end of the season. The Board made noises about contract re-negotiations but the Press made even bigger noises. This was helped to a degree by being briefed off-record by agents and the players themselves. Mo Johnston had already walked through a vale of tears with Hay after he gave an interview saying that he "……wouldn't mind playing at Manchester Utd". causing him to state that he had been misquoted and for Hay to instigate a regime where all requests for and interviews with players went through him before access to the players. Needless to say this was a pretty hopeless response. The Board, in the true spirit of Celtic at the time refused to say little other than snooty articles in the Celtic View which failed to quell the mounting suspicion that all four would be leaving.
- On the same day Celtic defeated Falkirk 4-2 in a Reserve League match a Brockville. The Celtic team was Latchford, W. McStay, Rogan, Traynor, Baillie, McGugan, Feeney, Coyle, Fraser, McGee, Archdeacon. Subs Smith (Archdeacon), Kean (McGee). The Celtic scorers were Fraser 2, Rogan and Coyle.
Review
Dougie McGuire's debut with the first team, coming on as a second half sub for Shepherd in a comfortable win, but more worrying was the fact that the team shipped two goals to a team of journeyman who managed to uncover the cracks in the flakey Celtic defense.
Teams
Celtic:
Bonner, Grant, Whyte, Aitken, O'Leary, MacLeod (McGhee, 29), McClair, McStay, Johnston, Shepherd (McGuire, 46), McInally.
Scorers: Johnston (47), McInally (70), Johnston (79), Grant (80)
Falkirk:
Watson, Purdie, Manley, Dempsey, Martin, Kerr, Keatherstone, Macleaod, McGivern (McGuire), Ashwood (Hughes), Gilmour
Scorers: Ashwood (58), Gilmour (89)
Att: 16,545
Referee:
Articles
- Match Report (see end of page below)
