1988-04-23: Celtic 3-0 Dundee, Premier Division

Celtic fittingly win the league in their Centenary season at Celtic Park.

Trivia

• Stadium was over packed, and there were people, mainly kids, sitting on the track round the pitch so that they could fit into the stadium.
• Official attendance was 60,800. Celtic directors confessed in later years attendance was actually 72,000. Stewards had to lock the gates with thousands locked outside.
• The club was heavily criticised for not making this game all ticket.
• Hundreds of season ticket holders in the main stand found that their seats were taken when they arrived at the match as too many people were admitted to the stand.
• Fans sing ‘Happy Birthday Dear Celtic…happy birthday to you’.
• Fans invade the field and players are forced to stand on the ledge of the directors’ box to take the acclaim of the supporters.

Review

Celtic won the league title against Dundee at Parkhead, and started one of the biggest ever celebrations at Celtic Park that the club has ever seen. Estimates are that there were way beyond the permitted 60k limit of fans in the stadium, with massive over-spill onto the tracks round the ground, around 70k fans. The irony was that this game was almost a year to the day until the Hillsborough disaster.

Celts had won the league title in their Centenary season, and we can never be prouder with the Double to come against Dundee Utd in the Scottish Cup. Great times, and great memories.

Teams

Celtic:
Bonner, Morris, Rogan, Aitken, McCarthy, Whyte, Miller (Stark), McStay, McAvennie (McGhee), Walker, Burns
Celtic scorers: Morris (3), Walker (75, 76)

Dundee:
Carson, Forsyth, Angus, Shannon (Harvey), Smith, Saunders, Lawrence (Frail), Rafferty, Wright, Coyne, Campbell

Referee: A.N. Huett (Edinburgh)
Att: 72,000

Articles

• Match Report (see below)

Pictures

• Match Pictures

KStreet

• Memories (Apr 2008)

Articles

Evening Times 25th April 1988

Memories

Celtic 3-0 Dundee, 90,000 (at least !) inside Celtic park to witness Celtic clinch the title in our Centenary year. It was quite emotional for me as it was also the first anniversary of my Grandfathers death at a mere 54, the man who made Celtic in my heart and it was fitting that we could have won the league the week before Against Hearts (i think) but we lost so it was off to the crematorium in the morning before my uncle had me sitting inside Celtic park for what seemed at eternity “to make sure we get a seat”. How right was he as Celtic Park was crammed to the maxiumum i have ever witnessed it, tims on top of the pie stalls, on the running track, and then on top of the world.
God Bless Austin my Granda, a true tim and who even made sure his beloved team won the league on their most farytale of years a mile up the road from were we all lived.
(dellbhoy 7 of KStreet Apr 08), Source

I was 14 and had been at Tynecastle the week before when we could have had it sewn up. We were late in getting in to Celtic Park, about 2.30 I think and had to try and find a space in the Celtic end. We were right down the front next to the main stand.
Until near half time anyway, we were being crushed from behind and spilled onto the track, I remember sitting on the grass at the back of the goals when the whistle went. We were then escorted along the track to the huns end where we watched Andy Walker get the two goals to clinch it.
At the final whistle we were on the pitch with another few thousand and quickly got back off in time for the players to come into the main stand for the celebrations.

What a day.
(Bambi of KStreet forum, Apr 08) Source

I was in my usual “Celtic End Fifth Leaning Post Down From The Pie Stall On The London Road Side” position at half one, because I didn’t want to miss out.
As it got closer to kick off you sensed that there was going to be a space problem and I remember a guy I knew back then hanging off the fence which separated the Celtic End from the South Stand. He then was dragged down by someone, and I saw him being huckled to the Rangers End.
I seem to remember folks sitting on the red blaes in front of the wall all the way round.
When Walker scored his first, we knew it was our league and his second a minute later started the party for sure.
Happy days! Erra spearmint an ra macaroon – erzi Chew-its.
I reckon there were no more than 45,000 in the Celtic End that day though.
(Arsene P of KStreet forum, Apr 08) Source

I was in the upper stand with my (late) dad.What amazes me is that it was pay at the gate,even for the upper stand!!!
I can remember looking across at the Jungle.The main point of congestion was at the point between the Jungle and the Celtic end.I can remember thinking that you could not see any flashes of colour from clothing,just a kinda mass of white/pink.People were so crammed in it was just their faces you could see.Looked well dangerous.
I also knew that my mates were in the Jungle at our usual spot.Was a bit jealous.
Great day,topped off by the SC Final a couple of weeks later.Oh,Hampden in the sun right enough.
My dad never saw us win the league again,and the next week was the last game we ever went to together v Dunfermline.
(Wispy of KStreet forum, Apr 08) Source

That was my first ever game.
I asked my dad if I could go and he said: “Yes, son. Yes, you can. Let’s you me and your brother all go to the football.”
Rangers end, right down the front, not really seeing anything and having a hard time following a fecking thing. Saw Walker’s goals (or goal, the camera never caught the second goal) on Scotsport the next night.
It was fecking scary and great. The most people I had ever seen in one place at that point was morning Mass on Christmas Day. I then went to the St Mirren game where we got the trophy and the Dundee United Cup Final and I was hooked.
Unfortuneately it was seven years until the next trophy and ten for the League.
Understandably, I felt like a jinx.
(tacticalgenius of KStreet forum, Apr 08) Source

Match reports