| Match Pictures | Matches: 1965 – 1966 | 1965-66 Pictures |
Trivia
- Scotland played England at Hampden on Saturday 2nd April with Tommy Gemmell (winning his first full |Scotland cap), Bobby Murdoch and Jimmy Johnstone playing. Scotland had just missed out qualifying for the World Cup in England and England had only qualified as hosts. England won in a tight game 4-3 with Jimmy Johnstone scoring 2 of the Scotland goals.
- Again an unchanged side for Celtic from the one that had both beaten Dunfermiline in the Cup semi final and Kilmarnock in the league. It was thought that John Hughes would return from his knee injury which was picked up playing for the Scottish League against the English League at Newcastle on 16th March. However Jock Stein went with the tried and tested side.
- St Mirren were in a real relegation battle this season and limping along fourth from bottom of the league tussling it out with St Johnstone and Partick Thistle.
- The game was played on a Tuesday night full of rain and sleet and wind on a pitch which resembled the mud of the Somme.
- On the same day in the Combined Reserve League Celtic were away to Jordanhill College and defeated them 3-0. This marked the return of John Hughes from his knee injury. The scorers were "Junior", H. Quinn and McCarron. The Celtic team was Kennedy, Craig, Halpin, Henderson, McCarron, Hay, Junior, McGowan, H. Quinn, Sweeney, Hughes.
A General Election was held on the 31st March. This saw the Labour governemt of Harold Wilson returned with an enlarged majority.
Review
Both Bobby Murdoch and Jimmy Johnstone had outstanding game. Johnstone in particular was on a real run of golden form in the last few matches. The match conditions dominated the play favouring a long ball game. The Bhoys pounded the St Mirren goal in the first half with just Chalmers goal to show for their undeniable ascendancy over St Mirren. The goal had been made by Jimmy Johnstone taking the ball to the bye line and cutting it back with a pass for Chalmers whose quick shot beat the St Mirren keeper. In the second half Celtic were against the wind and conditions, however this seemed to trouble them far less than it had St Mirren, and Joe McBride soon doubled the lead with a neat move that involved most of the team. Ther third goal summed up the dominance and displayed the new awareness of this team. Everyone now was expected to try to get forward and to be able to cross, shoot and pass. This time the cross came from right back Ian Young and McBride's header was a bullet into the goal.
Teams
St Mirren
Thorburn, Murray, Riddell, Pinkerton, Kiernan, Clark, Aird, Hamilton, Adamson, Robertson, Gemmell.
Scorers:
Celtic
Simpson; Young, Gemmell; Murdoch, McNeill, Clark; Johnstone, McBride, Chalmers, Lennox, Auld
Scorers Chalmers (32), McBride 2 (48, 69)
Referee: H. Philips (Wishaw)
Attendance: 10,000
Articles
- Match Report (see end of page below)
