| Matches: 1956 – 1957 | 1956-1957 Pictures | League Table | Statistics |
If you're not moving forwards – then you're moving backwards….
- League Position – 5th
- League Cup – Winners
- Scottish Cup – Semi-finalists
- Glasgow Cup – Winners
For the second year running Celtic finished fifth in the League. The major success of the season was winning the Scottish League Cup for the first time, a trophy that had so far failed to be won by the club, so it was particularly pleasing to win it having qualified from a group containing both Rangers and the Cup holders in Aberdeen as well as East Fife. The Quarter final saw Dunfermiline beaten 6-0 at Celtic Park with McPhail and Mochan combining well. The 3-0 capitulation at East End Park was a mark of the determination Dunfermiline showed to not go down without a fight, and was also the first game in three losses for Celtic. The semi-final saw Clyde dispatched 2-0 with Billy McPhail scoring both goals against his old side. The final against Partick Thistle required a replay after the first game ended with a goalless stalemate. In the replay Celtic played superior sweeping football but it took till four minutes into the second half before Celtic broke the Thistle defense down, but having done it once they proceeded to repeat the trick twice more to end up 3-0 winners – and the League Cup was headed to Parkhead for the first time.
In the other Cup competition, after a pleasant 5-0 journey to Forres, Celtic drew Rangers at home. What followed was one of the best and most enjoyable games of the season with four goals in the opening 15 minutes. Rangers requiring the inevitable soft penalty and a mistake from John Jack to equalise in a thrilling game. The replay at Ibrox showed the superiority of Celtic football with Rangers content to foul and play the long ball down the middle which Jack dealt admirably with, and Celtic gracing a 2-0 win. The Quarter Final was away to St Mirren with Bertie Peacock scoring a rare goal in a 2-1 win. The semi at Hampden against Kilmarnock saw nearly 110,000 watch a 1-1 draw which was plagued by the Hampden Swirl. But Celtic had met their match in a well-prepared Killie side who knew how defend and how to take their chances. The replay was lost 3-1 to a Killie side that went on to the final to lose to Falkirk in an extra time replay.
What about the League? It was here that the problems in the team started to be seen and gives rise to the heading at the top of the page. Celtic's one major signing for the 56-'57 signing had been Billy McPhail on a free from Clyde – a player that was known to have injury problems and to be a slow healer. In fact it was rumoured that Clyde were the ones laughing when they knew that McPhail was heading up the road to Parkhead. McPhail was brought in to address the often cited failure of Celtic to put the ball away throughout the '55-'56 season, and he did well winning goals from headers and leading the line like a good centre forward. He also was the spark that brought the best out of Mochan and Fernie and Collins, and with John Higgins throwing off his knee-injury traumas the Celtic front line did well at the start. The Home record was good with only two home losses – one to Rangers and one at the end of the season to St Mirren. It was the away form which was troubling with only six games won on the road all season. This was not the form of a team that would win the league Championship, and by the New Year it was clear that this would not be headed to Celtic Park.
It is difficult to analyse why the team did so badly on the road. They were skilled, they were fit and they had the desire to fight through to the end as noted by many in the press. The team was not overly chopped and changed and in fact the back unit of Beattie, Haughney, Fallon, Evans, Jack, Peacock played a total of 33 games together all season in all competitions, and 15 of 34 league games. It may very well have been this lack of change that lies at the heart of the failure to do better than the apparent resources would and should have done. There were young players coming through but there were only two debuts this season – those of Alec Byrne and Benny McCreadie in goal, who was promptly released at the end of the season. Some of the seasoned veteran pros had moved on. Jimmy Walsh went to Leicester with Alec Dowdells, the long time Celtic and Scotland trainer. Alec Boden left to captain Ayr Utd (who were actually relegated at the end of the season) and Jock Stein who had been a magnificent captain was forced to retire when the ankle injury proved too debilitating. Charlie Tully, at 34 too started to be used less as an immediate pick when fit.
Coming through were the young 'uns in Bertie Auld (who spent most of the season on loan to Dumbarton), Duncan MacKay and John Donnelly were beginning to pick up plaudits in the reserves, as well as Don McMillan, McLaughlan, Sharkey and McVittie. Some of these would go with the seniors on the America tour.
As noted in the previous season's review, the times were changing. Celtic's progress and health would be judged by their ability to adapt and change with those times. It was not clear through the 1956-57 season if there was the desire or foresight to see those changes.
Haughney, Meechan, Beattie, John Jack, Evans, Peacock
Higgins, Vince Ryan, Mochan, Fernie, Tully.