| Tennent Sixes | Tournaments | Celtic Games | Honours |
Details
Dates: 19-20 Jan 1992
Competition: Tennent Sixes; http://www.thecelticwiki.com/tennent-sixes
Winners: Celtic
Venue: Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, Glasgow
Summary
In January 1992, Celtic were suffering another dose of winter blues. Without a trophy since the Scottish Cup final of 1989, Liam Brady had failed to revive an ailing giant and Rangers were running away with their fourth of nine titles in a row. Victory in the Tennent’s Sixes provided a brief respite.
The annual indoor tournament began in 1984, a two-day six-a-side event squeezed into January involving Scotland’s top teams, with each match lasting 15 to 20 minutes. Rangers were the first winners on the artificial turf at the Coasters Arena in Falkirk, and after moving to Ingliston a permanent home was found at Glasgow’s SECC. This was to be Celtic’s only trophy victory in this tournament, coming after a 4-2 win over St Johstone in the 1992 final before a capacity 7,500 crowd.
John Collins lifted the trophy and is pictured flanked by Tennent’s models Avril Archibald, left, and Catherine McClelland. “There’s more to come,” proclaimed Celtic’s stand-in captain, in the absence of Paul McStay, but Celtic didn’t win a thing for three more years.
The Tennent’s Sixes had also seen better days. Rangers and Aberdeen opted not to compete in 1992, and Partick Thistle manager John Lambie boycotted it in protest at Sunday football. When the brewers withdrew sponsorship after the following year’s event it was discontinued.
“It’s a pity it ended. I enjoyed the competition and it was better than training,” recalls Steve Fulton. “I can’t see it revived. Nowadays, clubs wouldn’t risk their stars.”
Cringingly, a Celtic director (Michael Kelly) tried to use this trophy victory in one interview as some kind of vindication of major success, citing that many other clubs would have been proud to have won it themselves. It didn’t help matters between the board & the support, and it was another indicator to how far the club had sunk at that point under the poor stewardship of the Biscuit Tin board.
Nevertheless, the victory in the Tennent Sixes made us all smile.
1992
- 19/20 Jan at SECC, Glasgow
- Aberdeen and Rangers didn’t compete
- Celtic v St Johnstone – Celtic won 3-2 on penalties
- St Johnstone v Dundee United – St Johnstone won 10-9 on penalties
| Group 1 | Ce | SJ | Fa | PT | DU | P | W | L | F | A | P | |
| Celtic | 3-3* | 5-3 | 4-0 | 5-2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 17 | 8 | 8 | ||
| St Johnstone | 6-4 | 4-1 | 3-3* | 4 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 11 | 6 | |||
| Falkirk | 3-1 | 3-1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 13 | 4 | ||||
| Partick Thistle | 6-3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 14 | 2 | |||||
| Dundee United | 4 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 17 | 0 |
| Group 2 | He | Mw | SM | Ai | Hi | P | W | L | F | A | P | |
| Heart of Midlothian | 2-1 | 3-2 | 5-2 | 8-1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 6 | 8 | ||
| Motherwell | 3-1 | 5-3 | 4-2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 8 | 6 | |||
| St Mirren | 3-5 | 3-2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 13 | 2 | ||||
| Airdrieonians | 0-2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 15 | 2 | |||||
| Hibernian | 4 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 15 | 2 |
Semi-finals
Celtic v Motherwell 8-5
St Johnstone v Heart of Midlothian 3-2
Final
Celtic v St Johnstone 4-2
Source: http://www.scottish-football-historical-archive.co.uk/tennents6.htm
Celtic players
A £100,000 capture from Sheffield Wednesday in 1987 who won the league and Scottish Cup double in the centenary season which followed. The Cornish-born right-back also won 35 caps for Ireland, qualifying through his mother, and left for Middlesbrough in 1992 but retired five years later with knee problems. He is managing director of his family’s food business, Morris Pasties, and made a comeback with Newquay, putting his recovery down to drinking Tahitian noni juice.
The goalkeeper played for Rangers reserves at 17 but was released and picked up by Falkirk. Celtic signed him for £270,000 in 1991. He joined Kilmarnock in 1997 then Motherwell, but injury at the start of last season forced the 41-year-old to retire. A qualified hairdresser, he is now Hibs’ goalkeeping coach
The midfielder was praised by Pele during the 1989 World Youth Cup played in Scotland, and made his Celtic debut aged 17 in 1991. He was cursed by injuries including ruptured knee ligaments, and joined Aberdeen for £350,000 in 1997, then Wolfsburg in Germany and Derby. He is now at Preston, and won his seventh Scotland cap against Austria last August
4 Derek Whyte
Also broke into the side at 17, at the start of 1986, and helped Celtic snatch the title from Hearts that season. Jjoined Middlesbrough for £900,000 in 1992, where he was made captain but twice suffered Premiership relegation. He also played for Aberdeen and Partick Thistle and became their co-manager with Gerry Britton in November 2004. Sacked a year later with Thistle relegated from the SPL and slumping in the First Division. Now a TV pundit and owns a pub in Uddingston
The striker made his debut aged 19 in 1990 but four years later, after 142 appearances and 55 goals, he joined Portsmouth for £500,000 after failing to agree a new contract. The following season he moved to Manchester City for £1m, but spent much of his three years there on loan. Retired aged 30 to work as a taxi driver in Coatbridge
Has painful memories of the Sixes, recalling: “The organisers would lay on hot dogs and I over-indugled once and suffered a terrible stitch. I didn’t repeat that.” Starred as an 18-year-old in the 1989 Scottish Cup semi-final victory over Hibs, but never lived down manager Billy McNeill describing him as ‘the new Roberto Baggio’. He joined Bolton for £300,000 in 1993 then was signed three times by Jim Jefferies, for Falkirk, Hearts — where he captained the 1998 Scottish Cup-winning side — and Kilmarnock. His playing days ended last year when Partick Thistle sacked him and two teammates for heading to a pub after being dropped for a game, but he is now back at Hearts as a youth coach
8 Mark Donaghy
Chose Celtic ahead of Manchester United and Rangers but never made the breakthrough. After spells at Morton, East Fife, Partick and Alloa he retired aged 29 to become Scotland’s youngest agent. He now runs Arena Sports Agent Management
Won this event with Hibs in 1990, and that summer joined Celtic for £1m. Yet six years at Parkhead produced a single winners medal, the 1995 Scottish Cup. A year later the midfielder was one of Scotland’s first Bosman transfers when he joined Monaco. He earned 58 Scotland caps and finished his career at Everton and Fulham in the English Premiership. Now pursuing his coaching licence
10 Joe Miller
Celtic’s top scorer in this Sixes with nine goals, he had joined from Aberdeen for a club-record £650,000 in 1987, but never fulfilled his promise despite scoring the winner against Rangers in the 1989 Scottish Cup final. He returned to Pittodrie for £250,000 in 1993 then had spells at Dundee United, Raith Rovers, Clydebank and Parramatta Power in Australia. Now at Clyde and, at the age of 38, played in their shock Scottish Cup victory over Celtic in January
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