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Title: On The Road Again
Release Date:1995
Review By: Kevtic Aug 4th 2010
There was one bright shining light in this season of turmoil and that was the Scottish Cup victory that provided Celtic with their first trophy for six years. Yes, six whole years since wee Joe Miller had latched onto Stevens short back pass and denied the huns back to back trebles. This video charts the road to that 95 final and the relief that was felt throughout the club and support as the final whistle sounded at Hampden. Sadly it did all turn out to be a bit of a false dawn but those who were there savoured the moment. The smiles on the faces of Paul McStay, Tommy Burns and the tears of Peter Grant in the opening montage showed how much this win meant to them and the club.
The cup campaign itself started with a 2-0 home win, with home being Hampden, over St Mirren. The legend that is Willie Falconer scoring the first and the legend that could have been, Pierre Van Hooijdonk got the 2nd in front of 28,000 people. The 4th round was significant as the huns were knocked out 4-2 at Tynecastle while Celtic disposed of Meadowbank Thistle (remember them?) with Pierre (2) and Falconer once again providing the goals. The video commentary revealed the startling fact the this 3 goal victory was the first time Celtic had won by 3 goals since 1993. I found this bit of info hard to believe (although not actually that hard) and checked back and it was back in April 1993 when Celtic beat Airdrie 4-0 was indeed the last time they had won by 3 clear goals. Over 22 months, an incredible stat. We didn't have to wait so long for it to happen again when we beat the huns 3-0 at Hampden a few weeks before the final.
The 1/4 final was played at Hampden on a Friday night for some reason and in a scene that kind of typified Celtic at that time, the floodlights failed and plunged the game into semi darkness. After a break of 25 mins the game restarted and Celtic grabbed the only goal of the game from the penalty spot after a fantastic McStay pass released McLaughlin and he was hauled down in the box. Collins calmly struck the ball home and the chance of cup glory was fast becoming a reality. It took 2 games to separate Celtic and Hibs in the semi final with both games played at Ibrox. Bizarrely Celtic had played all their Cup games at Hampden but the SFA decided they would play the semi final at Ibrox and given the last cup game Celtic played there had ended in such disaster there were some worried faces as they approached these games. I remember the first game was one to forget with 0-0 flattering both sides. Given there is is no footage of the first game on the video I wasn't the only one to think it was forgettable but there are extended highlights of the 2nd game which brought back memories of the tension in the air that night. Hearts the conquerors of Rangers had surprisingly been beaten by Airdrie in the other semi so both teams knew what awaited them in the final if they could win this game. Celtic took command of the replay with a Walker goal and a delightful curling left foot shot from Collins giving Celtic a two goal cushion at half time but a Keith Wright goal allowed Hibs back into the game in the 2nd half and the pressure for the Celtic fans was almost too much to bear until Phil O'Donnell came to our rescue when his header sealed the game and we were on our way to Hampden and hoping for a silver lining to a dark season.
There is a fair amount of footage from Seamill showing the team's preparation for the final and surprisingly given the significance of the game the players look fairly relaxed and we find out Brian O'Neill is a terrible card player. O'Neill himself was to miss the final through injury and a certain Tony Mowbray was also to miss the game through suspension.
The final itself could never be described as a classic and somehow they manage to put together an extended highlights package. Ask most Celtic fans about that game and probably three moments will be recalled. Pierre rising majestically to head home McKinlay's cross, a Collins diving header that flew inches wide from a Falconer cross which would have made the 2nd half a bit more comfortable had it gone in and Peter Grant's perfectly timed last ditch tackle in the box in the closing stages of the game. A tackle all the more remarkable as Grant could hardly walk never mind run after a dreadful late tackle by Kenny Black earlier in the game. The highlights even include a Tosh McKinlay corner that goes straight out for a throw in at the other side of the pitch. They really were struggling for highlights. Those who were there and who watched on TV will remember a very long 2nd half but when the whistle finally sounded there are some fantastic scenes of celebration. Particularly amongst the older Celtic contingent of Grant, McStay and Burns who knew how much this victory meant to everyone connected with the club. The celebrations continued as the team bus made its way back to Celtic Park via the Gorbals and the Calton and being forced to stop by the crowds as it drove past Bairds Bar. The team were lucky not to get crushed as a crowd awaited them at Celtic Park but it was all done in celebration and good humour as the team left to celebrate inside.
Nowadays it's hard to imagine Celtic having to wait six years to win a trophy and it was to be another 2 years after this before we won our next silverware against Dundee Utd in the league cup. Back in the dark 90s there didn't seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel but as Celtic Park began to rise from the rubble of the old ground so too did the team start to return to the glory days, it's just a pity this hadn't been the starting point for may other victories under Burns but although few will remember the game itself anyone who was there will remember the joy that cup win brought.
Product Details
Production Year 1995
Running Time 60 mins
Release Date 1995
Catalogue No. CW025
Studio – Cameron Williams
Alternative cover
