21st November
In the Monday morning papers, Celtic’s feat of coming back twice from a two-goal deficit to Dunfermline and then actually winning the match was the main topic in all the coverage;-
Celts Great Escape!
‘Since August Celtic have been a great football team but on Saturday the men who do not know the meaning of defeat earned the right to a place in the Parkhead Hall of Fame.
Dunfermline had them dead – but Jock Stein’s forwards flatly refused to let East End Park be their burial ground’.
Jock Stein himself was happy with the result and was quick to point out the role that his front players had played in the match ;-
Satisfied Stein
‘I remember the League Cup final at Hampden. On that day our forwards played very badly. It was the defence that saved us and took us to victory – so surely they are entitled to expect the attack to do a special job on occasions like Saturday’.
There was a Second X1 2nd round cup tie that day at East End Park against Dunfermline. The Celtic side was;
Martin, Craig, Brogan, Henderson, McCarron, Cattenach, Quinn, Gallagher, Connelly, Taylor, Macari.
We won comfortably by 5 goals to nil, our strikes coming from Tony Taylor (3), Lou Macari and George Connelly.
22nd November
I had found the weekend a bit special. Certainly a 5-4 win over a good team like the Pars was a boost to the club’s push for the league title. At the same time, though, to lose four goals in any match is possibly a sign that the defence did not have a good afternoon.
I read nearly every newspaper report avidly. Were Dunfermline right on form? Or were their attackers too good for our defence and in particular, our fullbacks? Would this be an opportunity for me to go and see the Boss and see what he thought? Would the four goals lost mean a possible return for me? I would certainly try.
In the papers that Tuesday, though, the main topic was the imminent clash between Rangers and Borussia Dortmund – due on the 23rd – and it took up most of the headlines-
McLean Puzzle for Rangers
Symon Lists 7 Forwards
Its Rangers But Will They Score Enough
At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea beat Real Madrid 2-0 in a friendly.
On that afternoon, a very unusual Celtic side lost 1-3 to Glasgow University at Garscadden in a Combined Reserve team match. The odd feature was the number of un-signed players on trial who were listed; the team was;
Kennedy, ‘Newman’, ‘Newman’, Henderson, Connelly, Hay, Taggart, ‘Newman’, ‘Junior’, ‘Newman’, McGeehan.
George Connelly got the Celtic goal from the penalty spot
23rd November
The concentration on the Rangers match continued ;-
Symon Keeps Borussia Guessing
No Team Till Just before Kick-off
Celtic did, however, manage to get some publicity, over an unusual topic –
Celtic Plan Boys Gate – But Dad Must Be There Too!
‘A “father and son” gate is to be introduced at Celtic Park – for the match with Hearts on Saturday – and it will be in operation at all future home games.
The new plan will cut out the necessity for parents going in through one turnstile and children through a boys’ gate.
From now on a father will be able to take his son or daughter into the ground by special gates at the London Road end of Celtic Park. Entrance charges will be 6s – the same as normal admission for an adult and a child entering by the boys’ gate’.
24th November
The 2-1 victory for Rangers over Borussia Dortmund was an excellent result but there was one incident in particular which caught the attention of the watching journalists ;-
‘Everything else in this European Cup-Winners’ Cup tie was overshadowed by the goal which sent Borussia Dortmund back to Germany beaten 2-1 but white-hot favourites to win the tie in the second leg on 6th December.
A quick re-cap on the action for the goal. Held Races up the left touchline. He crosses the ball. His speed takes him over the goal-line. From that position of safety he watches play go on. He sees Reehs shoot and the ball cannons off the leg of John Greig.
Held then decides to rejoin the game. He races back on to the field, crosses the ball again and Trimhold hits the ball to the back of the net as the Rangers defence stood like statues.
Then, almost in unison, they protested…..but the goal stood ……BUT THE REFEREE WAS WRONG!’
Celtic manager Jock Stein had no trouble today in picking his team for the league match with Hearts at Parkhead on Saturday.
He said – “After the great win at Dunfermline I can do nothing but put out the same players on Saturday”.
25th November
The chances of Hearts winning the match were dismissed in one of the morning dailies –
‘Not so long ago, this would have been a very tough encounter for Celtic. They would have been worried about the outcome.
Not today! There is dissension in the Tynecastle ranks. Players want to desert the ‘ship’ and some are definitely not giving 100% effort.
Reserve Match
The Friday evening proved a bad night for the Celtic reserve side, which lost 1-5 to Hearts in a league match at Tynecastle. It was roughly the same team which had been playing well in resent games but that night, it fell well short. The team was Martin, Craig, McCarron, Cattenach, Young, Hay, Taggart, Henderson, Connelly, Taylor, ‘Newman’. John Taggart got Celtic’s only goal.
Innocent?
A plea of not guilty was submitted on behalf of Rangers Icelandic inside-forward Thorolf Beck at Glasgow Central Police Court.
Beck denied that he committed a breach of the peace in Clyde Street, near Jamaica Street on 13th November. Trial was fixed for 2nd March 1967.
Pals
Scotland’s historic ties of friendship with Norway were symbolized by conferring the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws on King Olav of Norway at a ceremony in the University of Strathclyde.
Big Man
The new version of the Guinness Book of Records has just come out and it records that the tallest living Briton is a Scot, George Gracie, of Forth in Lanarkshire. He is 26, stands 7 feet 4 inches and weighs 32 stone.