SENTINELCELTS

A wee departure from the usual….

Rearranged Ne’erday Derby Fixtures

…are thin on the ground, especially against Sevco, (seeing as we’ve only been in the same league as the new team for about 5 seasons.)

Also. Consider Introduction of Undersoil heating and milder Winters etc., etc.

We have to go back in time to the original version of Rangers FC to find some examples.

The Tradition of playing local Derby games involving Celtic and Rangers, on or near Ne’rday, started in 1894. Interestingly, both teams ‘lost’ their first ‘home’ Ne’erday game with Celts losing (2-3) in 1894 but won (2-3) the following year at Ibrox in 1895. Both of these were fixtures were ‘friendlies’.

The first fully competitive game scheduled for Ne’erday fixture was in 1896 and it was rearranged with the teams playing out a 2-2 draw at Ibrox.

1896-04-11: Rangers 2-2 Celtic, Glasgow League

Unfortunately, there isn’t any match report available.

Some more random examples….

60 years ago in 1962 Celtic fans had to wait until Spring to play the fixture.

1962-04-09: Celtic 1-1 Rangers, League Division 1

This was the postponed Ne’erday game which had been unplayed due to weather and fixture congestion meaning that this was the first chance the two teams had to make the game. The game was an all-ticket affair with an 18:30 kick off.

Newspapers report that Rangers pay their players £30 per week with a £5 bonus and Celtic play £26 per week with a £10 bonus.

The first mention of Jimmy Johnstone in the papers. Jinky had already provisionally signed for Celtic and was playing for Blantyre Celtic. He stole the show at the Central League Select v Ireland B played at Firhill on the 7th April.

Pat Crerand was out with a side strain picked up against Hibs. In came John Donnelly at right back with Duncan MacKay moving up to right half. Up front, Alec Byrne dropped out with Frank Brogan moved across to left wing and Bobby Carroll coming in at inside right.

A muddy and slippery pitch made more treacherous by a downpour pre-kick off

Review

Celtic were dominant throughout the game but failed to put the ball away despite having many chances. Hughes scored an individual goal which would have been worthy of winning the tie beating McKinnon out wide before cutting in and shooting from a tight angle past Ritchie. The dominance continued in the second half without adding to the score. Rangers equaliser came from a long punt upfield from the goalkeeper which then saw a race between Haffey and Wilson. The Rangers player got there just before Haffey and trundled the ball into the net. Haffey sat dejected.

With Dundee winning 2-1 in the Dundee derby the league was set to go all the way with both Rangers and Dundee even on 50 points each. Celtic were third in the league with 44 points

Celtic: Haffey; Donnelly, Kennedy; MacKay, McNeill, Clark; Chalmers, Carroll, Hughes, Divers, Brogan
Scorers: Hughes (43)

Rangers: Ritchie; Shearer, Caldow; Davis, McKinnon, Baxter; Henderson, Greig, Millar, Brand, Wilson.
Scorer: Wilson (78)

Referee: T Wharton (Clarkston)
Attendance: 50,000

Here’s a picture from a clash between old Glasgow rivals Celtic and Rangers in April 1962, with ‘civilian’ stewards and policemen on hand to keep an eye on supporters as they enter through the Celtic Park turnstiles. A crowd of nearly 50,000 watched a 1-1 draw. These were the days when the Scottish title was often won by clubs other than the Glasgow pair, with Dundee finishing top of the pile in the 1961-62 season. Rangers were second, with Celtic third with 44 points.

The next cancelled Ne’erday Game was in 1967 and Celts went on to win the league in the rearranged fixture….

1967-05-06: Rangers 2-2 Celtic, League Division 1

Celtic are proclaimed league champions at Ibrox Park.

This game was a postponed fixture from 3rd January.

Celtic seal the domestic treble!The draw and the single point were enough to give them the title at Ibrox.

Helenio Herrera, the Inter Milan coach had hurriedly flown to Glasgow to watch the game and spy on Celtic before the European Cup Final.Jock Stein accompanied him on the return journey in order to watch Inter Milan play Juventus on the Sunda

Celtic fans stand soaked on the uncovered Ibrox terraces and roar their approval for Jock Stein and his players.

Heavy rain makes pitch a glue pot and cuts attendance to 78,000. 90,000 had been expected.

The game was held up for two minutes after Johnstone scored his second goal as angry Rangers fans threw bottles and caused a pitch invasion.

A special boat sailed into Lancefield Quay from Belfast with 150 Rangers and Celtic fans on board.

Heavy rain caused electrical failure in the city for fans travelling to the game. The underground broke down and all traffic lights in the city were out of commission for several hours.

Rangers are now in the final of the ECWC after beating Slavia Sofia at Ibrox three days previously. Glasgow now boasts the marvellous record of having two sides in the finals Europe’s top two competitions, and Scotland three sides in the latter stages of the European competitions with Kilmarnock in the semi final of the Fairs Cup.

The Reserves played Aberdeen in the first leg of the Reserve League Cup Final with a team of Fallon, Young, Brogan, Cattanach, Cushley, McCarron, Connelly, Henderson, Quinn, Hay, Macari. They led 2-0 at half time and eventually won 3-1.

Rangers
Martin Johannsen Provan Jardine McKinnon Greig Henderson A Smith Hynd D Smith Johnston Sub: Wilson
Scorers: Jardine (41), Hynd (81)

Celtic Simpson, Craig, Gemmell, Murdoch, McNeill, Clark, Johnstone, Wallace, Chalmers, Auld, Lennox Substitute: O’Neill
Scorer: Johnstone 2 (42, 74)

Referee: WM Syme, Glasgow
Attendance: 78,000

Above includes Jinky’s 2 league winning goals at Ibrox on 6th May 1967.

In late 60’s and throughout the 70’s the Celtic V Rangers Ne’erday tie was moved to a slightly later date to avoid crowd trouble. Clyde being Celtic’s main opponent around 1st January. The Rangers games were played around 2 or 3 days later.

The next Rearranged Ne’erday Fixture was in 1979, and Celts go on to win yet another title on the day of the Rearranged tie…. a wee pattern emerging here?

1979-05-21: Celtic 4-2 Rangers, Premier Division

Match has been dubbed: “Ten men won the league”
The legendary game where Celtic had a man sent off after a few minutes into the second half, and were one down only to come back fighting and win the game.
Celtic dramatically won the league title in their last game of the season.
Billy McNeill’s first league title as Celtic manager in his first season (Jock Stein had “left” at the end of the prior season)
Low attendance of 52,000 is disputed by some, but there was a bus and rail strike in Glasgow that evening and some people found it difficult to travel thus keeping the gate down from the 60,000 expected.
This game was actually a postponed fixture from January 6th
Celtic team: Latchford, McGrain, Lynch, Aitken, McAdam, Edvaldsson, Provan, Conroy (Lennox), McCluskey, MacLeod, Doyle Sub: Davidson

Celtic scorers : Aitken (66), McCluskey (74), Jackson og (85), MacLeod (90)

Sent Off: Doyle 51 mins.

Rangers team McCloy, Jardine, Dawson, Johnstone, Jackson, A MacDonald, McLean (Miller), Russell, Parlane, Smith, Cooper Sub: J MacDonald
Rangers scorers : MacDonald (9), Russell (76)

Att : 52,000

1984-04-02: Celtic 3-0 Rangers, Premier

Game postponed from 3 January 1984.

Paul and Willie McStay make history by being the first brothers to score for Celtic against Rangers in the same game.

Ex Celts, Lou Macari, Kenny Dalglish and Charlie Nicholas were all at this game supporting Celtic.

21 year old English Celtic fan, Alan Preston, was killed in Partick train station after a scuffle involving Celtic and Rangers fans when he was pushed under a train.

Celtic: Bonner McGrain Reid Aitken McAdam W McStay McClair P McStay Melrose (McGarvey) MacLeod Burns (Provan)

Scorers: P McStay 31 W McStay 69 Provan 84

Rangers: McCloy Nicholl Dawson McClelland Paterson McPherson Russell (Redford) McCoist Clark Williamson Cooper (Burns)

Attendance: 53,229

The match scheduled for 2nd January 2008 was rescheduled due to the death of Phil O’Donnell RIP Celts went in to win the rearranged fixture, and that result provided the impetus needed to rescue the league flag on a memorable evening at Dundee United.

Traditionally, it seems teams out of Ibrox don’t fare particularly well in Rearranged Ne’erday fixtures.

Ye will all be glad to know…

Enjoy the game and Stay safe everyone!

Note: The excellent Celtic Wiki site is the font of all knowledge on things Celtic. Most of the Celtic stuff above is from that site. The guys who set it up and painstakingly keep it updated, deserve no end of credit, praise and thanks. A treasure trove for Celtic fans young and old – and new- and free to view.

Respect Bhoys!

http://www.thecelticwiki.com/m/

Guest article by Saltires en Sevilla.

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