The Celtic Rising: David Potter on The Day Everything Changed – Part 3
The Celtic Rising: David Potter on The Day Everything Changed – Part 3 Part 3 of an extract from David Potter’s wonderful bestseller The Celtic Rising. The Celtic Rising got underway on this day in 1965 when Celtic won the Scottish Cup Final, against Dunfermline our first trophy of the decade. It would not be the last… Celtic on the other hand, their team having been picked and briefed, were able to have a short stroll on the pitch.
It was not the habit in those days to have a warm-up on the pitch as they do now, and they were all in civvies as they waved to the crowd, giving the impression of being totally relaxed, a relaxation that presumably they did not feel. The teams that appeared were as follows; Celtic: Fallon, Young and Gemmell; Murdoch, McNeill and Clark; Chalmers, Gallagher, Hughes, Lennox and Auld. Dunfermline Athletic: Herriot; W Callaghan and Lunn; Thomson, McLean and T Callaghan; Edwards, Smith, McLaughlin, Melrose and Sinclair.
Referee: Mr H Phillips, Wishaw. Billy McNeill won the toss and elected to play towards the King’s Park end. The actual 90 minutes are of course well reported in contemporary newspapers and are available on YouTube, but they do not begin to convey the sheer emotion involved on that day.
The standard of football by both sides was amazingly high considering all that was involved, and the Celtic performance, particularly in that second half was such that quite a lot of Celtic supporters given to mysticism wondered whether it was all “meant. ” One recalls the statement of the Second World War veteran who had played his part in the liberation of Italy, as well as other great Celtic triumphs involving Jimmy McGrory and Patsy Gallacher in the past who stated quite calmly in reference to the events of 24 April 1965 that he had “never seen anything like that! ” Frankly, money could not buy the memories that day produced.
But to the game itself. It started briskly and Celtic playing with the wind had the better of the opening exchanges. Dunfermline’s centre-half Jim McLean was warned for a rough tackle and then John Hughes had a good run.
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