IT was 53 year ago today, on Saturday, October 19, 1957, that Celtic played Rangers in the final of the League Cup. At the time, Rangers were the dominant force in Scottish football while Celtic enjoyed occasional successes amidst regular disappointment.
Yet, when the final whistle blew at Hampden that day, it was the Hoops who emerged triumphant and with a margin of victory that had never been seen before, or even since, in a British domestic cup final.
‘CELTIC 7 RANGERS 1’ … It was a scoreline that almost defied belief. Supporters listening to their radios wondered whether they’d misheard the announcer, while those stopping to pick up a copy of the Saturday evening paper could be forgiven for thinking there had been a misprint in the headline.
As for those Celtic supporters among the 82,293 who were at Hampden that day … they could only thank their lucky stars that they had been able to witness such a momentous event.
No doubt for many years to come they would regale every family function with tales of that day, from Sammy Wilson’s opening goal to Willie Fernie’s penalty in the last minute to complete the scoring. And in between, there was Neilly Mochan’s two goals and Billy McPhail’s hat-trick.
Celtic had won the League Cup the previous season for the first time, beating Partick Thistle in the final after a replay. And they had been enjoyed a fairly impressive run to the final the following season where they were to face their city rivals.
The team which faced Rangers that day: Beattie, Donnelly, Fallon, Fernie, Evans, Peacock, Tully, Collins, McPhail, Wilson, Mochan – would, in terms of results, only be eclipsed by another Celtic team 10 years later who triumphed on the European stage.
But they still remain an important part of the club’s history, even 53 years on. Songs have been sung in praise of their achievement, books have been written and ‘Hampden in the sun’ is a phrase forever associated with that wonderful October day in 1957.<span> </span>IT was 53 year ago today, on Saturday, October 19, 1957, that Celtic played Rangers in the final of the League Cup. At the time, Rangers were the dominant force in Scottish football while Celtic enjoyed occasional successes amidst regular disappointment.Yet, when the final whistle blew at Hampden that day, it was the Hoops who emerged triumphant and with a margin of victory that had never been seen before, or even since, in a British domestic cup final.‘CELTIC 7 RANGERS 1’ … It was a scoreline that almost defied belief. Supporters listening to their radios wondered whether they’d misheard the announcer, while those stopping to pick up a copy of the Saturday evening paper could be forgiven for thinking there had been a misprint in the headline.As for those Celtic supporters among the 82,293 who were at Hampden that day … they could only thank their lucky stars that they had been able to witness such a momentous event.No doubt for many years to come they would regale every family function with tales of that day, from Sammy Wilson’s opening goal to Willie Fernie’s penalty in the last minute to complete the scoring. And in between, there was Neilly Mochan’s two goals and Billy McPhail’s hat-trick.Celtic had won the League Cup the previous season for the first time, beating Partick Thistle in the final after a replay. And they had been enjoyed a fairly impressive run to the final the following season where they were to face their city rivals.The team which faced Rangers that day: Beattie, Donnelly, Fallon, Fernie, Evans, Peacock, Tully, Collins, McPhail, Wilson, Mochan – would, in terms of results, only be eclipsed by another Celtic team 10 years later who triumphed on the European stage.But they still remain an important part of the club’s history, even 53 years on. Songs have been sung in praise of their achievement, books have been written and ‘Hampden in the sun’ is a phrase forever associated with that wonderful October day in 1957.
