1961-04-26: Dunfermline Athletic 2-0 Celtic, Scottish Cup Final Replay

Match Pictures | Matches: 19601961 | 1960-61 Pictures

Trivia:

  • Jock Stein is the Dunfermline manager as they lift the club.
  • The replay was again at Hampden on the Wednesday following the Saturday of the original goalless game, with a 6:15pm kick off.
  • An unchanged Celtic side had been planned for the replay. However in a cruel twist of fate, Jim Kennedy was rushed to hospital with acute appendicitis. A similar fate had fallen to the Dunfermiline outside right, Tommy McDonald prior to the original game. Into Kennedy's place stepped 20 year old Willie O'Neill for his first team debut.
  • Dunfermiline were forced to make a change at centre half when Williamson failed to recover from a knee injury that he had carried for most of the original game. Miller went to centre half and Sweeney came in at right half, a position he had never played before. Also Davie Thomson came in at centre forward with the young Dan McAlindon dropping out.

Review

Jock Stein's first Cup Final win and his first trophy and managerial triumph – albeit with Dunfermiline. And a win that established immediately the tactical wizardry of Jock Stein as he inspired all the Dunfermiline players and thought out a scheme which defeated Celtic over the two games.


Again, magnificent goalkeeping from Eddie Connachan denied Celtic particularly in the first half. The pattern similar too the first game played out with Celtic having pleanty of pressure and great delivery from the half backs but little penetration by the wings. Hughes had lots of chances but seemed determined to 'burst the net' rather than placing the shot and as such Connachan was his equal. Dunfermilin'es first goal was a breakaway and came after Celtic had been pressurising for over 10 minutes, came from a header low and to Haffey's left on 67 minutes. The killer two minutes from the end came when Frank Haffey misjudged a bouncing ball coming towards him and Dickson stole it from him and shot into an empty net.
At the end Jock Stein came onto the pitch and haiiled his captian mailer and encouraged them to haul Connachan onto their shoulders. The Celtic end had emptied after Dickson's goal had produced a hail of bottles onto the track side.

Teams

Dunfermiline:
Connachan; Fraser, Cunningham; Mailer, Miller, Sweeney; Peebles, Smith, Thomson, Dickson, Melrose
Scorers: Thomson (67), Dickson (88)

Celtic:
Haffey, MacKay, O'Neill, Crerand, McNeill, Clark, Gallacher, Fernie, Hughes, Chalmers, Byrne
Scorers:

Referee:
Attendance: 87,866

Articles

  • Match Report (see end of page below)

Pictures

Articles:

1961-04-26: Dunfermline Athletic 2-0 Celtic, Scottish Cup Final Replay - The Celtic WikiMatch Report, Dunfermiline v Celtic, Glasgow Herald, Scottish Cup Replay

Match Report
The replay was a triumph for Dunfermiline who lifted the Cup for the first time in their history. After a goal-less first half the Pars took the lead on 67 minutes. The Pars goalkeeper had another outstanding game as Celtic went for the equaliser. With two minutes left an error by Frank Haffey allowed Dickson to score.

One of the oldest football fans in UK passes away aged 108
James Crombie, one of the oldest football fans in the UK, who credited his long life to a "wee bit of brandy" and mince pies, has sadly passed away at the age of 108. Picture: SWNS James Crombie, one of the oldest football fans in the UK, who credited his long life to a "wee bit of brandy" and mince pies, has sadly passed away at the age of 108. Picture: SWNS By Russell Jackson Thursday 30 November 2017 https://www.scotsman.com/news/one-of-the-oldest-football-fans-in-uk-passes-away-aged-108-1-4627933
One of the oldest football fans in the UK, who credited his long life to a “wee bit of brandy” and mince pies, has sadly passed away at the age of 108. James Crombie was thought to be the third oldest person in the UK and one of the oldest fans of the beautiful game. The centenarian lived through both World Wars and served as with the Royal Marines in WWII.
He was an avid follower of his local club, Dunfermline Athletic, and fondly recalled seeing his team lift the Scottish Cup in 1961. The Fife club were managed by Scottish football legend Jock Stein at the time and defeated his future team Celtic 2-0 in a replay at Hampden in front of 87,866 people. James married his wife Mary in 1934 and the couple gave birth to their daughter Mabel two years later. He has two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
In a tribute, his family called him a “level-headed and very clever man” who provided them with “inspiration” and “happiness”. William Wightman, whose wife Coreen is one of James’ grandchildren, said: “He lived a colourful but straight life. “We are grateful for the time we had with him; he was an inspiration in our lives. “He was level-headed and a very clever man and who passed on so much happiness and knowledge.”
Speaking of the cup final on his 106th birthday, James said it was one of the best days of his life.

He said: “I was there at the replay when we beat Celtic to lift the cup. I was sitting in the North Stand at Hampden. I was over the moon.
“That was probably the best day of life apart from the day I got married.”
He had been going to his local bakers, Stephens, in Dunfermline, for over 90 years and claims they serve the “best pies around”.
Born in Dunfermline in 1909, he attended Pittencrief School during the First World War and in 1922 was a league winner with their football team when he played in goal. He started delivering pints of milk when he was eight years old, earning five shillings a week. He then joined the Co-operative in the town, serving and delivering groceries using a wheelbarrow at the age of 14. And aside from a spell in the Royal Marines during the Second World War, he worked for the firm until 1968, during which time he had been promoted to manage 23 branches. James was mainly based at the Stonehouse Barracks in Plymouth and served in the Royal Marine’s for six years during the war. His father died in World War one when he was eight, leaving his mother to bring up him and his two sisters.