1968-10-05: Celtic 2-0 Dundee United, League Division 1

Match Pictures | Matches: 19681969 | 1968-69 Pictures

Trivia

  • Bobby Lennox had been the 'mystery' injured player in the previous game which had kept everbody including the French side on tenterhooks.The team for this game waited on whether he would be fit or not. In the end Jock Stein went with the same forward line as the St Etienne game and John Clark came in instead of Jim Brogan.
  • Bertie Auld was due to make his comeback on the Monday with the Reserves in Friendly against Cowdenbeath to open their floodlights
  • Parkhead in jubilant mood after epic midweek victory over St Etienne.
  • Johnstone substituted by Connelly and makes remarks to the Celtic dug out on the way off. Stein followed him up the tunnel to remonstrate with him.
  • Johnstone suspended for 7 days as a result of his behaviour and misses the LCSF against Clyde on October 9th.
  • Celtic played in green shirts, white shorts and green socks. Dundee United were in all white.

Review

This was the famous game where Jimmy Johnstone threw his shirt at the dugout on substitution and ran down the tunnel pursued by Jock Stein (see below).

Celtic pressured Utd in the first half but the Dundee side held out well. Three minutes after the restart Murdoch grabbed the opener and ten minutes from the end Gemmell added a second. However this was a game where the Celtic defense took the plaudits really.
Chalmers was booked.

Teams

Celtic:
Simpson, Craig, Gemmell, Murdoch, McNeill, Brogan, Johnstone (Connelly 77), Wallace, Chalmers, McBride, Hughes
Scorers: Murdoch (48), Gemmell (81)

Dundee United:
Mackay Rolland Cameron Gillespie Smith Wood Hogg Reid K Cameron Mitchell Wilson Sub: Millar
Scorers:

Referee:
Attendance: 46,000

Articles

  • Match Report (see end of page below)

Jimmy Johnstone in Archie McPherson's excellent book on Jock Stein:

"As soon as I did it I thought, "My God. What have I done?", and I belted up the tunnel as fast as I could, but I knew he would be right behind me. My first notion was to run straight out of the front door without changing and head down London Road and just disappear forever. But I got into the dressing room, slammed the door shut and then locked it. I was about to dive into where the big bath was and shut that door when I heard him kicking the door then battering it with his fist. I knew then I was in deep ****. I stood behind the door ready to put my shoulder to it if needed, then I knew I had to say something. I shouted out, "I'll let you in if you promise not to hit me!", Then the battering suddenly stopped and there was a kind of silence, and, would you believe it, he burst out laughing at what I had said. He just laughed and I heard him walking away, for the game was still going on out there. He had calmed down when I saw him eventually and I was suspended for seven days for that. That was nothing considering that if he had got his hands on me I might never have lived to have a suspension."

Pictures

Articles

Celtic v Dundee Utd, League, 5/10/68