1968-10-26: Morton 1-1 Celtic, League Division 1

Match Pictures | Matches: 19681969 | 1968-69 Pictures

Trivia

  • Celtic were due to play Hibs in the League Cup Final at Hampden on this day but the match was postponed after a fire in the Hampden stand on the 21st and the game was re-scheduled for 5 April 1969. As such the week in preparation before this game had been for the League Cup Final, with the team down at Seamills. The following night there was a fire in the central stand at Ibrox which unfortunately did not burn the whole ground down.
  • Every player in the squad was said to be fit for the game. Back in came Bobby Murdoch and Willie Wallace and McBride was restored to the forward line. Connelly dropped out and Chalmers was on the bench.
  • The previous fixture was reverted to and this game in the League against Morton went ahead. The game was an all-ticket game.
  • Tony Taylor and Gerry Sweeney of Morton were both ex-Celts. Taylor was about to depart for Crystal Palace for £15,000 having moved from Celtic for £3000.
  • On the previous night Celtic Reserves defeated Partick Thistle Reserves 3-0 in the second round of the Second Eleven Cup. The scorers were Macari, McMahon and an Auld penalty. The Celtic team was Fallon, McGrain, O'Neill, Connelly, Hay, Clark, Macari, McMahon, Quinn, Gallagher, Auld. Sub Gorman (Gallagher).

Review

Celtic lost a point to Morton at Cappielow but managed to stay at the top of the League as Rangers lost to Aberdeen.
The start was deleayed to allow late arrivals to get in to the ground. McBride got the opener following up a Bobby Lennox shot which rebounded off the post. Joe Harper levelled for Morton in the second half. The comedy element came when two black labradors got on the pitch and held up the game for a while till they were finally restrained.

The table at the end of the month looked like this

Team P W D L F A Pts
Celtic 8 5 2 1 14 8 12
St Mirren 8 3 5 0 10 6 11
Dundee Utd 8 5 1 2 15 10 11
Dunfermiline 8 5 1 2 12 10 11
Rangers 8 4 2 2 17 12 10
Clyde 8 4 2 2 12 12 10

Teams

Morton
Russell, Thorup, Sweeney, Artentoft, Gray, Rankin, Harper, Stevenson, Mason, Allan, Taylor Sub Ferguson
Scorer Harper (64)

Celtic
Simpson, Craig, Gemmell, Murdoch, McNeill, Brogan, Johnstone, McBride, Wallace, Lennox, Hughes. Substitute: Chalmers
Scorer McBride (38)

Referee: W. Mullen (Dalkeith)
Attendance: 23,000

Articles

  • Match Report (see end of page below)

Pictures

Articles

Morton v Celtic, League, 26/10/68