1959-09-05: Rangers 3-1 Celtic, League Division 1

Match Pictures | Matches: 19591960 | 1959-60 Pictures

Trivia

  • The match was an all-ticket game. Tickets were slow in selling and on the Friday it was announced that tickets would be on sale at the turnstiles. A limit of 50,000 in the ground was set for safety measures.
  • For Celtic the injury list was gradually diminishing; Jim Conway was recovering from his thigh injury ansd started training again in the week before the game, and as expected he replaced Ian Lochhead at centre forward; likewise Neil Mochan who was recovering from a knee knock sustained against Kilmarnock but he was short of match fitness; Reserve Stevie Chalmers had yet to play and was recovering from a broken rib; Alec Byrne was gradually recovering from a foot injury and Eric Smith was due to have the plaster off his hand and play for the Reserves on 2nd September. For Rangers Caldow and McMillan were returning from injury and did not make the starting line-up.
  • Bobby Evans played for the league of Scotland against the league of Ireland in Dublin on 2nd September in a 4-1 win.
  • Charlie Tully, released by Celtic on the 31st July announced his retirement from playing and his return to Ireland.

Review

An action filled game despit the fact that three goals came in the last quarter of the game. Wilson scored in the 9th minute after Millar beat Evans to a corner which passed right across the goal. Haffey was dazed after a collision with Baird. When Millar sent a long cross in to the far post Scott headed and Haffey only managed to part parry with one hand and Rangers were two up. Jackson pulled one back on 72 minutes with a fine left foot shot from 20 yards. The Celtic revival however was nipped in the bud when Millar picked up the ball and weaved a 40 yard run with Evans trailing him, before shooting home. Both Shearer and Millar were booked by the referee during the game and Jackson (twice), Haffey, Auld and Kennedy all required attention from the Celtic trainer. This was a 'robust' Rangers performance.

The two articles below show the difference in the coverage between the Evening Times and the Glasgow Herald. As was commonly the case the 'true blue' Gair Henderson in the Evening Times finds himself unable to make the connection between riotous behaviour and hooliganism off the park to malicious thuggery on the park. In his review '…the better team won a hard and punishing match'. And in the follow up article on the Monday the title of which was 'Hats Off to the Bobbies. They have the Old Firm problem beaten' there is no pointing out that but for the careful monitoring of Mowat as referee in booking two Rangers players, this came might have sprung a light to the terraces through the sleekit and advanced thuggery shown by Rangers.

Both Bertie Auld (leg and ankle) and Mike Jackson (head knock and cut and stomach injury) were left unable to train and needing to recover from their Ibrox assaults.

Teams

Rangers:
Niven; Shearer, Little; Davis, Telfer, Stevenson; Scott, Wilson, Millar, Baird, Matthew.
Scorers: Wilson (9), Scott (65), Millar (76)

Celtic:
Haffey; McNeill, Kennedy; MacKay, Evans, Peacock; McVittie, Jackson, Conway, Divers, Auld .
Scorers: Jackson (72)

Referee: J A Mowat (Glasgow)
Attendance: 65,000

Articles

  • Match Report (see end of page below)

Pictures

Articles

Rangers v Celtic, League 1959; Evening Times 5/9/59Rangers v Celtic, League 1959; Glasgow Herald 7/9/59