1965-03-20: Dundee 3-3 Celtic, League Division 1 – Report

Match Pictures | Matches: 19641965 | 1964-1965 Pictures

Trivia

  • After the previous week's 1-0 defeat to St Johnstone, Stein would by now have accepted that the League was gone but he could concentrate on the Cup, as Celtic had reached the semi-final.
  • There may have been four things in his mind regarding team selection for this one – the disappointing defeat in the last game, the looming league match against his former club, Hibs, just two days later on the Monday, the important cup semi-final against Motherwell a week later, plus possibly the temptation to experiment with some of his squad.
  • Gemmell was dropped in favour of Jim Kennedy, who hadn't played a first team game at left back for nearly two years, although during that period he had been the usual left half. John Clark was switched to left half with Bobby Murdoch being moved back to right half and Jim Brogan dropped. Chalmers switched to inside right and Jimmy Johnstone played for the first time since his suspension in January.
  • John Hughes must have been high on confidence going into this game as he had just scored both goals for the Scottish League in a 2-2 draw with the English League on the previous Wednesday night and had been the subject of some praise in the press.
  • The Dundee team included the highly talented Charlie Cooke who went on to play for Chelsea.

Review

A tricky away fixture against a fine Dundee side could prove to be difficult after Celtic's seven consecutive victories was brought to a halt a week earlier. Dundee had been involved in the manager transfer roundabout with Bob Shankly going to Hibernian to take oiver from Stein and Dundee appointing Motherwell's Bobby Ancell. It looked as sif Celtic had the win in the bag but Bobby Murdoch put past Fallon to give Dundee an own goal and five minutes later Cameron found the equaliser for Dundee.

Teams

Dundee:
Donaldson, Hamilton, Cox, Cousin, Easton, Stuart, Murray, Penman, Cameron, Cooke, Robertson.
Goals: Cameron (32, 71), Murdoch O.G. (67)

Celtic:

Fallon; Young, Kennedy; Murdoch, McNeill, Clark; Johnstone, Chalmers, Hughes,Lennox, Auld.
Goals: Lennox (4, 53), Johnstone (62)

Referee: W J Mullen (Dalkeith)
Attendance: 15,000

Articles

  • Match Report (see below)

Pictures

Articles

CELTS SERVE UP THE DUNDEE THRILLS
Peter Hendry, Evening Times, 20 March 1965.

Celtic's Jock Stein took a look at the Dens Park pitch and then put Jimmy Johnstone in at outside right, with Steve Chalmers as his partner.
In exactly four minutes, LENNOX put Celtic into the lead in their first serious raid. Murdoch sent Hughes scampering along the right wing, and the big chap crossed the ball neatly to the unmarked Lennox, who right-hooked Celtic ahead.
In Dundee's reply McNeill took Celtic out of trouble by nodding a Robertson cross just past for a corner to foil Cameron, who was running in.
Robertson's flag kick caused considerable excitement in front of Fallon before McNeill cleared.
Then wee Johnstone blazed into action with a gret run and shot. Donaldson could only push out the ball, it broke to Hughes, who shot first time, only to see his effort rebound from the fallen keeper. Exciting stuff!

Missed chance
Hughes missed a great chance to put Celtic further ahead when he was left in the clear six yards out. Dundee claimed offside as the big chap scooped the ball a yard past the post.
Much better work from Hughes was a terrific 30-yard drive which had Donaldson swooping like a hawk to clear.
Dundee's two best efforts came with a Penman header which Fallon saved high up at the bar, and a Cameron drive which sent the keeper diving at the double to clutch the ball.
Dundee were trying to beat Celtic with sheer football but all too often their attacks ended in feeble scoring efforts.
When Robertson went down from a Young tackle just outside the box things looked bright for Dundee, but Robertson's free kick was cleared by a competent Celtic defence, in which Kennedy had already settled down well.
With Murdoch dovetailing neatly into the half back line and Johnstone doing well on the wing, the Celtic changes were paying off so far.
Just on the half hour Fallon was the Celtic hero when he threw himself on the ground to block a point-blank drive from Penman.

Dundee level
Dundee were moving the ball better now, and in the 32nd minute CAMERON put them level. Stuart swung a free kick to Penman who headed the ball across to Cameron and from the centre's brow it went neatly into the net.
Celtic at once went to work to try to regain the lead. and a Johnstone-Chalmers-Hughes move looked good – until referee Mullen gave an offside decision against Hughes.
Dundee were soon swarming in front of Fallon again and even Cox came up to join in with a good try that was not far off target.
Johnstone missed the easiest of chances when he scooped the ball past from point blank range after Auld had worked through the Dundee defence.
Dundee celebrated this escape with an attack which ended with Fallon throwing himself to clutch a Cameron header.
Just on the interval, Fallon had another great save from a Penman shot.

SECOND HALF
In the 53rd minute a murdoch pass from 30yd went straight in front of Johnstone. He cut the ball back to LENNOX, who hooked it into the net to put Celtic back in the lead.
Lennox only half-hit the ball, and Easton, standing off the pitch, put a hand through the side net and scooped the ball out but referee Mullen correctly signalled for a goal.
Celtic got a third goal in 62 Minutes when JOHNSTONE took the ball from a throw-in by Murdoch , wandered right in on goal and calmly shot Celtic into a 3-1 lead.
In the 67th minute Murdoch tried to clear during a Dundee attack and the ball broke from his foot past Fallon for an own-goal shock.
Four minutes later Dundee struck again. CAMERON, standing almost on the penalty spot, met the ball first time and almost lifted the net away with his shot.