1970-02-21: Celtic 3-1 Rangers, Scottish Cup

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Trivia

  • Scottish Cup third round

  • Sean Connery attended this match with his film star wife, Diane Cilento.
  • Both sides played it cagey before the game with no team announcements. Celtic trained at Seamills with the snow making training in Glasgow out.1970-02-21: Celtic 3-1 Rangers, Scottish Cup - The Celtic Wiki
  • All fans were warned as in the previous Glasgow Derby that no cans or bottles of drink would be allowed inside the ground and banners were out.
  • The frost and snow that affected most of Scotland during the week broke and the rain came down for most of the game.
  • Alex MacDonald sent off.
  • Young Davie Hay scores a glorious 25 yarder on a mudbath pitch.
  • Bruno Pesaola the Fiorentina manager attends the match to spy on Celtic before the forthcoming European Cup ties.
  • This game was Willie Waddell’s first defeat as Rangers’ manager. Jock Stein tactically outfoxed him on the day.
  • Williams, Murdoch, Hughes and Wallace were all injured in the game with only Wallace likely to recover for the next game.
  • In the other quarter finals, Dundee, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock went through all on 1-0 scores away to respectively East Fife, Falkirk and Motherwell.

Celtic fans queue for Rangers tickets on 14 Feb 1970
Celtic fans queue for tickets for Rangers cup tie in Feb 1970.

ReviewMcNeill consoles McKinnon after Celtic win 1970

A battling game in which Alex McDonald was sent off, both captains were carded along with Mathieson of Rangers and Celtic put the auld foe out of the Cup.

Bobby Lennox beat Neef in the fourth minute only to see the ball kicked away from behind the line by McDonald and no goal given.

Jim Craig put through his own net when trying to clear a Colin Stein cross a minute later.

That started the aggravation between the two sides which continued to the end of the game. Bobby Lennox equalised on 40 minutes from a Davie Hay cross.

In the second half Neef was injured saving from Lennox and that lead to a serious case of handbags at 10 paces between members of both teams. McDonald was sent off with half an hour remaining for a challenge on Evan Williams and following his long march the Rangers end went mental with hundreds spilling onto the track and bottles (despite the confiscations) flying.

Celtic were rampant when order was restored and scored two goals – the scorcher from Davie Hay and Jinky popped up at the end to make it 3-1 with no Ranger on the score sheet.

Teams

Celtic:
Williams, Craig, Gemmell, Murdoch, McNeill, Brogan, Johnstone, Lennox, Wallace, Hay, Hughes (Hood).
Goals:- Lennox 39, Hay 85, Johnstone 88.

Rangers:
Neef, Johansen, Mathieson, Greig, Mckinnon, Smith, Conn (Henderson), Penman, Stein, MacDonald, Johnston.
Goal:- Craig og 5

Referee: T Wharton (Newton Mearns)
Attendance:- 75,000

Pictures

Match Pictures

Articles
Evening Times 21st February 1970
1970-02-21 ET
Glasgow Herald 23rd February 1970
1970-02-23 GH
Sunday Mail
Celtic 3-1 Rangers match report 1970

Celtic v Rangers, Scottish Cup, 21/2/70 comment