1978-07-29: Montrose 1-3 Celtic, Friendly

Match Pictures | Matches: 19781979 | 1978-79 Pictures

Trivia

  • Billy McNeill's first game as manager.
  • The game very nearly didn't go ahead. Montrose never paid a bonus to their part-timers for Friendlies and when they players found out that they would get nothing for facing Celtic they refused to play. Only when the chairman agreed to pay the player bonuses for the game did the Montrose players change for the game.
  • The players had reported back for pre-season on the 12th July. The only addition to the squad were Jimmy Lumsden brought by Billy McNeill from Aberdeen and Billy Russell picked up from Everton; there were also a raft of signings into the youths including Pat Nevin, Danny Crainie, Jim Duffy, David Moyes, Charlie Nicholas, joining the McStay brothers who had been signed on the previous season.
  • Joe Craig was out with a leg strain; the game was too early for Danny McGrain but he was progressing back to fitness. Paul Wilson and Andy Lynch were out suspended at the start of the season and McNeill wanted to see what his options were..
  • Pat Stanton's last appearance for Celtic.
  • Roy Aitken was Celtic's captain in the absence of Danny McGrain and Andy Lynch.

Review

Billy McNeill's first official game as new boss at Links Park and Pat Stanton's last game in the hoops.
Jimmy Lumsden was hired as a coach but had trained so hard he was given his chance and was a short term prospect for the first team.

Teams

Montrose:
Gorman, Barr, D D'Arcy, Hair, B D'Arcy, Johnston, McIntosh, Lowe, Kinnear, Daun (Murray), Livingston. Subs: Joss, Walker, Robb
Goals: Livingstone (20)

Celtic:
Latchford, Sneddon, Burns, Stanton, MacDonald, Aitken, Conn (Mackie), Edvaldsson, McAdam, Lumsden, G McCluskey (Doyle). Subs: Glavin, Lynch Wilson
Goals: Aitken (23), McCluskey 2 (56, 74)

Referee: R B Valentine (Dundee)
Attendance: 2,300

Articles

  • Match Report

Pictures

Articles
Montrose v Celtic, Friendly, 29/7/78