| Match Pictures | Matches: 1979 – 1980 | 1979-80 Pictures |
Trivia
- Frank McGarvey scores the winner on his old firm debut.
- Celtic turn down the opportunity to play in the prestigious 4-team Cadiz tournament in Spain in August.
- Purists complain that talented midfielders, Tommy Burns and Bobby Russell, are on the subs bench.
- On the same night Celtic defeated Rangers 4-1 in a Reserve League match at Ibrox. The Celtic team was Bonner, McStay, Lynch, Weir, Young, Casey, Davidson, Douglas, Nicholas, Conroy, Halpin. Subs Crainie and McGrath. The Celtic scores were Nicholas 2, Conroy and Davidson.
Review
This game was played with the fervour of a cup tie and all eyes were on expensive new Scottish record signings Frank McGarvey (£250,000) and Ian Redford (£210,000).
Rangers complained after Smith was denied a penalty in 33 minutes when Roddy MacDonald fouled Gordon Smith although Celtic had a decent claim in the second half also. In the second half Redford had a headed goal disallowed for offside.
Celtic had started well but faded although they then grew stronger as the game wore on and McCloy became Rangers best player after outstanding saves from MacDonald and McGarvey. With only minutes remaining Roy Aitken chased a lost cause and kept the ball in on the bye line. He turned and fired over a cross and McGarvey rose superbly to head down past the valiant McCloy.
In the end Celtic had been more determined to win as Rangers looked happy to play out a draw.
Teams
CELTIC –
Latchford, Sneddon, McGrain, Aitken, MacDonald, McAdam, Provan, Lennox, McGarvey, MacLeod, Doyle.
Subs McCluskey, Burns.
Goal: McGarvey (86)
RANGERS –
McCloy Jardine Dawson Forsyth Jackson Smith Cooper Miller Johnstone Redford McDonald Subs – McLean Russell
Referee:
Attendance : 52,000
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Articles
Evening Times 3rd April 1980
Glasgow Herald 3rd April 1980
GLASGOW HERALD REPORT BY JIM REYNOLDS
McGARVEY'S LATE GOAL BREAKS THE DEADLOCK
Celtic moved a step nearer the League Championship at Parkhead with a last gasp win over arch rivlas, Rangers, who are still without a Premier League win in the East end of Glasgow after five years of trying.
What a magic night it was for Frank McGarvey, at £250,000 Scotland's most expensive footballer, who headed in the only goal of the match with just four minutes left. It looked long odds on a no scoring draw and the 52,000 crowd seemed to have settled for that when McGarvey, playing in his first Old Firm match, pounced on a Roy Aitken cross at the far post and knocked it past Peter McCloy.
It may sound like rough justice on Rangers, losing so late on, but the champions looked a better side over 90 minutes and deserved their victory. It is a win which further closes the door on nearest challengers, Aberdeen, who come to Parkhead on Saturday and lie a further seven points behind Celtic.
The match was untidy and bad tempered but also thrilling. Four men were booked, both sides had penalties turned down and both goals had narrow escapes. It was a typical Old Firm match played at jet pace.
If skills were at a premium then there was effort in abundance from both sides. And there were heroes ; Peter McCloy had a marvellous game in the Rangers goal and Gordon Smith was outstanding in midfield.
Danny McGrain was once more a magnificent captain for Celtic, McGarvey a wasp-like leader and Murdo MacLeod, probably the best of them all, covered every inch of the pitch and was going just as strong at the end as he was at the early stages.
The pace was hot and the tackling hot early on but a great move in four minutes gave Celtic a chance. Doyle set McGarvey free and when his low cross flew across goal, Provan hit the ball first time but just past the post. Then in eight minutes, with the Rangers defence in disarray, Doyle poked the ball towards the net but the alert Jardine booted it off the line.
McGarvey was next to cause trouble in the Rangers' defence with a fine run which took him past three players. He passed to Provan but the winger was crowded out and the danger cleared.
But Rangers, who had been out of it, came so close in 15 minutes. A Cooper free kick curled over the Celtic defence and Johnstone sent a powerful header over the bar.
In 21 minutes Forsyth was warned for a foul on Provan and from his free kick McCloy held a header from Aitken just under the bar. Minutes later the referee had to lecture a group of players in the Rangers penalty area.
Cooper should have put Rangers in front in 26 minutes when Johnstone got his head to a Jardine free kick and knocked it down to the winger in front of goal. Cooper's shot was weak however and Latchford got a hand to it. Seconds later Provan had an equally bad miss when he only had McCloy to beat but shot tamely at the big keeper.
Then contoversy came in 34 minutes when Rangers broke down the right and Miller sent Smith clear. As the Rangers man turned inside Roddy MacDonald he was sent tumbling down. It looked a clear penalty but referee Anderson played on and booked Smith later on who was still protesting. Miller became the second Rangers player to be boked for a foul on Lennox a minute before the interval.
Three minutes into the second half and another Rangers name went into the book, that of Ian Redford for a foul on Roy Aitken. Seconds afterwards Aitken had the ball in the net from a Provan cross but was clearly offside.
McCloy then had a magnificent diving save when MacDonald met a Lennox corner with his head and an even betterone when he touched over a McGarvey header from point-blank range.
It was an untidy match but exciting nevertheless with both sides in with a chance. McGrain was booked for a foul on John McDonald in 72 minutes and from the free kick Latchford was almost caught out.
But in 86 minutes Celtic broke the deadlock. Aitken chased a ball to the bye line which looked like a lost cause. He stopped it and swung over a cross to the back post for McGarvey to head into the net at the Celtic end of the ground that erupted with delight.
CELTIC – Latchford, Sneddon, McGrain, Aitken, MacDonald, McAdam, Provan, Lennox, McGarvey, MacLeod, Doyle.
RANGERS – McCloy Jardine Dawson Forsyth Jackson Smith Cooper Miller Johnstone Redford McDonald Subs – McLean Russell
Attendance : 52,000