1966-12-17: Celtic 6-2 Partick Thistle, League Division 1

Match Pictures | Matches:19661967 | 1966-67 Pictures

Trivia

  • Celtic held a private Christmas dinner-dance on the 12th December for every player on the books and their other halfs. The club made private presentations to those voted Player of the year etc from within.
  • Willie Wallace and John Hughes began extra intensive fitness training to bring them both up to the level of stamina and fitness expected at the club. Wallace had just joined from Hearts and was not at the required level and John Hughes had just returned with one Reserve game after a 6 week lay off following a knee injury.
  • The frosts arrived and the first hint of solid grounds saw Celtic break out the rubber soled training shoes. Meanwhile Jock Stein headed south to watch Liverpool attempt to clawback from a 5-1 deficit to Ajax in the European Cup. Liverpool drew 2-2 to go out 7-3 on aggregate.
  • Celtic were drawn against either Vojvodina Novi Sad or Athletico Madrid in the quarter finals of the European Cup. Jock Stein immediately made plans to head to Spain to watch both teams in action in the playoff.
  • Stein delayed naming the team till the last moment. In the event Jimmy Johnstone dropped to the bench allowing Joe McBride to come back in at centre forward and Chalmers to go out to the right wing. It was a day of high winds and incessant rain after the cold snap during the week.
  • On the previous night Celtic defeated Partick Thistle 2-1 in a Reserve League match at Firhill. The Celtic team was Fallon, Craig, Brogan, Henderson, Young, Cattanach, Connelly, Macari, Taylor, Gallacher, Hughes. The Celtic scorers were Cattanach (pen) and Macari.

Review

Willie Wallace scored in the second minute to put the Bhoys on the track to the win. Auld fired over a cross which looked to be overhit, McBride headed it back into the area and Wispy slotted it away. A simple goal executed to high standards. Every time Thistle cleared the ball upfield it almost magically started heading back to the Thistle goal again. The Bhoys played with the wind in the first half and established a 4-1 lead by half time – Wallace's goal on two minutes, a Chalmers shot, a volley from Wallace and a 30 yarder from Murdoch. With the wind against Celtic in the second half they still added 2 goals to Thistle's 1. McBride stabbed home a Wallace pass and Chalmers finished a Wallace-started move.

Teams

Celtic
Simpson, Gemmell, O'Neill, Murdoch, McNeill, Clark, Chalmers, Wallace, McBride, Lennox, Auld. Substitute: Johnstone
Scorers Wallace 2 (2, 24) Chalmers 2(14, 74), Murdoch (32), McBride (56).

Partick Thistle
McFedries, Tinney, Muir, Gibb, McKinnon, Cunningham, McLindon, McParland, Divers, Flannigan, Duncan (Rae)
Scorers Duncan (36), Gibb (64)

Referee: C Callaghan (Glasgow)
Attendance: 25,000

Articles

  • Match Report (see end of page below)

Pictures

Articles

Celtic v Partick Thistle, League, 17/12/66