Celtic on this Day – ‘One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven…’

The Celtic Star

·19 octobre 2024

Celtic on this Day – ‘One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven…’

“Oh Hampden in the sun, Celtic 7 and the Rangers 1.” On This Day 67 years ago, the Hoops demolished their rivals in a Scottish League Cup final classic…

Hampden in the Sun. 19 October 1957. League cup Final. Celtic 7 Rangers 1

Jimmy McGrory’s side were looking to retain the Scottish League Cup trophy having defeated Partick Thistle after a replay in the 1956/1957 campaign. The Hoops were up against the league title holders who were massive favourites heading into the game.

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The 12th ever Scottish League Cup, and the first to be contested by an Old Firm Derby, was played in front of 82,000 spectators at Hampden Park. A sunny afternoon at the national stadium was to be Celtic’s finest ever outing against Rangers.

It was a real opportunity for Jimmy McGrory who despite being one of the most iconic players to have ever worn the Hoops, had failed in the dugout so far since taking over from Jimmy McStay after the war. The league and cup double in season 1953/1954 coupled with the League Cup victory in 1956 was all McGrory really had to show for as manager. Robert Kelly shouldered a lot of Celtic’s domestic troubles in the 50s as in reality it was him who was picking the team. Kelly humiliated McGrory and undermined him on multiple occasions.

Hampden in the Sun. 19 October 1957. League cup Final. Celtic 7 Rangers 1

Remarkably, the Hoops only scored two of their seven in the first half. Sammy Wilson scored the games opener after 22 minutes after a delightful cross from Charlie Tully. Neil Mochan produced a piece of individual brilliance for Celtic’s second right before half-time.

The floodgates well and truly opened after the interval. Willie McPhail, the iconic figure of this match, grabbed a historic 28 minute hat-trick. Mochan netted his second of the game, with Willie Fernie rounding off the humiliation for Rangers in style scoring from a spot-kick with virtually the last kick of the ball.

McPhail, who had won his side a penalty in the last minute, declined the opportunity to score his fourth of the game, a feat that has never been achieved in an Old Firm/Glasgow Derby match.

It is worth noting, Rangers got off lightly. McGrory’s side hit the woodwork four times in the 1957 Scottish League Cup final. This sentiment was echoed by Bobby Evans who said post-match, “on the day if it had lasted another ten minutes it would have been 10-1. It’s just the way things go but we could have got double figures.”

To this day, Celtic’s 7-1 tanking of Scot Symon’s Gers is a record cup final victory in British footballing history. Incredibly, it was the first meeting between the two sides in a major cup final for 30 years.

Hampden in the Sun. Celtic 7 Rangers 1. 19 October 1957.

There were a few notable absentees in the Hoops starting Xi as well. Jock Stein, who would take over the reins from McGrory as manager in 1965 would have played had it not been for an ankle injury. Bertie Auld was another who looked certain to start but was dropped.

The opponents heavily criticised their centre-back John Valentine whose woeful performance resulted in him never playing for Rangers again. George Niven (what’s the time? It’s seven past Niven) survived as goalkeeper at Ibrox and did not receive as much flack as his teammate Valentine.

Also, the match is remembered for the iconic photograph of Celtic goalkeeper Dick Battie holding up seven fingers in front of the celebratory Celtic support following Willie Fernie’s spot kick.

Questions have since been raised of why the TV feed cut off during the game and viewers half-way through the match could no longer watch Celtic’s thumping of their rivals. The goals were also not seen on TV until the 1990s. You can make of that what you will. The producer must have been raging that day.

Press cutting

Mainstream media such as The Times highlighted that Celtic’s 7-1 trouncing of Rangers (have we mentioned the scoreline yet?) was “a wonderful exhibition of football,” with The Sunday Post reporting of an “October Revolution,” in Scottish football.

Meanwhile, it would be Jimmy McGrory’s final trophy win as Hoops manager. Celtic did not win another trophy for seven years until their 1965 Scottish Cup victory.