Every Scottish Cup victory for Celtic is a special occasion. Any time the Celtic captain, whether it’s McNeill, McStay, Lambert, Aitken or even our own now manager Neil Lennon, picks up the oldest cup in Scottish Football it is a wonderful sight that should never be taken for granted.
Cup final heroes for Celtic go back to the 1890’s when The Mighty Jimmy Quinn scored a hat-trick to win the cup against Rangers when Celtic prevailed 3-2. Our Cup final heroes range from Quinn, the greatest striker of his generation and certainly one of the finest ever to play for Celtic, to the less likely, Joe Doumbe in 2007 when his sliding tackle deceived the Dunfermline keeper and ensured Neil Lennon’s last act as a Celtic player was to lift the Scottish Cup.
There’s always been a magical thing about Celtic and winning the Cup.
However in 2005, that magic just wasn’t there as Celtic took to the field against Dundee United in a wet May afternoon in Hampden. It was fitting that it was a wet and grey day in Glasgow, the weather symbolised the mood around Celtic that particular week. The cup final was to be played 6 days after Black Sunday, where Celtic inexplicably threw the league title away in the midst of a Scott McDonald double.
Martin O’Neill had announced he was leaving and the Scottish Cup final, instead of being something to look forward to became just one more game to go before everyone can go on their summer holidays and forget all about the events of Season 2004/05. We were like a bride jilted at the Altar who had vowed never to love again. Martin was away, going with him was the backroom staff. Bellamy wouldn’t stay any more either. Virtually the whole team, bar one or two would be leaving. McNamara and Lennon didn’t have a contract for the next season, Sutton was slowing down, Hartson was still as slow as he always was. There had been no Henrik for a year but the reality finally hit. We weren’t that good anymore.
Dundee United weren’t great either, and they were missing their main striker Jim McIntyre who was harshly booked in their semi final victory over Tony Mowbray’s rampant Hibernian which suspended the big Dumbarton man. One of the main reasons I remember the 2005 final so well was the Friday night before hand, the end of the season meant no £1 to bet on a football coupon at the weekends. (I was 12 at the time)
Instead I got £2 to bet on the cup final! I picked out a first scorer and a scoreline, it totalled to 25/1. With that placed, the final hurdle before the football holidays was all ready and set to go!
Celtic attacked early on and were awarded a free kick towards the right hand side of the box just outside. Alan Thompson stood over it as the traditional wave of big physical men shaped like mountains all made their way in the box. The Dundee United defence expected a floated ball in with the left wand but instead the Geordie rifled it low and hard to which the despairing keeper couldn’t catch. About 8 minutes in and number 8 Alan Thompson had scored for Celtic.
But then the game sort of died, like Celtic’s season the week before hand. All I’d been told was ‘remember 86 when Hearts lost the league then went on to lose the cup final’ Of course I didn’t remember it, I wasn’t even born! The usual Cup final party in my house wasn’t as loud as it usually was, the week before saw a full house erupt in the one massive ‘AW FOR ….SAKE NAW’ scream, this week it was a whimper.
It looked like the game was being played out a 1-0 win until Celtic were awarded a penalty and Chris Sutton stepped up to take it. Rattle this home and the games over and everyone can go enjoy their summer away from football and I can start thinking about 2nd year at Our Lady And St.Patrick’s high school.
He stepped up, the keeper was on his way, then Sutton slipped and sclaffed the ball away. It summed up the week Celtic had just lived through. With about 10 minutes left Celtic realised it wasn’t over and Dundee United pressed.
There efforts seemed in vain until the 93rd minute when a clearance made its way to Alan Archibald who rattled a thunderous left footed drive towards Rab Douglas in the Celtic goals, the ball skimmed up off the wet Hampden Turf and flew towards the top corner. We all took a collective gasp and leant forward the ball beat Douglas, we were going to extra time.
Then THUD, the ball battered the Celtic Bar and flew away to safety. The referee blew his whistle. Celtic had won the 2005 Scottish Cup giving Martin O’Neill has 3rd and final cup success. The Celtic players allowed O’Neill to collect the trophy himself to the thankful cheers of the Celtic fans. There was a defiance in the air that day, a defeatist defiance if anything so possible. We knew our fate. Players were interviewed thanking the fans for a great 5 years or so but they were away etc.
The future was bright, we had Marshall, McGeady, Maloney, Wallace, Beattie and a whole host of players just waiting to be brought into the Celtic set up. Not that anyone wanted to think of the future that day. I don’t think winning a cup could have been so depressing as a Celtic fan. The players and manager etc probably even the fans just wanted to go home and forget about football. The one thing that summed the day up was the banner ‘THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES MARTIN, YOU WERE SEVILLIANT’
A victorious, but all in all sad day to be a Celtic fan. Its the kind of Cup Final/Success that seems to have been forgotten due to the events a week previously.
Oh and the betting slip? “Celtic to win 1-0 Alan Thompson to score first”
P.S, Thanks Chris Sutton
Davie Provan free kick in 85 against United- the McAvennie double in 88 Centenary year are amongst favourite Scottish cup memories- lets hope there’s more to come! Sure there’ll be plenty under Lenny- starting on the 14th.
I suppose the 1972 final was the best performance I`ve seen but the win against Motherwell in 2011 was just as precious!