Darren Fletcher - Heart of Midlothian!

It was the summer of 2001. Any father of teenage daughters will tell you the phone rings incessantly for their offspring and this was a time when mobile phones were not quite yet the mass production must have item they are now. Answering the phone for what seemed like the three hundredth time that day, my patience was at breaking point.

‘Yes?!’ I snapped, my telephone protocol long since discarded.

‘Oh, hello Mr Smith. I’m sorry to trouble you but I was wondering if Laura was around?’

Daughter Laura was fifteen years old then and being a teenager in Dalkeith her circle of friends were normally of the grunting, sniggering variety. Therefore, this well-spoken, polite young lad had me immediately on my guard.

‘Eh, no’ I replied somewhat hesitantly, ‘she’s not here’

‘Oh, that’s okay’ the young man responded, ‘would you mind telling her that Darren called?’

‘Darren?’ I sniped. ‘Any message?’

‘No, it‘s okay Mr Smith. I’m sorry to have bothered you. Thanks for your time’.

Said daughter duly arrived some time later and my inquisitiveness got the better of me. ‘Some laddo called for you earlier. Says his name is Darren but he doesn’t sound like he’s from round here’ I said, hoping to extract further information on this mysterious and, for all I knew, potential chaperon to my elder daughter.

‘Darren?’ my daughter asked with eyes alight. ‘That’ll be Darren Fletcher. I knew he was back in Dalkeith - I’ll call him later’

At that, I threw an inquisitive look towards my daughter. ‘Darren Fletcher? The laddie whose folks live down the road? The laddie who has signed for Manchester United?’ I asked.

‘Aye, that’s him’ came the almost nonchalant reply.

Daughter Laura went to the same St. David’s High School as Darren Fletcher and even though there were a couple of years between them, they were friends. But then Darren Fletcher had lots of friends. He was polite, courteous, approachable and as was evident at even that early age, had immense skill as a footballer. It was little wonder that Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson made the journey north to Mayfield, Dalkeith in July 2000 to make a personal visit to Darren Fletcher’s family in order to persuade their gifted son to join the Red Devils. Not that he would need much persuasion to join arguably the biggest club in the world. Fletcher’s family knew their boy was going to make it as a professional footballer but they harboured concerns that he might not get his chance to do so at Old Trafford. After all, a year earlier United had been crowned champions of Europe and with likes of David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes were destined to add to the multitude of honours. What chance would young Darren Fletcher have of breaking through into this team? Ferguson merely placed his hand on their shoulders and said ‘trust me’. Fletcher joined United as a trainee in the summer of 2000 and signed professional terms six months later. Nearly a decade on that trust that Sir Alex Ferguson asked for has never been questioned.

Now 25 years old, Fletcher is approaching the years when a footballer hits the peak form of his career. Last month Manchester United lost 1-0 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. To most observers, United were unlucky to lose the game and only a controversial refereeing decision cost them three points. The Reds had chances before John Terry’s late winner to take the lead and this added to Ferguson’s bitter frustration that his team left the west end of London empty-handed. Particularly when you consider the guilt-edged chances for Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs were set up by the subtle skills of Darren Fletcher. The joust between the Scot and the home team’s Frank Lampard was one of the highlights of the afternoon and, as always, Fletcher did not let anyone down. The Dalkeith boy - and despite fatherhood and the responsibilities of having twin boys brings he still looks a young laddie himself - has matured from a gangly, enthusiastic squad player to one of the first names Sir Alex Ferguson puts on the United team sheet. Fletcher’s absence from the United team that lost to Barcelona in the Champions League Final earlier this year was, in my view, one of the reasons the Old Trafford side relinquished their hard-earned title from twelve months earlier. Fletcher was sent off in the semi-final victory over Arsenal by a referee who got the decision badly wrong. Fletcher made a magnificent tackle on Cesc Fabregas but referee inexplicably decreed it was an illegal challenge and sent off the young Scot thus depriving him of a place in the Champions League final. As he trudged dejectedly from the Emirates pitch, Fletcher displayed the dignity and professionalism with which he has become associated; in fact, the same good grace and excellent manners he displayed while trying to locate my daughter all those years ago.

Fletcher’s obvious ability to support the front players with runs into the box and also provide exquisite passes to his highly-priced team mates mark him out as a special talent, one of the most gifted players to emerge in Scotland in recent years. It’s not just his ability to pass the ball that makes him special; his extraordinary vision of where the passage of play will take place next is something we more mature fans used to associate with the likes of Alex Young of Everton, Hearts and Scotland - a man they called the Golden Vision.

Mention of Scotland, of course, brings the quite ridiculous criticism that Fletcher isn’t the same player in the dark blue as he is in the red of United. The award for Stating the Bleedin’ Obvious should go to those critics; the national team are hardly world beaters and what is often seen as a poor pass from Fletcher is, in reality, a great pass - it’s just not seen by his colleagues. I recall Fletcher scoring his first international goal against Lithuania at Hampden in October 2003. I said to my mate at the game I thought Fletcher was actually too good for the Scotland team - his team mates in dark blue just didn’t seem to share his vision and passage of play. Fletcher’s winning strike that afternoon took Scotland to the play-offs for the finals of Euro 2004. Little wonder, then, that Scotland manager George Burley has appointed Fletcher captain in the absence of Barry Ferguson.

It is the fervent hope of every Scot that Darren Fletcher doesn’t end on the same trail as his United team mate, the equally gifted Ryan Giggs. The Welshman, despite being one of the best players ever to play for Manchester United, has never played for his country at the World Cup or European Championship finals. At 25, Fletcher still has plenty of time on his side to achieve this.

At a time when the standard of Scottish football has slipped alarmingly, we should be thankful that evidence that this country can still produce gifted footballers remains. Darren Fletcher is one those rare breed; a immensely talented football player who never causes any trouble for his managers either for club or country. His sublime goal against Everton today brought the house down at Old Trafford. His name is the first to be considered for both Manchester United and Scotland. For that, we should be hugely appreciative.

George Burley - Exit the Quiet Man

We’ve been here before. Far too many times. Scottish football in crisis, our clubs being outclassed in Europe, our national team shamed on the international stage. We’ve tended to bounce back before. The usual clichés about us being a small country punching above our weight and those good and bad times alternate in cycles are usually trotted out by those in power in the corridors of power at Hampden Park. This time, however, the feeling of despondency goes deeper. Scots clubs have been nothing less than shambolic in Europe this season and they will soon resort to type by being eliminated from the Champions League and Europa League by Christmas. As for Scotland, an inept World Cup qualifying campaign was followed by a hapless display in a friendly against those giants of world football - Wales.

Not since the dark days immediately following the debacle that was the World Cup Finals in Argentina in 1978 has Scottish football been at such low ebb.

The financial crisis affecting the game in Scotland - intensified by the collapse of the television deal with failed Irish broadcaster Setanta in the summer - has affected the Old Firm’s attempt to dine at the top table of European football. The fallout of the financial explosion hasn’t affected the national team in the same way. However, there appeared to be an alarming trait during George Burley’s time in charge - that of a lack of commitment from certain players.

In the immediate aftermath of Scotland’s woeful display and subsequent 3-0 defeat in Cardiff last Saturday, BBC Radio Scotland’s Chick Young - for it was he - said he had been told off the record by a player that he didn’t want to play for Scotland that day as it was a meaningless game. Pressed for the name of this player the not so bold Chick wouldn’t divulge the information using the excuse that it was off the record. Which begged the question if it were off the record why did Chick mention it at all? However, it also begged another question - was the player's apparent disinterest designed to put George Burley literally in a can’t win situation? It wouldn’t be the first time ‘player power’ has influenced the fate of a manager.

Back in May 1993, a Hearts team playing out the dying embers of a disappointing season faced a soon to be relegated Falkirk at Brockville Park. The maroons had little to play for having lost four league games in succession since losing their Scottish Cup semi-final to Rangers the previous month. Hearts were two goals down at half time and manager Joe Jordan’s team-talk at the interval clearly went collectively in one ear and right out the other. Hearts lost three goals within the first few minutes of the second half and eventually lost the game 6-0 to a team then managed by Jim Jefferies. It was a pitiful performance, which beggared belief among the travelling support. A few years later, I was at a Hearts shareholders dinner where striker John Robertson was a guest speaker. He ‘confessed’ that evening that once Hearts lost the third goal in that game and knew they weren’t going to get anything from it the team made a collective decision to ‘down tools’ and conceded three more. Robbo admitted few of the players liked manager Joe Jordan or his methods and they felt an embarrassing result would give then chairman Wallace Mercer little option but to dispense with the services of the former Scotland striker. And so it was less than forty-eight hours later that Jordan was given his marching orders.

I thought of that game when I heard the reports of Scotland’s loss in Cardiff last Saturday. And again today when I heard that George Burley had been sacked as Scotland manager. The quiet man had fallen on his sword.

Burley has, of course, crossed swords with more than one Scotland player since his appointment in January 2008. And it doesn’t take a genius to see there’s a common thread. Firstly, Rangers striker Kris Boyd took exception to merely being on the substitute’s bench during Scotland’s World Cup qualifier against Norway at Hampden in October 2008. He took even more offence at seeing Chris Ilewumo being brought on instead of him in the second half and seethed as he and the nation witnessed the Wolves striker being guilty of one of the most glaring misses in front of goal ever by a Scotland player. The game ended goalless and the end was already in sight for the Scots chances of going to the finals in South Africa next year. Boyd went in the huff and refused to play for Scotland again under Burley’s tutelage.

Six months later after a miserable but entirely predictable 3-0 defeat by The Netherlands in Amsterdam there was the infamous ‘Boozegate Episode’ (© all newspapers) Captain Barry Ferguson and goalkeeper Alan McGregor were dropped from the starting eleven to play Iceland four days later following their late night drinking session when the team returned from Amsterdam. As they took their places on the substitute’s bench, the pair made offensive gestures to the media. This sealed their fate as far as Burley was concerned and, like their Rangers team mate Boyd, their international careers were finished - under Burley at least.
The feeling that some players no longer wished to play for Scotland under the former Ayr United, Ipswich Town and Hearts manager intensified during the shockingly poor performance in Cardiff last weekend. Steven Naismith and Kenny Miller - both Rangers players - looked lethargic. Gary Caldwell struggled as he has for much of this season while Stephen McManus looked less than fit. Captain Darren Fletcher - so impressive for Manchester United this season - looked like a fish out of water although he publicly backed the manager after the game. Then you would expect your captain to do so. However, you might also expect the captain to be the man who disgruntled players go to vent their feelings.

Whatever the rumblings of discontent among the players the least that is expected of them is that they give their all for their country. That they show the same commitment to their nation the always large numbers of the travelling Tartan Army do. In years gone by the likes of Billy Bremner, Kenny Dalglish, Denis Law, Dave Mackay and the aforementioned Joe Jordan would have run through a brick wall to play for their country. The huge swathes of money in the modern game nowadays mean some players don’t want to miss playing for their clubs through picking up an injury on international duty - particularly if it’s a meaningless friendly being played just weeks after failure to qualify for the World Cup Finals. However, no matter if they have important club games coming up and no matter what gripe they have with the manager, playing for Scotland should always be an honour and a privilege. If there are players who don’t want to do so - even in games like the one against Wales who, it should be said, have also failed to qualify for the World Cup but showed an enthusiasm and eagerness that just wasn’t there for the Scots - then they should be shown the door a la Ferguson and McGregor.

It was difficult to see how George Burley could have survived the crisis. It seemed to me that he had lost the support of much of the media, the fans and crucially some of the players. With Walter Smith’s future at Ibrox anything but certain I wouldn’t rule out a return to the international arena for the present Rangers manager. The irony of such a situation wouldn’t be lost on many.

Whatever happens the nation should come first before any personal vendetta against the manager. It’s the very least Scotland expects.

Scottish League Cup Final 1971

Scottish League Cup Final 1971

Partick Thistle 4 Celtic 1

Occasionally the eyes of the football world are widened with astonishment by a particular result or performance which, thankfully, reinforces the theory that anything can happen when eleven men face eleven men. Whilst, over an arduous League campaign, the cream invariably rises to the top, the fascination of cup competitions undoubtedly encourages the supporters of the so called lesser teams to think that this might just be their day. This theory has particular credence north of the border where the names of Celtic and Rangers are etched over much of the silverware. And so it proved in spectacular style on October 23rd 1971 for the die-hards of Partick Thistle - for in a sensational Scottish League Cup final this, in the words of Churchill, was to prove their finest hour.

Thistle were - some say still are - the great enigmas of Scottish football. That they started season 1971-72 rather tentatively was no great surprise - after all they had been newly-promoted from the Second Division where only a few months before they had sampled the delights of travelling to Brechin, Stranraer and Stenhousemuir. Now that they were back in the big time, there was the usual optimism at Firhill but, if the truth be told, consolidation would be the main objective. The League Cup draw for the new season, however, had created a stir because in the opening sectional round Celtic and Rangers had been drawn in the same group - and with only one team qualifying for the knock-out stages the opportunity was there for a provincial club to reach a Hampden Cup final. Partick Thistle were drawn with Arbroath, East Fife and Raith Rovers but, as unpredictable as ever, the Glasgow side stumbled across the finishing line rather than with the expected sprint.

Indeed Thistle had to beat Alloa Athletic in a play-off to claim their place in the last eight. When they lost the first leg of the quarter final 2-0 to an impressive St. Johnstone side -who had reached the final themselves two years earlier - it seemed the end of the road. But the fiery passion of the Maryhill club's support was rekindled again as the Jags won the return leg 5-1 to claim their place in the semi-finals. It was an odd looking last four in what had already been a remarkable League Cup - the semi-finalists were Thistle, Celtic, St Mirren and Falkirk.

Thistle manager Davie McParland knew if his side could avoid the green machine in the draw there may never be a greater chance of glory. His prayers were answered when Thistle's name came out of the hat with Falkirk and the Jags duly claimed their first cup final appearance for thirteen years by winning the Hampden semi-final 2-0.Predictably their opponents in the final were to be Celtic - League champions since 1965 and competing in a remarkable eighth successive League Cup final.

Not surprisingly the bookmakers made Celtic odds on while you could have named any price you wished for Thistle. It seemed that Jock Stein's men needed only to turn up at the national stadium to collect yet another trophy - but as the teams ran out before a crowd of nearly 63,000 on that late autumn day Thistle had other plans.

Celtic: Williams, Hay, Gemmell, Murdoch, Connelly, Brogan, Johnstone, Dalglish, Hood, Callaghan and Macari.

Partick Thistle: Rough, Hansen, Forsyth, Glavin, Campbell, Strachan, McQuade, Coulston, Bone, Rae and Lawrie.

The loss through injury of captain Billy McNeill was a blow to Celtic and his absence seemed to instill an uncertainty in the Parkhead defence. Jimmy Bone went close for Thistle in the opening minutes and this seemed to signal to the men from Maryhill that Celtic were there for the taking. In the ninth minute the Celtic defence failed to clear a corner and the ball fell to Thistle captain Alex Rae who struck a right foot shot from eighteen yards which screamed past goalkeeper Williams. 1-0 to Thistle! A start no one predicted but surely Celtic would wake up from their lethargy and strike back? Six minutes later there was another goal - and it was 2-0 to Thistle!

Bobby Lawrie collected the ball from Bone, ghosted past Davie Hay as if he was not there, and cracked a tremendous angled shot beyond Williams. Barely quarter of an hour gone and the crowd began to sense something remarkable was about to happen. Even more so when Celtic's mercurial winger Jimmy Johnstone had to leave the field with an ankle injury, to be replaced by full-back Jim Craig. This meant switching Davie Hay into midfield, and while Celtic were still sorting themselves out Thistle, remarkably, were launching wave after wave of attacks. When the ball swung into the box the Celtic defence staged their own version of "after you Claude". Dennis McQuade did not hang about and poked the ball home from six yards. 3-0 to Thistle!

The Hampden crowd were stunned. The Celtic players looked on in disbelief and their torment was not over yet. Six minutes later Thistle were awarded a free kick midway inside the Celtic half. Bobby Lawrie took it quickly and passed to Jimmy Bone. The big centre forward couldn't believe his luck as he was allowed the freedom of Hampden to direct the ball past an equally disbelieving Evan Williams. 4-0 to Thistle!

When the half time whistle sounded, the Thistle players marched off to a tumultuous reception from their outnumbered but vociferous support. The Celtic end stood in stunned silence as if collectively in a bad dream. Public address announcers at grounds throughout Scotland were the subject of ridicule as they read out the half-time score to supporters attending various League fixtures around the country. Partick Thistle 4 Celtic 0 was greeted with undisguised derision. When the second half kicked off, there -was only one option left for Celtic.

The rollicking they received from manager Jock Stein at the interval may -well have registered on the Richter Scale and they set about trying to repair the damage. Murdoch, Dalglish and Macari all had excellent chances - but a combination of bad luck and inspired goalkeeping from young Alan Rough kept the Celts out until the 70th minute when Kenny Dalglish finally found the net. The Celtic onslaught grew even more ferocious in the last twenty minutes but Thistle held on for a famous 4-1 victory over a side who were not only Scottish champions but also amongst the best in Europe.

Jock Stein was magnanimous in defeat afterwards. While admitting Celtic committed some shocking errors in defence, he acknowledged that, on the day, Thistle were the better team and played some sparkling football.Thistle's jubilant manager, Davie McParland, paid tribute to every one of his players and said it was the greatest day of his life. The Maryhill area of Glasgow came to a standstill that Saturday night as thousands of red and yellow bedecked Thistle fans thronged the streets to see their heroes come home with the cup - Partick's first major honour for precisely fifty years. In keeping with the clubs rather slapstick image, when the officials got back to the Firhill ground proudly clasping the League Cup there were a few minutes delay before they could enter the club offices. Someone, it transpired, had misplaced the key! Once the triumphant players gained admission to their own ground the celebrations went on well into the night.Indeed one wonders if the party lasted for seven nights - the following Saturday Thistle lost a League game 7-2 to Aberdeen...

The Thistle team that overwhelmed Celtic made such an impression that Alan Rough, John Hansen, Alex Forsyth, Ronnie Glavin and Jimmy Bone were all to make future appearances for Scotland, albeit that most of them had moved on to other clubs before international duty was to call. However Alan Rough was to become Thistle's most capped player of all time and John Hansen's younger brother was about to make his debut in Thistle colours - Alan Hansen esquire would certainly go on to make a name for himself. Jimmy Bone and Ronnie Glavin would, in time, sign for Celtic but no matter what else those eleven players would do with their careers, they would forever be remembered for that incredible day when Partick Thistle, butt of many a music hall joke, got the last laugh on the biggest stage of all...

David McCreery

One of Northern Ireland’s most capped players, David McCreery’s distinguished career was heading to its twilight phase when he joined Hearts in the summer of 1989. The Belfast born utility man had started his career at Manchester United, the highlight of which was helping them lift the FA Cup in 1977, defeating Liverpool 2-1 in the final. However, it had been a decade since The Red Devils had won the league championship and in 1979, McCreery joined Queens Park Rangers. After a spell in the North American League, he joined the Kevin Keegan inspired revolution at Newcastle United, playing alongside the former England international to help secure promotion for the Magpies to the top tier of English football in 1984.

Hearts manager Alex MacDonald grabbed the chance to sign the 67 times capped McCreery in 1989. Although he was by now 32 years old, the Ulsterman wasn’t at Tynecastle just to make up the numbers and played in 22 Premier League games that season as Hearts finished in third place in the league.

McCreery was to play a further two years in maroon - although Joe Jordan had replaced MacDonald as Hearts manager a year after McCreery’s arrival, the former Scotland striker quickly realised the important of his former Manchester United colleague.

McCreery’s final game for Hearts was in Gary Mackay’s testimonial game against Everton in May 1991. McCreery joined Hartlepool United before becoming manager of Carlisle United, leading the Cumbrians to a Third Division play-off place. Following a spell as manager at Hartlepool, McCreery headed back across the Atlantic to help develop the MLS league.

Today David McCreery is president of Weldmore Ltd a leading welding and engineering distributor in County Durham.

Scottish League Cup Final 1974

Celtic 6 Hibernian 3, Scottish League Cup Final 1974

The early part of the 1970's saw a "gang of four" dominate the competition for honours in Scottish football. Naturally this included the Old Firm - a rampant Celtic side in the midst of winning a record nine consecutive League championships and a Rangers team triumphant in the European Cup Winners Cup of 1972. But there were also a notable contribution from Hibernian and Aberdeen who won the League Cup and Scottish Cup respectively at the start of the decade. When Celtic and Hibernian met in the 1974 League Cup final at Hampden Park it was a re-run of the final two years previously which saw the Edinburgh club lift their first trophy since winning the Championship in 1952. The teams had also met in the 1972 Scottish Cup final but with calamitous consequences for Hibernian - they lost 6-1 (a record equalling reverse for a Scottish Cup final in Scotland). Despite the fact that this was probably the best Hibernian team in twenty years, it was Celtic who were clear favourites to lift the trophy for the eighth time since the competition's inception in 1946. After all, Jock Stein's men had inflicted a heavy League defeat on the Edinburgh greens just a week prior to the final and, even more disheartening for the team from the capital city, Hibernian were just back from Turin where they had seen their UEFA Cup hopes destroyed in a crushing defeat from Juventus.

Considering it was two of the top teams in the country contesting the final, there was a rather disappointing attendance of a little under 54,000 at Hampden on an admittedly cold October afternoon. There were the usual optimistic noises from both camps but there were those who thought that Celtic, for all their dominance in League championships since the mid sixties, might suffer from something of a psychological complex as far as the League Cup was concerned - it was an irritation to Jock Stein that they had lost the last four finals, most spectacularly to Partick Thistle to the tune of four goals to one in 1971. Would their recent failure in this competition prey on their minds? Certainly, despite the recent experiences which had beset them, there was a confident air in the Hibernian camp. So there was plenty of anticipation as the teams lined up as follows:

Celtic: Hunter; McGrain; Brogan; Murray; McNeill; McCluskey; Johnstone; Hood; Deans; Dalglish and Wilson.

Hibernian: McArthur; Brownlie; Bremner; Stanton; Spalding; Blackley; Edwards; Cropley; Harper; Munro and Duncan.

The opening minutes contained enough to suggest there was to be real drama, and indeed one of the most incredible Cup finals ever witnessed at the old stadium was about to unfold. After the customary early exchanges it was Hibernian who had the first real chance in the fifth minute but Alex Edwards ballooned the ball over the bar from close range. Celtic's reply to this was swift — and clinical. Jimmy Johnstone scored with a precise finish after an equally precise pass from young Dalglish for whom the occasion seemed tailor made. Johnstone was one of those frustrating players. On his day he could equal Best, Cruyff, some said even Pele — but on other days he was almost disinterested and it was clear that when Johnstone was on form, Celtic were on form and the combination could prove awesome. Sadly for Hibernian this proved to be one of those days when the little winger was at his best and he was in the mood to make them suffer as a consequence.

After a Steve Murray "goal" -was disallowed for offside, Celtic went two ahead ten minutes before half time when a long Pat McCluskey pass from defence found John "Dixie" Deans and the ex-Motherwell man ran through to slip the ball past goalkeeper McArthur. It seemed, at this stage, a question of how many? Dejected Hibernian supporters remembered with horror the Scottish Cup final of 1972 but, in forty three minutes, Joe Harper gave the Easter Road men a lifeline by finishing off some good work by Stanton and Cropley and so it was 2-1 for Celtic at half time. Remarkably the second half began almost as a carbon copy of the first. Joe Harper had a great chance to equalise seconds after the re-start but dithered at the last minute and the chance was gone. Typically, Celtic went straight up the field where Paul Wilson scored number three after being fed by Johnstone. Again Hibernian fought back. After an hour's play, Joe Harper — the little striker seemed to be everywhere — pounced on a loose ball, while a confused Celtic defence looked on, to make it 3-2.

The Hampden crowd roared its approval and four minutes later the Celtic support was making all the noise as Deans scored his second after getting the better of defender John Blackley. A further two minutes and Deans had scored an astonishing hat-trick — a curious goal as Deans knew little about it! A wayward cross from Johnstone smacked off his head and the ball could have ended anywhere - but it was indicative of Hibernian's day that it flew into their goal. 5-2 to Celtic.There had rarely been a final like it -and there was still more drama to come.

Steve Murray made it six after more fine play by Dalglish and Hibernian looked, by now, a sorry lot. But Joe Harper was determined to make a little bit of history for himself. With just over six minutes left he scored a third consolation goal - and so became the first man to score a hat-trick in a Cup final and end up on the losing side.The final score was 6-3 to Celtic and as captain Billy McNeill lifted the League Cup aloft he knew he had just taken part in one of the most remarkable Cup finals ever seen at Hampden. One hat-trick man, Dixie Deans, sportingly consoled another, a despondent Joe Harper, after the game. Deans himself had known the anguish of failure when he had missed a crucial spot kick during a penalty shoot-out in the European Cup semi-final against Inter Milan a couple of seasons before.

It was of little consolation for Hibernian that no other team in Scotland could have lived with Celtic that day — indeed not many in Europe could have done either. Manager Eddie Turnbull admitted as much afterwards when he said he was proud of his team - deep down he realised that Hibernian could not have played much better than they did. A couple of players from the final went on the achieve big things in England. Des Bremner went on to win a European Cup winners medal with Aston Villa in the early 1980's while a certain Mr Dalglish went on to Liverpool...

Season 1974-75 was to prove to be a disappointment for Celtic, however, despite the fact that they had also won the Scottish Cup in what was Billy McNeill's last appearance for the club. They had lost the League Championship for the first time since 1965 and, to make matters worse, it was their arch rivals Rangers who snatched it from them. So, consequently, the team who won one of the highest scoring Cup finals in history, was about to be broken up. Of the starting eleven only Danny McGrain was still around when Billy McNeill returned to the club as manager four years later.

For Hibernian, it was downhill from here until the club faced a hostile takeover bid from Hearts chairman Wallace Mercer in 1990 before eventually stabilising. Manager Eddie Turnbull left the club and, although there was a Scottish Cup final appearance in 1979 they lost to Rangers after two replays -the club suffered the ignominy of relegation the year after. Hat-trick man Joe Harper returned to his first love Aberdeen, in 1976 and, most bitterly of all in the eyes of the supporters, captain Pat Stanton left for Celtic a year later.

For the supporters of both clubs, however, the memory of a nine goal Cup final lingers on. And for Joe Harper, whose emotions during those ninety minutes endured more ups and downs than a liftman's nightmare, the memories of that hat-trick will leave more than a bitter taste...

Walter Smith Flies Through the Air

The current Rangers manager enjoyed a long and distinguished playing career with Dundee United and Dumbarton. However, this is a moment he won't care to recall - scoring an own goal whilst playing for the Sons of the Rock against Hearts in the Scottish Cup Semi-Final replay of 1976.

Hearts won 3-0 and went on to face Rangers in the final.

Archie Baird - Aberdeen Legend

Archie Baird, a member of Aberdeen's legendary 1947 Scottish Cup winning team, has died at the age of 90. The Dons hero was the last surviving member of the first Aberdeen team to lift the famous old trophy.

Born in 1919, Baird signed for Aberdeen in 1938, but the outbreak of the Second World War meant he did not make his competitive debut until 1946. He made 104 league appearances for Aberdeen, scoring 26 goals. He left Aberdeen to join St Johnstone and then became a teacher and journalist.

Fittingly, Aberdeen meet St. Johnstone at Pittodrie on Saturday - Remembrance weekend - and a minute's silence will be held for the player still remembered fondly in the Granite City.