TODAY marks the start of our ‘Six of the Best’ series in the lead up to the Scottish Cup final, and where better to start than with six of the best from Celtic who hammered hapless Hibernian at Hampden in 1972?
If heroes of their European Cup final sides still provided the skeleton (and the heart) of Celtic’s ’72 cup final team, it was also interspersed by a few more from the ‘Quality Street Gang,’ namely Kenny Dalglish and Lou Macari.
However, it was an incomer, a wild-card buy by Jock Stein, who became the Celtic talisman during their trophy run that season.
John Deans, ‘Dixie’ to the world, had joined in the October that season. Squat and with a bullying style, he scored in every round prior to the final, against Albion Rovers, Dundee, Hearts, and twice against Kilmarnock in the semis.
Hibs were a talented bunch, but on the Hampden stage, they were simply overwhelmed by a Celtic side chasing a double. As he’d done three years earlier against Rangers, it was captain Billy McNeill who scored before anyone had broken sweat, two minutes in, going beyond the cover at the back post to side-foot home a Tom Callaghan free-kick past Jim Herriot.
Alan Gordon equalised, but Deans restored the lead midway through the half, ramming home a header. Hibs again failed to cut out a free-kick, this time crossed by Bobby Murdoch.
Deans was at his opportunistic best to put Celtic 3-1 up after 54 minutes. John Brownlie’s defensive header fell in no-man’s land. Herriot raced from goal, but Deans nicked the ball past him, then dribbled around Brownlie, up the bye-line and around the scrambling Herriot to fire beyond Erich Schaedler on the goal line, Deans celebrating with a less-than athletic forward roll.
He completed his hat trick when he was released by Callaghan to stab the ball beneath the Hibs goalie. Macari, who had played a part in the second goal – or at least his hand appeared to – netted a quick brace to seal the most emphatic Cup win of the century.
Celtic: Williams, Craig, Brogan, Murdoch, McNeill, Connolly, Johnstone, Deans, Macari, Dalglish, Callaghan.
Substitute: Lennox (not used)
Hibernian: Herriot, Brownlie, Schaedler, Stanton, Black, Blackley, Edwards, Hazel, Gordon, O’Rourke, Duncan (Auld).
Attendance: 105,909
Stewart Weir’s reflections
If that hat trick was the high point in his Celtic career, then just a few weeks prior, Dixie Deans had suffered the ultimate low. In the European Cup semi-final at Parkhead, after 210 goalless minutes against Inter Milan, the tie was decided on penalties, and ultimately, the spot kick Deans blasted into the night sky.
Deans’ riposte went some of the way to softening the disappointment of missing out on the European Cup final.
What is also striking about that final was that both sides played in their traditional green and white. No need for change kits. Players and official were obviously smarter then.
Lisbon Lion Jim Craig left the club after the Cup final for South Africa while Hibs would have revenge for that defeat later in the year when they took the League Cup with a 2-1 win. And again, both teams wore their traditional strips.
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