EVAN WILLIAMS, who celebrated his 8st birthday on Monday, may have had his run-ins with Jock Stein, but Celtic’s legendary manager never hesitated in giving the keeper the nod to play in Old Firm encounters.
The games against the club’s fiercest foes brought out the best in the netminder who recalled: “I played against Rangers 18 times – 14 wins, two draws and only two defeats.
“I think my overall shut-out rate was 46 per cent.”
It was an excellent record for the shotstopper who had arrived at the club from Wolves on October 14 1969 as Big Jock continued his search for a long-term replacement for veteran Lisbon Lion Ronnie Simpson.
JUST IN TIME…Evan Williams scoops the ball away from Rangers raider Willie Johnston as Jim Craig gets a worm’s eye view.
Williams can vividly recall his first derby on January 3 1970 and said: “I took my place in the tunnel at Celtic Park behind Billy McNeill , but Bertie Auld squeezed in front.
‘Son,’ he said, ‘when you’ve done something for this club you can stand here. Billy’s the captain and I’m the general. I’ll go second today.’
“He asked me if I was nervous. I said I was excited. I was keen to find out if I could play in front of over 70,000 fans. If I couldn’t I knew it was probably Dumbarton or St Mirren for me.
“We had to wait ages for the Rangers boys. If I remember correctly, the referee was John Paterson, of Bothwell, and he had to rap on their dressing-room door. Bertie must have wondered if the delay would get to me. Then John Greig and the rest of that crowd appeared.
UP, UP AND AWAY…Evan Williams punches clear from the threatening Colin Stein.
“‘How are you doing, John?’ said Bertie in his usual jovial manner.
“‘Fine, Bertie,’ answered John, rather tersely.
“‘John, this is our new goalie. He says he’s not nervous, he’s excited. Can you believe that?’
“The Rangers captain stared straight ahead and didn’t respond.
“Then Bertie said: ‘By the way, we’re on eight quid a man to beat you today.’
“Greig said: ‘We’re on 32 quid to beat you.’
Bertie said: ‘Aye, but our eight quid’s guaranteed!’”
It ended all square, Williams kept a clean sheet and he was on his way to an enviable record in the do-or-die Glasgow derbies.
“What do I remember about the game?” asked the netminder. “It was a flint-hard surface on a freezing day and I got an early touch of the ball after a long free-kick from Greig dropped into the box.
“I was aware of Colin Stein and Willie Johnston hovering around and those two guys always kept a keeper on his toes.
NO-GOAL MYSTERY…Billy McNeill looks on and his effort beats defender Willie Mathieson on the line, but is puzzlingly ruled out. Goalkeeper Gerry Neef (third right) and his team-mates escape on this occasion.
“I also recall Billy McNeill scoring what looked like a perfectly legitimate goal just before the interval and it being ruled out.
“From where I was standing, I couldn’t see a problem and neither could my team-mates or every single Celtic fan in the ground that day.
“Newspaper reporters weren’t convinced, either, by the decision and they hazarded a guess that there had been some interference on their goalie, Gerry Neef, in the build-up.
“Just a pity VAR wasn’t around in those days. At least, new technology might have helped us clear up the mystery. As they say these days, ‘Rangers got away with one’.
“It may have been the first baffling decision that went us in a Glasgow derby, but I can inform you it wasn’t the last!”
*TOMORROW: Don’t miss Day Four of CQN’s EXCLUSIVE Evan Williams’ Celtic memories.