CELTIC suffered the worst result in the club’s history when they nosedived 3-1 to second-tier Inverness Caley Thistle on February 8 2000 to exit the Scottish Cup in front of their own astonished fans at Parkhead.
Unbelievably, the Hoops, with Kenny Dalglish in caretaker charge after the sacking of John Barnes, lifted a domestic honour at Hampden only THIRTY-NINE DAYS later!
No one was to know it at the time, but that 2-0 success over Aberdeen in the League Cup Final on March 19 – exactly 25 years ago today – was to trigger a succession of silverware in a golden era for the club with 42 trophies won, five trebles, nine titles in a row and the team is currently on the verge of a 55th crown with a 13-point advantage with only eight games to go.
And there is the hope Celtic can bring down the curtain on another memorable crusade with a Scottish Cup conquest at the national stadium on Saturday May 24.
Here is how author Alex Gordon remembers the kick-off to a spectacular period with an edited extracts from his tribute book, ‘The Winds of Change” which was published by CQN in 2015.
KENNY DALGLISH, after only six games in charge, had the opportunity to achieve something Liam Brady couldn’t manage in two-and-a-half seasons and Jozef Venglos couldn’t match in a year.It would also put Dalglish on a par with his good mate Tommy Burns who only had one trophy – the 1995 Scottish Cup – to show for three years of toil.
Dalglish warmed up for the March 19 League Cup Final against Aberdeen at Hampden with a 4-1 triumph over St Johnstone at Parkhead eight days earlier. The game was billed by some as a championship wake after an earlier defeat from Rangers, but an astonishing 59,530 still turned out to cheer on Celtic.
There was a soporific nature to the lacklustre opening 45 minutes. It was all-square at half-time after Paddy Connolly had nullified Mark Burchill’s 17th-minute opener. Three goals in six minutes gave the supporters something to cheer with Mark Viduka putting Celtic ahead in the 65th minute, adding a quickfire third before Burchill claimed his second of the afternoon.
Eyal Berkovic had played particularly well against the Perth Saints and had been involved in setting up three of the four goals. Dalglish now had a decision to make before the League Cup Final.
Burchill had missed out on the previous season’s Scottish Cup Final after scoring two goals against Dundee United in the preceding game. Could it happen again?
UP FOR THE CUP…Vidar Riseth holds aloft the silverware as Mark Viduka and Johan Mjally collect their winners’ medals after the 2-0 League Cup triumph over Aberdeen on March 19 2000.
There were also absurd stories going around that Henrik Larsson was about to make his comeback at Hampden, but the Swede, thankfully, put an end to the nonsensical speculation by admitting: “It would be dangerous for me to play just now.”
Celtic had at least 18 reasons for being confident as they prepared for the silverware showdown with Aberdeen at the national stadium on a bright and sunny March afternoon with 50,073 in attendance.
In their three Premier League head-to-heads with the Pittodrie side they had won 5-0, 7-0 and 6-0 – 18 goals for and none conceded.
Dalglish went with this team: Jonathan Gould; Vidar Riseth, Johan Mjallby, Tommy Boyd, Stephane Mahe; Jackie McNamara, Stiliyan Petrov, Lubomir Moravcik, Morten Wieghorst; Mark Viduka and Tommy Johnson.
Eyal Berkovic was on the bench, Mark Burchill was in the stand. Alan Stubbs was the other outfield player named as a substitute with Stewart Kerr as back-up goalkeeper.
It has to be admitted Hampden Park was not exactly a cauldron of suspense for this particular Cup Final. Celtic took the lead through an unusual source in the 15th minute and the sponsors – CIS Insurance, on this occasion – could already have tied the ribbons to the trophy.
Wieghorst, who played intelligently throughout, set up Riseth, who went through the entire league campaign without a goal to his name, and the Norwegian defender didn’t make a clean contact with his left foot, but it was enough to send the ball spinning away from Jim Leighton.
THAT’S MY BOY…Jackie McNamara congratulates Tommy Johnson after the striker’s goal for No.2 against the Dons.
The second goal, in the 58th minute, was a lot crisper in its execution. Viduka struck a neat pass to Johnson who flashed a right-foot drive across the keeper and in at the far post.
It was all too much for Dons defender Thomas Solberg who headed for an early bath two minutes later after a foul on the goalscorer. He had already been booked for a similar obstruction on McNamara and referee Kenny Clark had no option.
In the fading moments, Stubbs and Berkovic came on for Moravcik and Johnson respectively.
Tommy Boyd was still waiting to collect the trophy when Dalglish was asked the obvious question: “Who is going to be Celtic’s Head Coach next season?”
He was prepared for the grilling. “Any decision we make on the manager’s job, the supporters will play a part in it,” he said.
“Whether it is my position or anyone’s position regarding football, they are very much in our mind and so they should be because they are an important part of the club.”
Switching his attention to the game, he added: “Some people have described this tournament as meaningless and I suppose it is if you’re not in it, but we were in it and the supporters showed how much it meant for them.
“Although the win doesn’t cure all the sores and pain they felt with some of the results this season, I’m sure it will soften the blow just a little bit and they got a little bit of pride back by winning the Cup.”
