Incredible highs and terrible lows – The story of Celtic in the League Cup

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The Celtic Star

·21 de septiembre de 2025

Incredible highs and terrible lows – The story of Celtic in the League Cup

With St Mirren, Motherwell and theRangers already in the hat for the Premier Sports League Cup semi-finals at Hampden, the fourth and final participant in the draw will be decided this afternoon when Partick Thistle and current holders Celtic play the final quarter-final of the weekend at Firhill…

The Premier Sports Cup. Photo AJ for The Celtic Star

The five remaining teams still involved in this season’s League Cup are all playing for the honour of reaching the 80th League Cup Final when it takes place this December.

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Since its inception, it’s a competition that has provided memorable moments for Celtic, as well as some events best forgotten. This is the story of Celtic and the League Cup….

Celtic and the League Cup

The origin of the League Cup goes back to the Second World War. Before this, there were only two major annual tournaments in Scotland: the League and Scottish Cup. However, during the 1939-1945 conflict, national football competitions were suspended in favour of regional contests, including the Southern League. Connected to this, a Southern League Cup was also held.

When the fighting ended, Scottish football eventually went back to national tournaments. However, it was decided that the Southern League Cup should continue as a Scotland-wide event. The first national competition happened in 1946-47, with Rangers eventually winning it.

This victory was the first to include the new League Cup trophy, which is still the prize that teams are given today. The Southern League Cup trophy had only been borrowed from the Scottish FA and was given back after the war ended to be used for another competition.

In the opening years of the League Cup, Celtic had very little luck. In the first ten seasons, Celtic failed to make the final. In fact, at this stage the League Cup featured group stages at the beginning, and most of the time the Bhoys failed to even get out of their group.

This all changed in season 1956-57. This year would see the Celts make it to the final, and in fact do even better than this.

After topping a group that included Rangers, Aberdeen and East Fife, the Bhoys were through to the two-legged quarter-finals. Despite losing 3-0 away to Dunfermline, it mattered not owing to a 6-0 home victory. The semi-final took place at Hampden and the Celts overcame Clyde to reach their first final.

League Cup Final Programme 1956. Photo The Celtic Wiki

The 1956 League Cup Final proved to be anything but a simple win for Celtic. Playing against Partick Thistle, the first match ended 0-0, forcing a replay four days later. This time, there were no problems and goals from Billy McPhail and Bobby Collins meant a comfortable 3-0 win. For the first time, the League Cup was brought back to Celtic Park.

Celtic captain Bobby Evans lifts the League Cup in 1956. Photo The Celtic Wiki

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Having taken so long to finally win the League Cup, Celtic were determined to retain the trophy in the following season. Their efforts have become a celebrated part of club folklore.

Again, the Bhoys topped their group stage, this time finishing ahead of Hibs and Airdrie, as well as East Fife again. Beating East Fife was no small achievement; in the opening ten years of the League Cup, the Methil men were the most successful with three victories.

Following this, a comfortable 9-1 aggregate quarter-final win over Third Lanark set up another semi-final against Clyde, which the Bhoys again won. However, this time their final opponents would be Rangers, and they went into this match very much as favourites.

On 19 October 1957, Celtic and Rangers walked onto a sun-soaked Hampden pitch. By full-time, songs would be written about the encounter. The Bhoys took a three-goal lead, before the Ibrox men managed to get one back. However, four further green-and-white goals ensured a famous 7-1 triumph. Not only is this Celtic’s record scoreline in a major cup final, it is a British record too.

Over the following decades, Celtic continued to have memorable moments in the League Cup, although the Bhoys may not have truly wished to retain some of these thoughts.

On the positive side, Celtic enjoyed some very high-scoring victories to ensure their name was etched into the competition’s winners’ record. As well as the 7-1 win in 1957, Celtic put five past Dundee in 1967, and twice scored six against Hibs doing so in 1969 and 1974. The latter match included a Dixie Deans hat-trick, making him the only man to score a Scottish Cup and League Cup Final hat-trick for the Bhoys.

Dixie Deans celebrates after scoring for Celtic. Hibs 3 Celtic 6 – Scottish League Cup Final, 26 October 1974. Hampden Park, Photos The Celtic Wiki

It’s not just in finals that there has been many high-scoring games. On numerous occasions, the Bhoys have scored at least six goals in a game. Most notably, this includes a massive 10-0 win over Hamilton in 1968, which saw five goals each from Bobby Lennox and Stevie Chalmers.

Unusually, Celtic also managed to win the League Cup twice in the same calendar year. The 1968 final was postponed following a fire at Hampden Park. Therefore, Celtic first won the cup in April 1969, before repeating this trick in October of that year.

Victory in the League Cup Final of 1966 was also the crucial first step on the road to Lisbon. The Bhoys beat Rangers 1-0, before going on to claim the Glasgow Cup, Scottish Cup and League. The next stop was of course Portugal where a memorable performance ensured immortality for Celtic’s Lisbon Lions.

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Celtic 3-0 Dundee Utd, 30 November 1997, League Cup Final played at Ibrox. Photo The Celtic Wiki

It has often been argued that the League Cup played a big role in stopping Rangers’ efforts to get ‘Ten In A Row’ titles. The Bhoys struggled through the 1990s, and the Ibrox men were favourites to achieve their goal. Instead, new manager Wim Jansen celebrated League Cup success at Ibrox in November 1997, and this inspired the team to win Celtic’s only title of the decade.

However, particularly in the 20th century, there have also been problems with Celtic and the League Cup. The Celts have suffered a remarkably poor record in many of these finals.

Partick Thistle 1971 Scottish League Cup final Alan Rough holding trophy in dressing room. Photo social media

From 1970 to 1994, Celtic played in 13 finals. This indeed was unlucky for some as only twice did the trophy then come to Parkhead. Some of these defeats are particularly renowned, including a 4-1 hammering from Partick Thistle and defeat from a Tommy Gemmell-inspired Dundee side.

Celtic versus Dundee League Cup Final December 1973. Jmmy johnstone pushes on the ball as Kenny Dalglish comes in from the wing Dundee defenders Phillip and Tommy Gemmell look on. Photo The Celtic Wiki

The 1994 final is rightly regarded as one of Celtic’s nightmare moments. The Bhoys won the 1989 Scottish Cup but then had nothing else to celebrate for years. By late-November 1994, it looked like this barren run would come to an end when the Celts faced lower-league side Raith Rovers in the final.

Paul McStay’s penalty is saved in the shoot-out at Celtic’s League Cup Final defeat to Raith Rovers at Ibrox on 27 November 1994. Photo The Celtic Wiki

Especially after taking twice the lead – and being in front with four minutes remaining – it looked like the story would end as expected. Instead, two Raith equalisers took the game to penalties. Paul McStay missed the all-important kick and there was “Dancing in the streets” as the Rovers won 6-5.

This was Celtic’s first League Cup Final defeat on penalties, and their second final penalties loss in the 1990s. Fortunately, the Celts’ one other League Cup Final penalties experience had a much more positive outcome.

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Daizen Maeda scores to win the Premier Sports Cup Final for Celtic at Hampden on 15 December 2024. Photo AJ for The Celtic Star

In December 2024, the Bhoys met theRangers at Hampden Park. Just ten days before Christmas, each side hoped to claim an early present of the League Cup. An exciting match went to extra time, but still neither side could claim victory, although they did share six goals between them. Penalties were again needed and, this time, Celtic made no mistake. Daizen Maeda eventually stepped up to score the last kick and give the Bhoys a 5-4 penalties win.

Sometimes there have been moments of final controversy too, both helping and hindering Celtic. The Bhoys lost 2-1 to Rangers in the 2003 final, which included a ludicrous decision to chop off a John Hartson equaliser for being offside, despite the Welshman being well onside.

John Hartson offside? That call won Rangers FC a trophy. Photo The Celtic Wiki

However, Celtic have also benefitted from some decisions, including the 2019 final where Christopher Jullien scored the winner against the second Ibrox team, the call was much closer that the one above but this time to went in Celtic favour.

Despite the fact that Celtic have sometimes had negative runs in the League Cup, the 21st century has been a period of particular success for the Bhoys. As of 2024, they have reached 15 finals, winning all but three of them. And in fact, the Celts’ past eight Hampden visits for a League Cup Final have all ended with green-and-white ribbons on the trophy. This includes four as part of Celtic’s Quadruple Treble run.

Brendan Rodgers celebrates with his players after lifting The Premier Sports Cup after the victory over theRangers at Hampden on 15 December 2024. Photo AJ for The Celtic Star

The Scottish Cup has always been seen as “Celtic’s favourite cup”. Indeed, one book by the legendary Celtic Historian David Potter described the trophy as exactly this. However, the League Cup also has a special place in Celtic history, not only for some fantastic finals but also as part of Celtic’s Treble successes.

As the tournament heads towards its 80th final, the Celts will want to build on the success they have previously enjoyed, with 22 wins to date. And maybe soon there will be another moment like 1957 to spark Celtic songs and celebrations that will continue down the decades.

Matthew Marr

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