21st April – Five Memorable Celtic Moments on This Day

In partnership with

The Celtic Star

·21 aprile 2026

21st April – Five Memorable Celtic Moments on This Day

Five memorable Celtic moments, with a nod to the late Celtic Historian and Celtic Star legend David Potter, on this day starting in 1906…

David Potter’s Celtic Books

David’s bestseller The Celtic Rising ~ 1965: The Year Jock Stein Changed Everything completely sold out in print but is available on Amazon kindle, with all the photographs of the hardback edition, for HALF PRICE at just £3.49…

OneFootball Video

Jimmy Quinn scored

ONE – SATURDAY 21st APRIL 1906 – Celtic, already champions, finish an excellent League season by beating Hearts 1-0 at Celtic Park, the only goal of the game being scored by Jimmy Quinn. It is some measure of revenge for Hearts Scottish Cup win over them in February. Hearts will be playing in the Scottish Cup final next week against Third Lanark.

John McPhail: Scottish cup final – Celtic v. Mothervell at Hampden. Goal scorer McPhail – Captain of the Celtic team – Holds the Scottish cup Aloft. – Players faces from left: Weir, Boden, Fallon and Peacock. April 1951

TWO – SATURDAY 21st APRIL 1951 – Celtic win the Scottish Cup for the 16th time and the first time since the second world war, as they beat Motherwell 1-0 in front of 131,943 at Hampden Park. John McPhail scores the only goal of the game in the first half, and the Celtic defence is up to the task as Motherwell’s fine side throw everything at them in the second half.

75 years ago today, Celtic beat Motherwell 1:0 to win the Scottish Cup. Cracking goal from John McPhail.
– lunedì 20 aprile 2026

Hearts’ Freddie Glidden shakes hands with Celtic’s Bobby Evans before the Hearts v Celtic Scottish Cup Final at Hampden in April 1956.

THREE – SATURDAY 21st APRIL 1956 – A major disappointment for Celtic as they go down 1-3 in the Scottish Cup final to Hearts before a huge crowd of 132,842. It is generally agreed that Hearts are the better team, but there are certain unsatisfactory aspects of Celtic’s performance, not least a crazy team selection. Stein and Collins are unavailable through injury, but right back Mike Haughney is played at inside right while good forwards like Jimmy Walsh and Jim Sharkey are ignored, and on the right wing, Billy Craig plays his fifth game for the club and is totally out his depth. Ironically, Mike Haughney scores Celtic’s only goal.

FOUR – MONDAY 21st APRIL 1969 – A draw at Rugby Park, Kilmarnock is enough to win the Scottish League Championship for Celtic – more or less. It is a far from impressive performance however, as Celtic need an own goal from Frank Beattie and a last gasp equaliser from Tommy Gemmell to earn a 2-2 draw. The attendance is 18,000 and Celtic are now only one step away from a treble.

21st April 1969, a last minute goal from Tommy Gemmell wins the title at Rugby Park in a 2:2 draw.
– lunedì 20 aprile 2026

George McCluskey scored twice

WEDNESDAY 21st APRIL 1982 – Celtic take another step towards the League title with a 3-1 win over Jim McLean’s Dundee United at Celtic Park tonight. George McCluskey scores twice and Davie Provan once before a rather disappointing crowd of 14,659.