4th January – Five Memorable Celtic Moments on This Day

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The Celtic Star

·04 de janeiro de 2026

4th January – 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 1919…

Jimmy McColl scored

ONE – SATURDAY 4 JANUARY 1919 – 25,000 cram into Cathkin Park to see a great Glasgow derby in which Celtic maintain their fine form with a 3-2 win, the goals coming from the three Macs of Adam McLean, Jimmy McColl and Jimmy McMenemy. Patsy Gallacher was out injured today, but the team have clearly been geed up by the return of Jimmy McMenemy. Many of the crowd are soldiers, not yet demobbed but given “extended leave”, and some of them arrive wearing captured German helmets!

Vídeos OneFootball

Jimmy McGrory scored a hat-trick

TWO – MONDAY 4 JANUARY 1926 – Celtic have played three Glasgow teams in 1926 – drawing with Rangers, beating Queen’s Park and now beating Partick Thistle this Holiday Monday, the unpleasant weather limiting the crowd at Celtic Park to 17,000. Today is a 3-0 victory with all the goals coming from Jimmy McGrory. Paddy Connolly is out today, but the other members of that forward line are on song with Tommy McInally in particular dazzling the crowd with his trickery. McGrory scores twice in the opening six minutes, his second one being a beautifully judged header.

Frank Murphy scored

THREE – SATURDAY 4 JANUARY 1936 – After an unfortunate 3-4 defeat to Rangers on New Year’s Day, Celtic get back on track with a 2-0 win over St Johnstone at Parkhead. For a change this year, McGrory does not score, the goals coming from Frank Murphy and Willie Lyon with a penalty kick.

Gerry McAloon scored

FOUR – SATURDAY 4 JANUARY 1947 – Two days after a dreadful 1-5 defeat by Aberdeen, Celtic return to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over Queen of the South. The crowd was given as 10,000 which was poor by the standards of 1947, and it reflects the way that Celtic had been playing, and The Sunday Post describes them as “heroes” for attending on such an awful day. Gerry McAloon and Joe Rae (with a debatable penalty) scored for Celtic.

Stevie Chalmers scored a hat-trick

FIVE – SATURDAY 4 JANUARY 1964 – Celtic, frustrated by their narrow defeat to Rangers on New Year’s Day and their feckless “hangover” draw with Third Lanark at Cathkin the day after, take it all out on Falkirk whom they hammer 7-0 with a hat-trick from Steve Chalmers, two from John Divers and one each from Jimmy Johnstone and John Hughes. Unfortunately, only 16,000 are at Parkhead to see this fine display of attacking football.

Celtic in the Thirties – Both Volumes Half in the Celtic Star Books January Sale…

Celtic in the Thirties by Celtic Historian Matt Corr is published in two volumes by Celtic Star Books. ORDER NOW!

Both volumes of Celtic in the Thirties are now available on Amazon Kindle, with the links to order below. Signed copies of both volumes are available on hardback from Celtic Star Books and if you would like author Matt Corr to add a special dedication to your copies please let us know. Order hardback copies HERE or for Amazon Kindle click on the links below…

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