. . . when we know the Scottish Cup is coming home to rest in Paradise!”
Celtic won the oldest trophy in world football for a record 42nd time on Saturday before a crowd of 48,556. This year is the 150th season since the Scottish Cup started and the celebrations of the Celtic which greeted Adam Idah’s 90th minute winner were wild. When Celtic won the grand old trophy for the first time in April 1892, the celebrations were equally unrestrained and enjoyed far beyond the boundaries of Glasgow city.
Celtic faced Queen’s Park, attempting to win the trophy for the 10th time, at Ibrox Park on 9th April 1892 before a crowd of 26,000. This was a replay as the first attempt to play the final at the same venue on 12th March before an estimated attendance of over 40,000 ended in failure as the fans, crammed along the sidelines of the pitch, kept interfering with play. The ground wasn’t big enough to hold the crowd that managed to get inside Ibrox so for the replay the entry fee was increased as were the number of police in attendance, including those on horseback.
Celtic suffered a setback when the amateur side who had refused to join the Scottish League took the lead in the 20th minute. The Spider held Celtic off until half-time but within just six minutes of the re-start Johnny Campbell scored twice to put Celtic in front. A mazy run from Sandy ‘The Duke’ McMahon put the Celts 3-1 up in the 65th minute, a deflected free-kick from captain James Kelly made it 4-1 ten minutes later and in the final seconds a McMahon header made the final score read: Celtic 5 Queen’s Park 1. Our Bhoys had won the Cup! And not only against our biggest rivals of the era but in a devastating display of attacking football that would in time become known as ‘The Celtic Way.’
As the Celtic team made their way back to the dressing room after the sensational victory, Club President John Glass remarked to captain James Kelly: Man Jimmy, but I’m proud of ye. This is worth all our trouble.” At the time, the Scottish Cup was not presented to the team either in the stand or on the pitch. Instead, both sets of players and club officials along with the great and good of Scottish football met later that evening at the Alexandra Hotel in Glasgow’s city centre. There, after a meal, the club was presented to John Glass who “accepted the cup on behalf of his club and said they had wrought hard and wrong for it. Four years ago they had played the Third Lanark in the final and lost, but now the Celts had reached the summit of their fame.”
When the formalities were over, the Celtic players and officials made their way by carriage to the club’s home and birthplace: St Mary’s Hall on East Rose Street in the Calton. The fans were there to greet their heroes, as one newspaper recorded: “What a scene when St Mary’s Hall was reached, the cheering and handshaking defies description. From far and near the crowd came to look on that which has long been the goal of their ambition and I question very much if that Hall ever held the same number of people it did on Saturday. One enterprising ice cream vendor had a transparent picture of the team set out tastefully in his window, together with the result.”
The Scottish Referee newspaper, published on Mondays and Fridays and dedicated to sporting affairs in Scotland, reported in detail on the reception that news of Celtic’s inaugural Scottish Cup success received across the country.
EASTERN GLASGOW Of course the “flower” of the Celtic followers were at Ibrox, but when the intimation came that “our team” had won in such a handsome manner almost everybody who could muster a cheer and a grin at once put them in evidence. Even the women lent a hand, and helped in no small measure to make the rejoicings hearty. But it was when “the boys came marching home again” from the aristocratic Ibrox that the fun began in earnest, and as the evening wore on the whole East-End put on an air of alleged gaiety and a colour of a deep carnation that would have given an unenlightened stranger the severe knock of astonishment. Bands! you ought to have seen them. They perambulated all the district until well on in the evening, and with the aid of a liberal use of party music helped to make things hum along merrily. Of course this caused a risk of a ruction with Billy’s men. But what of that? Hadn’t the Celts beat the mighty Queen’s Park and for the first time won the Scottish Cup? Truly the East-End was a perfect turmoil until the very early hours of the Sunday, and many of the crowd won’t be able to get over the rejoicing racket for days to come.
COATBRIDGE REJOICES Coatbridge was en fete on Saturday over the victory of the Celtic. By arrangement our local representative was kept in touch with the entire game. Crowds consequently gathered round his place of business, and the half-time result damped the spirits of the bhoys. In the second half, when it was intimated that the Celts had scored three times in ten minutes, you might have heard the cheers at Ibrox. Had the Celtic team been immersed in the whisky that was drunk to their health, the Parkhead lot would have been non est.
PAISLEY Disappointment in general was expressed at the result of the game, the almost unanimous desire being that the Queen’s would win the day. But to be beaten by 5 goals to one was never reckoned on for a moment. The unfortunate position the Queen’s were placed in owing to the continued illness of Smellie and the sudden indisposition which overtook Arnott at the last moment, were causes which it was felt had contributed mainly to the downfall of the Queen’s. The Celts, however, were acknowledged to have won on their merits, and that their form throughout the season entitled them to the position they had attained.
GREENOCK The half-time result of the great final was received at Cappielow Park with loud cheers, mingled with groans. Towards the close of the game the news received currency that Celts had won by 5 to 1, which created some speculation as to how they could gain so many goals from half-time to the finish. However, punctual at 6 o’clock, the News arrived in Greenock and confirmed the report. The majority of Greenock footballers favoured the chances of the Queen’s.
EAST OF SCOTLAND There was much jubilation on the part of the Irish population of Edinburgh and Leith when it became known that the Celtic had won the Scottish Cup. There is a large section of Leaguites in the East who pinned their faith on the Bould Celts, and right glad were they that the League club had won. The heavy score of the Celts was the only surprise. Edinburgh and Leith people look forward with expectancy to the coming of the Celts on Monday next when they meet the Athletic.
Glasgow was green and white when Celtic first won the grand old trophy – and it was green and white again when we won it for the 42nd time.
Our club reigns.
the shamrock 