Celtic 2 Leeds 1 (agg 3-1)European Cup SF 1970

[Richybhoy]

I came across this written by Alex Cameron after the game

In the press box high above the stand the unbelieving faces of the English sporting corps- here to report another English triumph on Scottish soil- were a sight to see. They were drawn and sad. Such a Celtic spectacular was not in their script.
Leeds played for a time like a machine. Billy Bremner scored a goal which bent, curved and spiralled away from Evan Williams, who didn't really have a direct shot to deal with until the 76th minute. Celtic almost always played better than Leeds. There was a spell after the 14th minute when it looked as if they might totter but this idea was quickly corrected.
The Celts had shaken off their Scottish Cup Final disappointment and went professionally about the job of winning the most important match of their 83 year history. (Really? Surely the Final in Lisbon gets that title!)
Leeds were shown a thing or two about football they hadn't encountered before. It would be ungenerous to say they were outclassed, but off-hand I can think of no other word.
Celtic were a team inspired, invincibles on the night. It is rare to see a side in which every player is on his best form. This was Celtic last night.
Bertie Auld was the mastermind. Never a bad pass. Running and decoying.
After a tackle on Mick Jones, Billy Bremner gestured and argued with Auld while the centre was given treatment. It was a flashpoint moment. Auld kept his temper and went on superbly. David Hay, Jim Brogan, Jimmy Johnstone and Billy McNeil....they were all tremendous. John Hughes scored splendidly, then missed in the last seconds what would have been another magnificent goal. Bobby Murdochs second goal for Celtic brought out the greatest Hampden roar of all time.
In many ways it was sad to see a team of Leeds calibre being pulled apart this way. But it was being done by Celtic and every Scot loved it.
It was a game reminiscent of the great Real Madrid v Eintracht Frankfurt final at Hampden. It had all the refinements and players as great as , Di Stefano, Puskas and Del Sol. It also had this marvellous crowd from all over Scotland who wanted only a Celtic victory. With a fine touch of irony in the last minutes of the game a chant for Jock Stein grew into a tremendous crescendo. And it all began in the end where the Rangers fans usually stand at Hampden.
The Celtic players did a lap of honour. It was the final icing on this delicious soccer cake.
Thursday April 16th 1970 written by Alex Cameron

 

[tictastic]

Happy to say I was there that night, what a game and the atmosphere was off the scale, brilliant night.

 

[Richybhoy]

Happy to say I was there that night, what a game and the atmosphere was off the scale, brilliant night.

That must have been a fantastic night. What was the reaction of the hunnites at the time Tic?

 

[tictastic]

That must have been a fantastic night. What was the reaction of the hunnites at the time Tic?

Ha ha what do you think Rich? as far as I can remember it was the English that took it bad,their papers were full of crap,one journo reckoned he`d eat his hat if we won. all I remember was that I lost my voice for a while after .

 

[Benignus]

Good article Richybhoy, but I'm sure you'll agree mate that AC must have been on the glue when he wrote it was the most important match in our 83 year history.

 

[Richybhoy]

Good article Richybhoy, but I'm sure you'll agree mate that AC must have been on the glue when he wrote it was the most important match in our 83 year history.

I know man I thought that too...surely Twas Lisbon our most important game?

 

[kelly]

I came across this written by Alex Cameron after the game

In the press box high above the stand the unbelieving faces of the English sporting corps- here to report another English triumph on Scottish soil- were a sight to see. They were drawn and sad. Such a Celtic spectacular was not in their script.
Leeds played for a time like a machine. Billy Bremner scored a goal which bent, curved and spiralled away from Evan Williams, who didn't really have a direct shot to deal with until the 76th minute. Celtic almost always played better than Leeds. There was a spell after the 14th minute when it looked as if they might totter but this idea was quickly corrected.
The Celts had shaken off their Scottish Cup Final disappointment and went professionally about the job of winning the most important match of their 83 year history.
Leeds were shown a thing or two about football they hadn't encountered before. It would be ungenerous to say they were outclassed, but off-hand I can think of no other word.
Celtic were a team inspired, invincibles on the night. It is rare to see a side in which every player is on his best form. This was Celtic last night.
Bertie Auld was the mastermind. Never a bad pass. Running and decoying.
After a tackle on Mick Jones, Billy Bremner gestured and argued with Auld while the centre was given treatment. It was a flashpoint moment. Auld kept his temper and went on superbly. David Hay, Jim Brogan, Jimmy Johnstone and Billy McNeil....they were all tremendous. John Hughes scored splendidly, then missed in the last seconds what would have been another magnificent goal. Bobby Murdochs second goal for Celtic brought out the greatest Hampden roar of all time.
In many ways it was sad to see a team of Leeds calibre being pulled apart this way. But it was being done by Celtic and every Scot loved it.
It was a game reminiscent of the great Real Madrid v Eintracht Frankfurt final at Hampden. It had all the refinements and players as great as , Di Stefano, Puskas and Del Sol. It also had this marvellous crowd from all over Scotland who wanted only a Celtic victory. With a fine touch of irony in the last minutes of the game a chant for Jock Stein grew into a tremendous crescendo. And it all began in the end where the Rangers fans usually stand at Hampden.
The Celtic players did a lap of honour. It was the final icing on this delicious soccer cake.
Thursday April 16th 1970 written by Alex Cameron

Brilliant read thanks for sharing
Mick jones brings back the memories was a brilliant player for Leeds in a side littered with great players i watched growing up , rememeber he dislocated his shoulder in the fa cup final win over Arsenal in 71

Leeds in those days were a force nobody gave Celtic a chance if it were played yesterday the full english press would be sneering regarding Celtics chance against them , a pub team ,a mickey mouse league

it was a fantastic game and a fantastic achievment on the night Alex Cameron and Hugh Mcilvanny were fantastic sports reporters who could capture the atmosphere in print

 

[Spherical Planet]

I was two-months old when this report was written, but my Ma' apparently fell oot with my Da' because he went MIA with his twin brother after the first leg and managed to repeat that act after this game.

It's nae wonder I've got 'abandonment issues'.

I get where Alex Cameron was coming from, because I believe he was guilty of the same thing that Celtic were guilty of during the final. They all thought this tie was the final before the final and that Feyenoord would likely be a foregone conclusion.

Winning the biggest title in European football once was one thing. Winning it a second time would have even further cemented the name of Glasgow Celtic in European folklore.

The fact that Nottingham Forest were multiple winners of the European Cup might not make them more renowned than Celtic, but it still sticks in the craw that a club like Forest achieved this feat, when the reality is, that Celtic should probably have won the trophy at least 3-times if you include 1970 and other semi-final defeats?

I guess it makes the Lions achievement stand out even more, but it would be nice to have two or three wee stars on the shirt instead of just the one.

Oh well........there's always next year

 

[Lmcbhoy]

Was also at the game. Arguably ( maybe Seville) the biggest Celtic game I was able to actually attend, fractionally too young for Lisbon.
I was in the North enclosure and the crowd was amazing. Helluva night.
Great memories, thanks
HH

 

[Digger]

I came across this written by Alex Cameron after the game

In the press box high above the stand the unbelieving faces of the English sporting corps- here to report another English triumph on Scottish soil- were a sight to see. They were drawn and sad. Such a Celtic spectacular was not in their script.
Leeds played for a time like a machine. Billy Bremner scored a goal which bent, curved and spiralled away from Evan Williams, who didn't really have a direct shot to deal with until the 76th minute. Celtic almost always played better than Leeds. There was a spell after the 14th minute when it looked as if they might totter but this idea was quickly corrected.
The Celts had shaken off their Scottish Cup Final disappointment and went professionally about the job of winning the most important match of their 83 year history.
Leeds were shown a thing or two about football they hadn't encountered before. It would be ungenerous to say they were outclassed, but off-hand I can think of no other word.
Celtic were a team inspired, invincibles on the night. It is rare to see a side in which every player is on his best form. This was Celtic last night.
Bertie Auld was the mastermind. Never a bad pass. Running and decoying.
After a tackle on Mick Jones, Billy Bremner gestured and argued with Auld while the centre was given treatment. It was a flashpoint moment. Auld kept his temper and went on superbly. David Hay, Jim Brogan, Jimmy Johnstone and Billy McNeil....they were all tremendous. John Hughes scored splendidly, then missed in the last seconds what would have been another magnificent goal. Bobby Murdochs second goal for Celtic brought out the greatest Hampden roar of all time.
In many ways it was sad to see a team of Leeds calibre being pulled apart this way. But it was being done by Celtic and every Scot loved it.
It was a game reminiscent of the great Real Madrid v Eintracht Frankfurt final at Hampden. It had all the refinements and players as great as , Di Stefano, Puskas and Del Sol. It also had this marvellous crowd from all over Scotland who wanted only a Celtic victory. With a fine touch of irony in the last minutes of the game a chant for Jock Stein grew into a tremendous crescendo. And it all began in the end where the Rangers fans usually stand at Hampden.
The Celtic players did a lap of honour. It was the final icing on this delicious soccer cake.
Thursday April 16th 1970 written by Alex Cameron

Remember the games well,nobody beleaved that Celtic would beat Leeds but they did not only beat them but tore them apart,of course the media played if down( no change there then) fantastic result. The so called cream of English football beat by a bunch of Glasgow Lads, not to long after this the scandal broke about bribes being made to players to let Leeds win not that any team in Scotland would do that

 

[Millsy]

Celtic beat ''the best English team in decades'' ( according to their own press ) home and away - big George Connelly scored in the first minute of the first leg .

I was at the Hampden game and my clearest memory is of wee Jinky running rings round the Leeds defence , which composed almost the whole back line for England at the time . Wee Jimmy had so embarrassed Cooper , the left back, that they had to draft in support from the midfield and the defence to try to cope with him - to no avail !
Alex Cameron's ( a noted hun scribbler ! ) comments about the chants of ''Jock Stein '' coming from the ''Rangers ''end were seen as a pathetic attempt to suggest that even the Rangers supporters were behind Celtic . Rubbish !
I was in the ''Rangers '' end at that game . It was a sellout - 134,000 all ticket game !

HH

 

[Benignus]

Celtic beat ''the best English team in decades'' ( according to their own press ) home and away - big George Connelly scored in the first minute of the first leg .

I was at the Hampden game and my clearest memory is of wee Jinky running rings round the Leeds defence , which composed almost the whole back line for England at the time . Wee Jimmy had so embarrassed Cooper , the left back, that they had to draft in support from the midfield and the defence to try to cope with him - to no avail !
Alex Cameron's ( a noted hun scribbler ! ) comments about the chants of ''Jock Stein '' coming from the ''Rangers ''end were seen as a pathetic attempt to suggest that even the Rangers supporters were behind Celtic . Rubbish !
I was in the ''Rangers '' end at that game . It was a sellout - 134,000 all ticket game !

HH

I remember wee Billy Bremner saying when he went in at half time Terry Cooper was a broken man, the wee man tore him apart all night.

 

[50 Shades of Green]

I remember listening to the first leg on the wireless (ask yer da) with my auld man, took him a few minutes to get it tuned in and we sat in the kitchen listening for another 10 mins before we realised that Celtic were one up ,jumped about like loonies just the same though ,was also an attendee at the hampden game, but couldn't jump about when we scored cause I was perched on one of the many barriers in the Celtic end with my Dad holding onto me incase I got lost among the melee.

Hampden was a dump then, and still is.

 

[Richybhoy]

Celtic beat ''the best English team in decades'' ( according to their own press ) home and away - big George Connelly scored in the first minute of the first leg .

I was at the Hampden game and my clearest memory is of wee Jinky running rings round the Leeds defence , which composed almost the whole back line for England at the time . Wee Jimmy had so embarrassed Cooper , the left back, that they had to draft in support from the midfield and the defence to try to cope with him - to no avail !
Alex Cameron's ( a noted hun scribbler ! ) comments about the chants of ''Jock Stein '' coming from the ''Rangers ''end were seen as a pathetic attempt to suggest that even the Rangers supporters were behind Celtic . Rubbish !
I was in the ''Rangers '' end at that game . It was a sellout - 134,000 all ticket game !

HH

Spot on Millsy, I deliberately left oot the first two paragraphs of the article because AC says exactly that. He said there were many people there singing the Celtic song for the first time. He hinted that many of them were Huns. As Phill Mac says "pishful thinking".

 

[DILLIGAF]

Biggest crowd I was ever in & the greatest atmosphere also. my feet literally. didn't touch the floor, on the way out of Hampden, you were carried along with the surge
When I got home, from the game, I found out that my Ma, had (unknown to me) saved the money for a flight to Milan for me, for the final
Thaks for the memories Richy
HH

 

[michael duffy]

Wiz in the hun end that night,cos it wiz covered! feck leed's, feck the battle of britain, it wiz no feckin contest!!!!!!! COYBIG!, allan wells coudnae have kept up wi me gaun hame through brigton cross that night! hun's at the gemm, HA!!!!!

 

[Falcov60]

Am I right in remembering that in the first leg at Elland Road that we played wearing orange socks. I can remember big Yogi at one point running riot down left wing at the dump.

 

[michael duffy]

Am I right in remembering that in the first leg at Elland Road that we played wearing orange socks. I can remember big Yogi at one point running riot down left wing at the dump.

 

[michael duffy]

Don't know Falcov,it was black and white oan the telly!

 

[Falcov60]

Don't know Falcov,it was black and white oan the telly!

just checked on Internet, ref asked celtic to wear orange socks borrowed from leeds for identification purposes. As both teams played normally in white socks. memory works sometimes.