Here is the match report from Tuesday 22/5/1979 by Alex Cameron
Doyle Off.. Then Light Blues Crash
Celtic are Premier League Champions after one of the most remarkable wins in their long and distinguished history.
There never has been a League Championship decider quite like this. It was ninety minutes packed with thrills, arguments, good football....and bad, exciting and scrambled goals.
The outcome was an incredible turnabout, in which Celtic battled against the odds as they have never done before.
In 55minutes Johnny Doyle was sent off for aiming a kick at Alex McDonald, who lay sprawled on the ground in a cluster of players.
Referee Eddie Pringle, from Edinburgh, ran across to the enclosure linesman, got his version, and quickly signalled the Celtic player to go.
His mates protested furiously as all seemed lost- FOR RANGERS WERE LEADING 1-0 AFTER A NINTH MINUTE GOAL SNATCHED BY MACDONALD.
It looked as though the aloof, cool-looking Rangers would grab command and hurdle into an excellent Championship position with games against Partick Thistle and Hibs to come. This is what the Rangers fans in the 52000 crowd must have expected.
BUT IT TURNED OUT TO BE A PREPOSTEROUS FALLACY, AS CELTIC FOUND ENERGY AND STYLE EVEN THEY DIDN'T KNOW EXISTED.
Roy Aitken snatched an an equaliser in 66 minutes and eight minutes later George McClusky put the Celts 2-1 ahead.
The overjoyed Celtic fans had little time to celebrate,however, for within two minutes Robert Russell took careful aim and shot past Peter Latchford with the help of a goal post.
AND THEN DISASTER STRUCK RANGERS WITH A VENGENCE.
McCluskey, racing in fro the right, slammed the ball quickly across goal. Veteran centre half Colin Jackson dipped his head to stop the ball after McCloy had parried it but he turned it into his own net.
Jackson hung his head in abject despair. (ha ha). He sensed in this sad moment for Rangers, that all was lost.
Celtic deserved to be in front and to end any arguments before they could begin, Murdo McLeod fired a tremendous goal from 20 yards with only seconds remaining.
Referee Pringle took a quick look at his watch as the ball swirled towards McCloy, swerved at the last moment and swung away from the Rangers keeper who seemed unable to move. SECONDS LATER IT WAS ALL OVER.
It was an inspired night for the Celts. Even their most partisan followers couldn't have predicted such a dramatic revival.
The match sizzled for 90 minutes. The Celts attacked Rangers as if their lives depended upon it. The Ibrox team were kept in their own half for two thirds of the match.
Rangers seemed like a side who would have settled for the draw- even when they were leading 1-0 !
There were extraordinary misses at both ends, but never have I seen a team pick themselves up and win in such memorable fashion.
Doyle was silly to put his side at risk. The referee couldn't do anything else but send him off. But even Doyle could not have suspected the way his ten mates would react.
Immediately after Aitken scored, little Bobby Lennox took Mike Conroys place and Alex Miller came on for Tommy McLean.
And the last of the Lisbon Lions was one of the Celtic heroes.
Every Celtic player was outstanding. But I would single out McCluskey, McLeod,McAdam and Provan as the miracle men on this history making night for a Celtic team who three months ago would never have forecast themselves as champions.
Despite the pressures of the game, it was well controlled by Pringle.
As well as sending off Doyle he took the names of Aitken and McCluskey of Celtic and Parlane, Jardine and Jackson of Rangers.
Poor Jackson (ha ha) His booking came just a few seconds before his own goal, which helped to put Celtic striding out to the front of Scottish soccer and into the European Cup next season.
CELTIC, Latchford, McGrain, Lynch, Aitken, McAdam, Edvaldsson (shuggie), Provan, Conroy, McCluskey, McLeod, Doyle. Subs-Davidson, Lennox.
RANGERS- McCloy, Jardine, Dawson, Johnstone, Jackson, McDonald, McLean, Russell, Parlane, Smith, Cooper. Subs- Miller, Watson.
Crowd 52,000
HH Ten men won the league
Rich
