Part One of The Road to Lisbon
Part One of The Road to Lisbon
The road to Lisbon started at Celtic Park, Glasgow on September 28th 1966. The European Cup competition was in those days exclusively for Clubs whom had won their respective leagues. Whilst it didn't have the same drama attached to the current European Cup with its group stages and 32 team format, it contained teams that were there on merit, not due to how good a mathematical formula made their National League look!
Celtics 1st round opponents were the Winners of the Swiss league, FC Zurich. Celtic dispatched them with relative ease, with Joe McBride and Tommy Gemmell ensuring that Stein's men went into the second leg with a two-goal cushion.
The return leg in Zurich also went to plan as Celtic won 3-0 courtesy of a goal from Stevie Chalmers and two from Tommy Gemmell, one of which was a penalty.
In the next stage of the competition Celtic were drawn against Nantes of France. Both legs of this tie saw Celtic run out 3-1 victors with goals from McBride, Lennox and Chalmers in the first leg in the Stade Marcel Saupin on the 30th November.
In the return leg a week later, goals from Jimmy Johnstone, Stevie Chalmers and Bobby Lennox killed off the French opposition.
It was becoming quickly apparent that both Tommy Gemmell and Stevie Chalmers were worth their weight in goals. With three a piece in the first four games these two players would go on to score the goals that brought the big cup to Paradise.
Thomas Gemmell was born on October 16th 1943 in Motherwell. He joined Celtic in 1961 from Coltness United and was a mainstay in the Celtic Team, making 418 appearances and weighing in with 64 goals, 34 of which were from the penalty spot.
Gemmell had everything that a left back should have, blessed with a rocket shot, steely determination and was one of the greatest tacklers in the game. Is it any wonder that Jock Stein proclaimed him "The greatest left back in the world"?
Gemmell is one of only two British players to score in two European Finals, along with Phil Neal of Liverpool, although Steven Gerrard could also join this club should he score in Athens.
Stevie Chalmers was born in Glasgow on the 26th December 1936. His father had played alongside the late great Jimmy McGrory for Clydebank and this association with Celtic's greatest ever goalscorer was not to end there, as Chalmers name sits behind McGrory's as Celtics 4th greatest all time scorer with 241 professional goals.
He scored the greatest ever goal in Celtics history that day in May when he touched Bobby Murdoch's powerful drive past Milan 'keeper Sarti and won the European Cup for Celtic!
Chalmers had done well to rejuvenate his fortunes at the Club. Signed from Ashfield Juniors in 1959 he was introduced into the first team far too early and many believed he had reached his peak in the 1964-65 season.
The arrival of two new strikers in McBride and Wallace (from Hibs and Hearts respectively) in the summer of '66 led man to believe that would end his Celtic career. However a decent run of form and the unlucky injury to McBride allowed Chalmers to stay and make history
Join us next week when we reconvene on the Road to Lisbon!