The 1966–67 season was the 94th season of competitive football in Scotland and the 70th season of Scottish league football.
Overview
A number of significant events occurred during the season. The domestic campaign was dominated by Celtic, who along with winning all 5 tournaments they entered, became the first British team to win the European Cup; the great Celtic team who achieved this were later nicknamed the Lisbon Lions.
1966–67 was arguably Scottish football's best ever season in European football, with Rangers reaching the final of the Cup Winners Cup and Kilmarnock reaching the Fairs Cup semi-finals. In addition, Dundee United marked their European debut by eliminating Fairs Cup holders Barcelona.
It was also a season in which the Scottish national team recorded one of their most celebrated victories, beating greatest rivals and World Cup holders England 3–2 at Wembley in the British Home Championship.
The season also marked the league debut of Clydebank, while it was the final appearance of Third Lanark, one of the founding members of the SFA and Scottish League, who went out of business in the summer of 1967.
Scottish League Division One
Celtic were champions for the second season running, losing only two matches, both to Dundee United; these were Celtic's only defeats against Scottish opposition during the entire season. They won the title at Ibrox, home of arch-rivals Rangers, in a 2–2 draw which meant they could no longer be caught (it was Rangers' final match of the season while Celtic had one more fixture to fulfil).
Clyde finished third, which is their highest ever league placing. Clyde did not qualify for Europe, however, because Rangers finished second and took the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup place.
St Mirren and Ayr United were relegated, meaning the former would be outside the top flight for the first time since 1936. Ayr managed only one league win during the whole campaign, and had to wait until April to record it.
Top scorer Stevie Chalmers (Celtic) 21
Scottish League Division Two
Morton, relegated the previous year, made an immediate return to Division One. They won the title by an eleven-point margin from Raith Rovers, who were also promoted.
Clydebank, who had been established as a separate senior club in 1965 following their ill-fated merger with East Stirlingshire, were elected to the Scottish League in 1966, and finished third from bottom in their inaugural season.
Financially troubled Third Lanark finished in mid-table, but they dropped out of the Scottish League and folded, going into liquidation in the summer: they were the first League team to fold since 1933. The final league match for Third Lanark was a 5–1 defeat at Dumbarton on 28 April 1967.
Brechin City finished bottom of the league for the fourth time in six seasons.
Cup honours Scottish Cup
The first round produced one of the largest upsets in the history of the competition when Division Two outfit Berwick Rangers eliminated holders Rangers 1–0 at Shielfield, with Sammy Reid scoring the game's only goal.
That result meant Celtic became clear favourites to lift the trophy, and they began with comfortable victories over Arbroath, Elgin City and Queen's Park. They then overcame Clyde in a replayed semi-final to set up a final meeting with Aberdeen, who had eliminated Dundee United at the penultimate stage. A 2–0 victory in the final saw Celtic lift the Cup for the 19th time, equalling Rangers' record in the competition.
Scottish Cup Final
League Cup
Celtic picked up their first trophy of the season courtesy of a 1–0 win against oldest rivals Rangers in the final. After winning all six matches in a section including Hearts, Clyde and St Mirren, Celtic also eliminated Dunfermline and, in the semi-finals, Airdrieonians on their way to the final. The other semi saw Rangers beat Aberdeen in a replay.
League Cup Final
Individual honours AwardWinnerClub Footballer of the Year Ronnie Simpson Celtic
Scottish clubs in Europe Celtic made their debut in the European Cup and exceeded all expectations by lifting the trophy with a memorable victory over Inter Milan in the final in Lisbon, thanks to goals from Tommy Gemmell and Stevie Chalmers. Their achievement ended the stranglehold which Latin teams had hitherto exerted on the competition, as Celtic became not only the first Scottish champions of Europe, but indeed the first British and Northern European ones also. The Lisbon Lions, as they became known, remain the only Scottish side to have won the European Cup.
In a notably successful season for Scottish clubs in Europe, Rangers had the chance to win Glasgow's second continental trophy within a week after reaching the Cup Winners Cup final for the second time, only to narrowly lose out to Bayern Munich in Nuremberg. Earlier in May there had been the possibility of Scottish involvement in the final of all three European tournaments, but Kilmarnock lost out to Leeds United in their Fairs Cup semi-final meeting. It remains the club's best European run.
Dundee United had a remarkable introduction to European football; drawn against Fairs Cup holders Barcelona, United eliminated the Spaniards with victories in both legs. Of Scotland's five representatives, only Dunfermline failed to make any great impact, losing to eventual winners Dinamo Zagreb in the Fairs Cup second round.
Celtic DateVenueOpponentsScoreThe score of the Scottish team is shown first.CompetitionCeltic scorer(s)28 September 1966Celtic Park, Glasgow (H) FC Zürich2–0EC1Gemmell, McBride5 October 1966Letzigrund, Zürich (A) FC Zürich3–0EC1Gemmell (2 (1 pen)), Chalmers30 November 1966Stade Marcel Saupin, Nantes (A) FC Nantes3–1EC2McBride, Lennox, Chalmers7 December 1966Celtic Park, Glasgow (H) FC Nantes3–1EC2Johnstone, Chalmers, Lennox1 March 1967Stadium of Vojvodina, Novi Sad (A) FK Vojvodina0–1ECQF8 March 1967Celtic Park, Glasgow (H) FK Vojvodina2–0ECQFChalmers, McNeill12 April 1967Celtic Park, Glasgow (H) Dukla Prague3–1ECSFJohnstone, Wallace (2)25 April 1967Stadion Juliska, Prague (A) Dukla Prague0–0ECSF25 May 1967Estádio Nacional, Oeiras (N) Inter Milan2–1EC FinalGemmell, Chalmers
Rangers DateVenueOpponentsScoreCompetitionRangers scorer(s)27 September 1966The Oval, Belfast (A) Glentoran1–1CWC1McLean5 October 1966Ibrox Park, Glasgow (H) Glentoran4–0CWC1McLean, Johnston, D. Smith, Setterington23 November 1966Ibrox Park, Glasgow (H) Borussia Dortmund2–1CWC2Johansen, A. Smith6 December 1966Rote Erde Stadion, Dortmund (A) Borussia Dortmund0–0CWC21 March 1967Ibrox Park, Glasgow (H) Real Zaragoza2–0CWCQFD. Smith, Willoughby22 March 1967La Romareda, Zaragoza (A) Real Zaragoza0–2 *CWCQF19 April 1967Ovcha Kupel Stadium, Sofia (A) Slavia Sofia1–0CWCSFD. Smith3 May 1967Ibrox Park, Glasgow (H) Slavia Sofia1–0CWCSFHenderson31 May 1967Frankenstadion, Nuremberg (N) Bayern Munich0–1 CWC Final
* Rangers progressed on a coin flip.
Dundee United DateVenueOpponentsScoreCompetitionDundee United scorer(s)25 October 1966Camp Nou, Barcelona (A) Barcelona2–1FC2Hainey, Seemann16 November 1966Tannadice Park, Dundee (H) Barcelona2–0FC2Mitchell, Hainey8 February 1967Stadio Comunale, Turin (A) Juventus0–3FC38 March 1967Tannadice Park, Dundee (H) Juventus1–0FC3Døssing
Dunfermline Athletic DateVenueOpponentsScoreCompetitionDunfermline scorer(s)24 August 1966Unknown, Oslo (A) Frigg Oslo3–1FC1Fleming (2), T. Callaghan28 September 1966East End Park, Dunfermline (H) Frigg Oslo3–1FC1Delaney (2), T. Callaghan26 October 1966East End Park, Dunfermline (H) Dinamo Zagreb4–2FC2Delaney, Edwards (pen.), Ferguson (2)2 November 1966Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb (A) Dinamo Zagreb0–2FC2
Kilmarnock DateVenueOpponentsScoreCompetitionKilmarnock scorer(s)25 October 1966Bosuilstadion, Antwerp (A) Royal Antwerp1–0FC2Mclnally2 November 1966Rugby Park, Kilmarnock (H) Royal Antwerp7–2FC2Mclnally (2) Queen (2, 2 pens) McLean (2, 1 pen.), C. Watson14 December 1966Rugby Park, Kilmarnock (H) AA Gent1–0FC3Murray21 December 1966Jules Ottenstadion, Ghent (A) AA Gent2–1 FC3McInally, McLean19 April 1967Bruno-Plache-Stadion, Leipzig (A) Lokomotive Leipzig0–1FCQF26 April 1967Rugby Park, Kilmarnock (H) Lokomotive Leipzig2–0FCQFMcFadzean, McIlroy19 May 1967Elland Road, Leeds (A) Leeds United2–4FCSMMcIlroy (2)25 May 1967Rugby Park, Kilmarnock (H) Leeds United0–0FCSM
Other honours National
CompetitionWinnerScoreRunner-upScottish Qualifying Cup - NorthElgin City5 – 4 *Nairn CountyScottish Qualifying Cup - SouthHawick Royal Albert8 – 2 *Tarff Rovers
County
CompetitionWinnerScoreRunner-upAberdeenshire CupKeithEast of Scotland ShieldHibernian2 – 1HeartsFife CupRaith Rovers5 – 1 East FifeForfarshire CupDundee4 – 3Dundee UnitedGlasgow CupCeltic4 – 0Partick ThistleLanarkshire CupAirdrie2 – 1HamiltonRenfrewshire CupSt Mirren3 – 2 * MortonStirlingshire CupFalkirk5 – 1Stenhousemuir - aggregate over two legs
Highland League
Scotland national team
Unbeaten Scotland became outright British champions for the first time in four years. Following a draw in Cardiff and victory at home to Northern Ireland, Scotland travelled to Wembley needing to beat England, who had won both their matches, to take the title. This was secured with a 3–2 win which has become legendary in Scottish football, not only because it was England's first defeat since becoming world champions the previous year, but due to Scotland's assured performance and the skillful arrogance of Jim Baxter, who at various times juggled the ball by himself.
At the same time, Scotland's Home Championship win got Scotland off to a good start in their first attempt to qualify for the European Championships, with this and the following season's tourney doubling as qualifying matches for the 1968 finals.
Scotland had begun the season with Kilmarnock manager Malky McDonald in temporary charge for the games against Wales and Northern Ireland. Bobby Brown was then appointed as the national team's first full-time manager, with the England match proving to be a memorable start to his tenure.
DateVenueOpponentsCompetitionScotland scorer(s)22 October 1966Ninian Park, Cardiff (A)1–1BHC / ECQG8Denis Law16 November 1966Hampden Park, Glasgow (H)2–1BHC / ECQG8Bobby Murdoch, Bobby Lennox15 April 1967Wembley Stadium, London (A)3–2BHC / ECQG8Denis Law, Bobby Lennox, Jim McCalliog10 May 1967Hampden Park, Glasgow (H)0–2Friendly
Key: (H) = Home match (A) = Away match ECQG8 = European Championship qualifying - Group 8 BHC = British Home Championship
References
External links Scottish Football Historical Archive