5 Star Celtic
Celtic have scored 23 goals in their last 5 domestic matches (4.6 goals per game). That has only happened ten other times since 1945. But it isn’t the best run of Scottish goal scoring. With thanks to the imperious Celtic Wiki we can place this achievement in context.
October & November 2003 – 24 goals
This is the most productive run of domestic goal scoring since exactly 15 years ago when O’Neill’s side were three games into a 24 goal domestic streak. All the games occurred in October and November 2003 and were League fixtures.
OCT 2003 18th SPL Celtic 5 0 Heart of Midlothian 25th SPL Celtic 4 0 Aberdeen NOV 2003 1st SPL Kilmarnock 0 5 Celtic 8th SPL Celtic 5 0 Dunfermline Athletic 22nd SPL Dundee United 1 5 Celtic
Smarting from the UEFA Cup Final season which ultimately led to rivals Rangers winning a treble, Celtic set about administering a fearful dominance over the Scottish game. They won the SPL by 17 points and added the Scottish Cup. 105 league goals were scored. This run in autumn very much set the tone. As will become the trend, no one scored in each of the five ties. Hat tricks were scored by both Larsson and Sutton. Varga scored his first goals for Celtic. And young Liam Miller scored a couple. Full list of scorers: Larsson (7), Sutton (7, 4 pens), Hartson (3), Miller (2), Varga (2), Maloney (1), Wallace (1), o.g. (1).
August & September 1971 – 24 goals
That haul of 24 goals matched the achievements of the exciting team of 1971/72. The Quality Street Kids, including Celtic By Numbers inspiration K. Dalglish, had runs of both 23 and 24 goals over five domestic games during the calendar year 1971. The runs were in different seasons however. The August and September 1971 streak is notable for including three away wins, two at Ibrox! The 24 goals came as follows:
AUG
1971 28th League Cup Rangers 0 3 Celtic 30th League Cup Celtic 4 1 Ayr United SEP 1971 4th League Division 1 Celtic 9 1 Clyde 8th League Cup Clydebank 0 5 Celtic 11th League Division 1 Rangers 2 3
Celtic
The 24 mark was achieved in the 90th minute at Ibrox with Johnstone providing the last minute winner! No player scored in all five matches but Dalglish (4) and Macari (6) scored in four of them. The passing of the flame from the old (Lisbon Lions) to the new (Quality Street Gang) is echoed in the list of scorers across these matches: Macari (6), Lennox (5), Dalglish (4), Callaghan (3), Hay (1), Hood (1), Johnstone (1) Murdoch (1), McNeill (1), Wallace (1). But the best run of domestic scoring over five matches is set at 25 – exactly 5 goals per match! This has been achieved three times since 1945.
October & November 1963 – 25 goals
This run shares the distinction of the 2003 run 40 years later of being only league matches.
OCT 1963 12th League Division 1 Celtic 3 0 Aberdeen 19th League Division 1 Dundee United 0 3 Celtic 26th League Division 1 Celtic 9 0 Airdrieonians OCT 1963 2nd League Division 1 East Stirlingshire 1 5 Celtic 9th League Division 1 Celtic 5 3 Partick Thistle
Celtic would finish 3rd that season behind Rangers and Kilmarnock. They were second top scorers with 89 in 34 league ties. The goal scorers across the five matches indicate that the Lisbon Lions were emerging with Chalmers top scoring with 9, including hat tricks in the last two matches of the run. No player scored in every game. Scorer list: Chalmers (9), Hughes (6), Divers (4), Murdoch (2), Gallagher (1), Johnstone (1), MacKay (1 pen), o.g. (1) Football was very different then. Celtic’s home match versus Aberdeen attracted a smaller crowd (15,000) than the visit to Dundee United (16,000) and the home rout of Airdireonians attracted a mere 13,000. Tiny East Stirling hosted 10,000 and it was a tempestuous affair at Firs Park. McNeill was sent off with bottles thrown and fights a feature of Celtic’s 5-1 win. Not that different then.
October 1967 – 25 goals
The autumn period is a rich one for Celtic goals. And no “best of” article would be complete without the Lisbon Lions appearing. The European Champions remained in fine form as 25 goals were scored in five domestic games.
7th League Division 1 Celtic 4 0 Hibernian 11th League Cup SF Celtic 7 1 Morton League Cup Semi Final 14th League Division 1 Partick Thistle 1 5 Celtic 24th League Division 1 Celtic 4 2 Motherwell 28th League Cup Final Celtic 5 3 Dundee League Cup Winners
Uniquely amongst the scoring runs covered in this article, this one included a Cup Final. The 1967/68 League Cup Final saw Celtic triumph 5-3 over Dundee. This was a mere two weeks after Morton had been thumped 7-1 in the Semi Final, which is also part of this run. Celtic’s 1st leg against Racing Club for the Intercontinental Club Cup was played during this period. Celtic won 1-0 and seemed on their way to being crowned World Club champions. Hmmm. In contrast to the barren early 1960’s, Celtic attendances were closer to those we are used to today. Over 200,000 people attended these five matches including more than 66,000 for the League Cup Final at Hampden. 30,000 had been at Firhill for the Derby whilst a Tuesday night home match against Motherwell saw crowds fall to 23,000. Once again no player managed to score in all five matches. Wallace scored in four and Lennox scored 4 against Partick Thistle. Full list of scorers: Lennox (7), Wallace (4), Chalmers (3), Hughes (3), Craig (2), Johnstone (2), McNeill (2), Murdoch (2),
August 1982 – 25 goals
The most recent 25 goals haul over five domestic matches occurred in August 1982. An exciting team featured the hugely promising Nicholas and with McGrain, Aitken, Provan, McStay, McGarvey and Burns. The tradition at the time was to start the season with League Cup sections, something that has seen a reappearance in the last few seasons in Scotland. Celtic were drawn in a section with Alloa Athletic, Arbroath and Dunfermline Athletic. Arbroath were in Division Three and the other two in Division Two in what was a kind draw.
14th League Cup Celtic 6 0 Dunfermline Athletic 18th League Cup Alloa Athletic 0 5 Celtic 21st League Cup Arbroath 0 3 Celtic 25th League Cup Celtic 4 1 Alloa Athletic 28th League Cup Dunfermline Athletic 1 7 Celtic
With the new star Nicholas running riot the goals were shared as follows: Nicholas (6, 1 pen), McCluskey (5), Burns (3), Provan (2), Reid (2 pens), Crainie (1), MacLeod (1), McGarvey (1), McGrain (1), McStay (1), o.g. (1), Aitken (1). The merits of such a sectional approach were difficult to discern and crowds were dire. A total of 35,400 saw the six matches with a best of 14,500 at the opening win against Dunfermline Athletic. 6,100 turned up to Celtic Park to see Alloa Athletic dispatched 3-1. Such turn outs would be the death knell for the format. Celtic racked up 6 wins out of 6 in this section and their run stands at 29 goals in 6 matches which I cannot see has been beaten. However, the nature of the opposition perhaps reduces the status of this run.
Most Prestigious Run?
Most of these runs have been achieved by Celtic’s best sides – the Lisbon Lions, the Quality Street Kids and O’Neill’s side. Will Rodger’s team be seen in that light? The Invincible and Double Treble suggest they might. However in my view, Celtic’s greatest side, the 1967 Lisbon Lions, hold another honour of best scoring run over five games in domestic football! (Not sure the Guinness Book of Records recognises that!). That is because their run encompassed a Cup Semi Final and Final win. Finally, here are the top scoring sequences over five matches in Scottish football by Celtic since 1945:
Year Month(s) Games Goals Average Comment 1963 Oct & Nov 5 25 5.0 League Only 1967 Oct 5 25 5.0 League Cup Semi and Final 1982 Aug 5 25 5.0 League Cup Only, 3 away 1971 Aug & Sept 5 24 4.8 3 away, 2 wins at Ibrox 2003 Oct & Nov 5 24 4.8 League Only 1967 Feb & Mar 5 23 4.6 3 away 1968 Mar 5 23 4.6 League Only, 3 away 1971 Mar & Apr 5 23 4.6 2018 Oct & Nov 5 23 4.6 2 away, 1 neutral 1981 Aug & Sept 5 22 4.4 2000/01 Dec & Jan 5 22 4.4
If someone wants to take the time to analyse pre 1945 please lose yourself in the delightful treasure trove that is the Celtic Wiki.