40 years ago today (3 May 1986), one Celtic fan helped his childhood favourites win the Scottish League. But he did not do this whilst wearing green-and-white…
This is the story of Albert Kidd and a famous day in Celtic history…
The 1985–86 Scottish football campaign was packed with drama, full of unexpected twists as the months unfolded. Rangers opened the season brightly but soon stumbled, while Aberdeen looked like challengers before fading away.
Celtic’s season resembled a rollercoaster, rising and falling at different stages. As the final weeks approached, it appeared the Parkhead side had let their opportunity slip.
Hearts, meanwhile, emerged as title favourites. This was despite a shaky start that saw them lose five and win only two of their first nine matches. Everything shifted once October arrived.
From that point, the Jam Tarts embarked on a remarkable 27‑game unbeaten league run, taking them to the summit of Scottish football. It wasn’t just an impressive streak— it made them the favourites for the title.
Heading into the final week, the Tynecastle side sat atop the table, two points ahead of Celtic. A draw away to Dundee was all they required to secure their first league triumph since 1960.
Celtic’s route to the last day was far less straightforward. They produced good football in patches but dropped vital points early in the winter months, sliding to fifth place.
However, they rallied later on and dragged themselves back into contention. Still, when the decisive Saturday arrived, they were long shots—needing a helping hand from the match at Dens Park.
For Celtic to lift the trophy, two outcomes were needed: a sizeable win for the Bhoys, and a Hearts defeat. They also had to overcome a four‑goal deficit in goal difference.
Thousands of Celtic supporters endured heavy rain in Paisley to back their team, even though most accepted that the day was unlikely to end in glory. Danny McGrain later admitted that the squad expected there to be no celebrations.
So Celtic focused solely on what they could influence. From the moment the referee got the match underway, they tore into St Mirren with ferocity. The display was sensational, one that would be spoken about for decades.
Brian McClair broke the deadlock and Mo Johnston netted twice. Paul McStay added another, giving the Hoops a 4–0 lead by half-time. Fans could only pray for a footballing miracle, but the Dundee–Hearts match remained goalless.
After the interval, Celtic refused to ease off. Soon after the restart, McClair grabbed his second to make it 5–0. Their job in Paisley was complete—yet the title was still out of reach.
Today fans would track events instantly via smartphones, but such technology didn’t exist in the 1980s. Instead, supporters huddled around transistor radios, listening anxiously for news from Dundee. Could the home side find the goal Celtic desperately required?
Although the attention centred largely on Hearts and Celtic, Dundee also had plenty riding on the fixture. They entered the final day with hopes of securing a UEFA Cup place and needed a victory to keep that dream alive.
As time ticked away at Dens Park, neither team had managed to break the stalemate. A draw was unhelpful for Dundee but perfect for Hearts, who needed only the single point to claim the league title.
🗓️ On This Day 3rd May 1986
We clinched the League Title in style winning 5-0 away to St.Mirren 🏆
Now referred to as #AlbertKiddDay pic.twitter.com/UOP1mvYxkc
— Celtic Curio (@Celticcurio) May 3, 2026
How quickly the minutes passed depended on where your loyalties lay. Celtic fans felt the match was rushing toward a goalless finish, while Hearts fans experienced the agony of wanting the full-time whistle to come but being forced to endure every second.
On the hour, Dundee full-back Tosh McKinlay made way for Albert Kidd. The Dundee-born forward had yet to score that season. Though committed to helping his team, Kidd was also a boyhood Celtic supporter.
Then, with seven minutes to play, the entire season swung on its axis.
In the 83rd minute, Kidd latched onto a loose ball and blasted it into the top corner. Hearts were stunned, suddenly trailing—and still needing a goal.
At Love Street, word slowly filtered through, and chaos broke out among the Celtic support. The players themselves looked confused, unsure why the crowd had erupted when nothing was happening on their own pitch.
Rumour has it that celebrations broke out elsewhere too. Some claim that the Ibrox crowd cheered, believing the scorer was Hearts’ Walter Kidd rather than Dundee’s Albert.
Just four minutes later came the killer blow. The dark blue Kidd struck again, doubling Dundee’s lead. A 2–0 deficit was impossible for Hearts to overturn. After going unbeaten since September, they collapsed at the last moment.
When the full-time whistles sounded, Celtic and Hearts finished level on points. Goal difference decided the destination of the trophy—Celtic champions by three goals, the exact margin they overturned that dramatic afternoon.
Dundee supporters celebrated in the hope their side had earned European football—though they would ultimately fall short. Tearful Hearts fans were left devastated on the Dens Park terraces, crushed by the realisation that their title dream had slipped away.
And in Paisley – as well as across Scotland and far beyond – Celtic fans celebrated wildly, as if witnessing their first championship triumph. The persistent rain at Love Street didn’t matter in the slightest.
Reflecting on the day, Celtic manager David Hay recalled: “The transistor radios had imparted a gem of news… Dundee had scored… then another massive cheer. Dundee had scored again. The title was ours!”
By contrast, the Hearts players were inconsolable. Sandy Clark summed up the emotion: “It is like grief… it honestly felt like losing a loved one… We just didn’t play as well as we could.”
Things would actually get worse for Hearts. They were in the Scottish Cup Final and so still had hopes of silverware. Instead, a week later they had to watch Aberdeen celebrate. This experience later inspired the title of a Hearts fanzine called ‘Always the bridesmaid.’
Celtic’s 1986 success was their 34th League title. Yet it is a day that stands proudly next to almost anything else in Celtic’s history. Whether it was the players’ efforts or the fans’ unflinching backing, the whole club had pulled together to achieve the impossible.
Following that epic final day in 1986, the name Albert Kidd became legendary. The Dundee forward will always be remembered as wearing a dark blue shirt – but it is fans of teams that wear green-and-white who most celebrate him.
3 May is dubbed by Celtic fans as ‘Albert Kidd Day’. The player himself has been a guest on numerous occasions at Celtic supporters’ clubs around the world. And one Hibs’ supporters club named themselves after him due to their delight at stopping a Hearts success!
Kidd has often spoken about his feelings on that momentous day. His place in Celtic history pleases him and he once remarked: “It’s nice to be remembered, especially being a Celtic supporter… it was a good day for me and even more so because Celtic won the league.”
In the end, 3 May 1986 was a tale of three football stadiums. It featured abject disappointment at Dens Park for Hearts. It involved euphoria and cheers at Love Street as Celtic claimed an entirely unlikely title.
And the final stadium’s role eventually came just over three months later. The opening day of the 1986-87 league season took place at Celtic Park. The Bhoys unfurled the league flag to again celebrate and remember May’s events.
35,000 Celtic fans hailed their heroes – but that was not the biggest cheer of the day.
Whether deliberately or as a quirk of the footballing gods, Celtic’s flag day opponents were Dundee. And as the teams were read out, the loudest roar came when the name of one Dundee player was read out: “Albert Kidd”!
This was a man who never once pulled on the hoops. But his goals and memory are forever etched into Celtic legend.
🗓️ It was on this day, 40 years ago that one of the tightest titles ever won by Celtic was clinched on a magical day in Paisley thanks to exploits there and in faraway Dundee.
Here we take a look at the story behind the title ⤵️#CelticFC🍀
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) May 3, 2026
Matthew Marr
Follow Matthew on x @hailhailhistory
