In the aftermath of the infamous Cox-Tully affair of August 1949, things were about to take a turn for the worse for the Belfast Bhoy…
On this day in 1949, the sides met for the third time already that season, having won a game apiece.
The following is an extract from Celtic in the Fifties, Volume One, by Matt Corr, published recently by Celtic Star Books.
A double sense of injustice for the Belfast Bhoy
Next up for Celtic was a home Glasgow Cup semi-final with Rangers three days later, Tuesday, 13 September 1949. With left-back Joe Baillie suffering from a stomach ailment, Jimmy McGrory named the following team.
Willie Miller; Jimmy McGuire & Roy Milne;
Bobby Evans, Alec Boden & Pat McAuley;
Bobby Collins, John McPhail, Mike Haughney, Willie Taylor & Charlie Tully.
With the repercussions of the previous match between the clubs in August still dominating headlines – Glasgow Magistrates had met with SFA representatives earlier that day for discussions – it was entirely predictable that further controversy would ensue, and that again the referee would be involved.
The 60,000 crowd witnessed a trouble-free encounter for the majority of the evening. John McPhail’s first-half penalty on the stroke of half-time, given after Jock Shaw had punched a netbound Willie Taylor shot over the bar, was cancelled out by Billy Williamson’s volley immediately after the break.
With three minutes remaining and the match tied at 1-1, Rangers were awarded a free-kick by Glasgow referee Willie Davidson, much to the consternation of the Celtic players, the ball striking Roy Milne near the shoulder.
That sense of injustice was then reinforced as Ibrox winger Eddie Rutherford appeared to play the ball whilst it was still moving to Willie Findlay, standing in an offside position, who beat Willie Miller to win the match. Under pressure from Celtic players, Davidson consulted with his linesman before awarding the goal.
Having appealed to the referee in vain, several Celts refused to resume the match, with clear indications that some, including Charlie Tully, wanted to leave the field entirely.
The irate Irishman then launched the re-placed ball from the centre spot into the crowd, as his teammates considered their next move. The game eventually restarted, and the closing minutes played out without further incident as Celtic hopes of retaining their final piece of silverware of that most difficult of decades were extinguished in the cruellest manner.
To add insult to injury, referee Davidson then reported Tully to the Glasgow FA for his behaviour during the match, with a hearing scheduled for Monday, 20 September, the first time in many years this association would have to deal with such a matter. They in turn would report their findings and recommendations to the SFA.
This latest twist in events may be what triggered a remarkable and quite unprecedented response from Celtic, who wrote to the Scottish League Management Committee requesting that the next meeting of the clubs, a League fixture at Ibrox due on Saturday, 24 September, and if need be the Ne’erday clash at Celtic Park, be postponed or cancelled, at least until the situation had sufficiently improved.
Perhaps ironically, Willie Davidson, the official at the centre of the controversy, has a merit award presented in his name by the Glasgow Referees’ Association of the SFA to this day.
An extract from At the end of the storm, Volume One of Celtic in the Fifties by Matt Corr which is out now on Celtic Star Books alongside Volume Two, Flags and Coronations…
NEW FROM CELTIC STAR BOOKS…Celtic in the Fifties by Matt Corr, in two volumes, available now…
