Remember, remember – The story of Celtic on Guy Fawkes night
Celtic is in action tonight, playing for the 29th time on 5th November. Over the years, this has been a date with some notable events included, as well as big wins for the Celts…
The first time Celtic played on 5th November was a League match against Hearts in 1892. Appropriately enough, this ended in a 5-0 win for the Celts, which was an important victory in what became the Bhoys’ first league-winning season.
Matches on this day have often been very high scoring. Celtic enjoyed a 9-2 victory against Clyde in 1898 and a massive 8-0 win over Hamilton in 1988, a game that featured two hat-tricks (from Mark McGhee and Frank McAvennie).
With the rise of European football, 5th November matches have become more common. Of the 15 games since Celtic first played in Europe on 5th November, eight of them have involved continental sides.
The first European game for Celtic on this date was a small piece of club history. In 1975, Portuguese side Boavista came to Glasgow and left at the wrong end of a 3-1 loss. This was the first game that there were numbers on Celtic’s famous hooped shirts.
If looking for positive omens ahead of tonight’s game, the Celts have only lost two games on 5th November in UEFA competitions, as well as enjoying four victories.
The general record is similarly positive. Of Celtic’s 28 matches, 16 of these have been wins, there’s been eight draws and only four losses. It’s been a day for lots of goals with 107 scored (74 for Celtic), giving an average of almost four goals per game.
Celtic are not in a particularly happy place just now so the arrival of Besiktas will pose a huge challenge. In 2003 – during Martin O’Neill’s first spell – the Bhoys had a fine 3-1 win over Anderlecht on 5th November.
A similar outcome tonight is needed if the Celts’ season – in Europe and Scotland – is to get back on track.
Failure to win would mean the Bhoys have won only three out of 11 games, which would be an unacceptable statistic. In that case, it won’t just be at bonfire displays where fireworks will be visible, there will be an explosion of fan anger too.
Some though will have already written off the European campaign for another season and will see Sunday’s match against Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership as being more significant, after dropping five points in our last two games against Dundee United and Falkrik.
Matthew Marr
If you want to learn more about Celtic history, you can buy a new book: Green, white and silverware by Matthew Marr.
This tells the story of Celtic’s less well-known trophy wins and is available now on Amazon as hardback, paperback and Kindle. You can order your copy here. Green, white and silverware is also available from all Celtic stores and also via the club’s online store.
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