Celtic on this Day in 1965 – John Hughes goals beat Rangers in League Cup Final

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The Celtic Star

·23 October 2024

Celtic on this Day in 1965 – John Hughes goals beat Rangers in League Cup Final

On This Day in 1965, Celtic triumph in the League Cup final defeating Rangers 2-1 in front of a packed 107,000 spectators at Hampden Park…

The Celtic Rising – 1965, Celtic beat Rangers 2-1 in the League Cup Final on 23 October 1965. Photo The Celtic Wiki

Jock Stein’s side were looking for revenge

Jock Stein’s side were looking to enact revenge on their rivals for two reasons. The first being that Scot Symon’s side inflicted Celtic’s only defeat of the season up until the Scottish League Cup final encounter following a defeat at Ibrox in September which meant the Celts languished behind league leaders Rangers in the league. Secondly, the Gers had beaten Celtic in the competition’s decider the previous season.

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The contest played out between the two sides was the 20th Scottish League Cup final since its inception post-war. Also, the attendance that afternoon of over 107,000 remains a record for any League Cup final in British footballing history.

The Celtic Rising – 1965, Celtic beat Rangers 2-1 in the League Cup Final on 23 October 1965. Photo The Celtic Wiki

You wait for ages and then two buses come along at once. Celtic had waited eight years to win a trophy until Stein ended this drought in the Scottish Cup final against Dunfermline six months prior to Celtic’s showdown with Rangers. Claiming two trophies between a short period in 1965 set Stein’s men up for prolonged success over the course of the next decade! The historical significance of this trophy win cannot be understated.

It was John Hughes who would be the main man for Celtic at the national stadium back in ’65. Two cooly slotted penalties in the first-half made sure of the Hoops’ dominance in a game that Rangers were heavy favourites for.

A late own-goal from full-back Ian Young set up a nervy ending, but Stein’s new-born, resilient team held onto secure Scottish League Cup glory for the first time since that historic 7-1 thumping over the Ibrox club back in 1957.

John Hughes and Billy McNeill with the League Cup on 23 October 1965

Venting their displeasure, thousands of Rangers fans entered the field of play at the end of the game in an attempt to attack the Celtic players. None of the senior members of Jock Stein’s side were seriously hurt, but Neil Mochan and Ian Young were assaulted. It is worth noting that jubilant Celtic fans showed restraint and did not retaliate. As a result of the chaos, the SFA banned laps of honour at Hampden for 10 years in order to prevent fan violence or crowd insurgencies.

Celtic’s starting XI 59 years to the day; Simpson, Young, Gemmell, Murdoch, McNeill, Clark, Johnstone, Gallagher, McBride, Lennox, Hughes.

David Potter’s wonderful book The Celtic Rising – 1965 The Year Jock Stein Changed Everything has completely sold out but you can enjoy reading in on Amazon Kindle for just £3.49.

Conor Spence