A Moment in Time: Celtic's dramatic title triumph at Love Street | OneFootball

Celtic’s title triumph in 1986 was one of the most dramatic and thrilling in the club’s history.

Davie Hay’s side had won seven league games in a row to give themselves an outside chance of winning the title on the final day of the season as they travelled to Love Street to take on St Mirren, while league leaders, Hearts, were at Dundee.

While the Edinburgh side only required a point to become champions, the Hoops needed to win by at least three goals and hope Dundee won their match.

On May 3, 1986, thousands of Celtic fans packed into the Paisley ground, more in hope than expectation, and were treated to a superb display of attacking football as the Hoops scored five goals without reply.

And with time running out for the title hopes, up stepped Celtic fan Albert Kidd, who scored twice for Dundee and helped deliver the league trophy back to Paradise.

As news of his goals reached Celtic fans through the wonders of the wireless, Love Street erupted. The final whistle brought tears of joy at Paisley, and tears of despair in Dundee!

For Danny McGrain, interviewed by the Celtic View back in 2014, it was that game in May 1986 which he picked as his favourite game in the green and white Hoops…

My favourite Celtic game was the St Mirren game at Love Street in 1986, where Hearts were going to Dundee on the same day to win the championship.We went to Love Street that day to basically play out 90 minutes because we all thought that the race was over. Hearts needed a point to win the championship, we needed to beat St Mirren by three goals and none of us could see Hearts not getting the point. Dundee weren’t the best of teams at the time either and, maybe my memory is deluding me, but when we ran out that day none of us had any thought of winning the championship. But lo and behold, a miracle happened. That’s what makes this game special. I played over 600 games for the club - I played in cup finals and in classic games, like the one against Real Madrid, but that one meant so much to us, as a group of players. We had played well that season but had had a wee dip, but it was the way we played that day. There was no fear, no trepidation - we just went out and played flowing football.

The build-up to that match was the same as any other, we prepared to win the game, but we didn’t do anything fantastic or different in training.Davie Hay wasn’t really one for doing that. He had a normal routine that we stuck to and the thought was, ‘well, if we go out with a bang, then great’. We wanted to produce a good performance, but we never imagined that Dundee would play so well and that Albert Kidd would pop up with a double. We were coasting, winning by five goals when this almighty roar went up from the stands and we started to believe that we were in with a chance, but even then, we didn’t dare dream about it, because we all knew that one goal from Hearts would have handed them the title, then, all of a sudden, Albert got a second. The whole crowd erupted and I think they had travelled to Love Street in hope that day as well, it was a great crowd that day, but although they had more hope than we did, I don’t think even they believed that we would actually do it.

My earliest memory in the match was just the way we started.I don’t know what St Mirren’s mindset was that day, what they were thinking going into that final match, but we started the game with a spring in our step. There was a freedom in our play that we perhaps lacked during the whole season. Brian McClair scored our first goal in the sixth minute and we scored five great goals that day, although the third was the best – because I started it! I was facing my own goal and hooked the ball over my head and the guy at my back had anticipated a pass back to Packie Bonnar. I had time to go forward, I passed it to Paul McStay, who I think found Brian McClair and I am not sure if it was a five or six-pass move, but it found Maurice Johnson at the back post. I remember ending up on the 18-yard line, thinking ‘how did I get here?’ It all seemed to happen that quickly, it was that smooth that I reached the 18-yard line without accelerating. We were just so relaxed and I think that goal summed up the way we played that day. But I still look back on that move and ask myself, ‘what am I doing there?’

I can just remember playing the game that day. I don’t even remember seeing St Mirren.They just didn’t put us under any pressure, we played with such fluency and just played them off the park – poor St Mirren weren’t even on the same page as us that day. They had a few good players as well, Jim Stewart was in goals, Frank McGarvey played, I remember Tommy Wilson at full-back because wee Owen Archdeacon tormented him. Fitzpatrick was a good wee player, Abercrombie was a busy wee player, but they never got near us. I don’t even remember speaking to them at the final whistle, because within seconds the supporters were on the pitch and all the players ran off. I tried making a run for it as well, but I got mobbed! It was all friendly though, there was no trouble whatsoever and I just remember there being so many young kids on the park. The older ones were obviously a bit more sensible and stayed in the stand to celebrate, but there were so many youngsters. It was great and although we were hoping we would do it, it was certainly something that none of us had planned for. Now, when I say that we didn’t see St Mirren that day, I really don’t mean it disrespectfully, we just played so well as a team.

Brian McClair was a great player, Owen Archdeacon played well that day and as I said, he tormented Tommy Wilson.I think that most players were involved in our goals that day, everyone played a part and there were no own goals, flukes or ones that came from St Mirren’s mistakes. It’s difficult to pick out one outstanding player and on that day, we were all on a par with each other. We played with such ease and freedom and I don’t think we were troubled during the 90 minutes. Now it’s easy to get romantic about the occasion, but football’s not romantic, it’s a hard shift. I’m sure their manager got tore into them at half-time and told them to get the finger out, they were getting hammered 4-0 and nobody wants to finish their final game with a heavy defeat and go through the whole close season thinking about it. They made it a lot more difficult in the second half and Brian got our fifth about 10 minutes into the second half, so they did well to shut up shop. But we still got the job done, we scored the five goals that we needed and never conceded any. Like I said, it was an excellent team performance.

I have met Albert Kidd a few times and he’s been guest of honour at quite a few Celtic Supporters’ Club events over the years.Before that day I didn’t really know much about Albert, I’d heard of him, but I used to mix him up with Walter Kidd! He’d played for a few teams, but I don’t think he’d had the best of seasons that year and he was about to immigrate to Australia, he’s over there now actually and he’s a part of Celtic folklore now. It’s great for him. I believe he’s actually a Celtic supporter and his name will never be forgotten. His grandchildren will be able to look back and say that their Grandpa was a part of the history and I think he must be the most popular non-Celtic player among the supporters. If I had been in his shoes that day, as a Celtic supporter, I would have gone out knowing that I was on the bench and that if I did get on I could do something to effect the title race. I haven’t actually seen his goals, but by all accounts his second was a cracker.

It was a day for the Celtic supporters, because they probably travelled there in hope, but not really believing that we could do it.So when the final whistle went it was party time. Everybody in the ground that day seemed to have a radio pressed to their ear and when Albert scored the noise was like a Mexican Wave, it started in one section and just reverberated around the ground. It stopped you in your tracks and completely took you by surprise. We were 5-0 up when Albert scored and had been dreading a groan, because we would have known that Hearts had scored, so it was a feeling of pure elation. We tried not to think about what was happening up there, but you could understand why every supporter was listening for the result from the game in Dundee.

I will never forget wee Steeley at the final whistle.Jimmy Steele was the club masseur and had been there for donkey’s years, Mr Stein had brought him to the club and he was a great, great guy. Steeley had brought a bottle of champagne with him that day, one bottle of champagne for the whole dressing room. I think it got sprayed everywhere and we all got one sip from it, but to Steeley’s credit, he believed in us, he brought that champagne with him. He liked a wee bet from time to time and had a few bob on us as well. I think Mr Stein recognised how important a person he was. He was always on everybody’s mind, he was great, just so, so funny. He had this great laugh, a wee titter that just made you laugh as well and he would laugh at anything. If you got smacked on the nose, he’d be standing there laughing and you’d end up giggling as well! He had a fantastic personality and was admired and loved by everyone. He was a great friend to Mr Stein and was great with the players as well. His room was always full of people, laughing and talking. Mr Stein knew he could trust him and every manager that followed Mr Stein knew just how important he was.

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