Celtic FC – Scottish Cup Winners for the 29th time – 1989

In partnership with

The Celtic Star

·31 de mayo de 2025

Celtic FC – Scottish Cup Winners for the 29th time – 1989

CELTIC’S SCOTTISH CUP FINALS – Number 29…

Celtic line up before kick off l to r: Billy Stark, Mick McCarthy, Steve Fulton, Paul McStay, Peter Grant, Mark McGhee, Derek Whyte, Chris Morris, Anton Rogan, Joe Miller, Tommy Burns, Pat Bonner, Roy Aitken

CELTIC 1-0 RANGERS – HAMPDEN, 20 MAY 1989 – This was Celtic’s 29th Scottish Cup win and it was a vital one to stop Rangers winning a Scottish treble. Celtic had been a major disappointment this season in comparison with last season, but there was always the Scottish Cup, so often Celtic’s favourite trophy.

OneFootball Videos

The day was hot, and Celtic were now fighting back having apparently landed Maurice Johnston for next season! It wasn’t true but it was good propaganda. The game was even but just before half time, Joe Miller pounced on a poor pass back and gave Celtic the lead which they protected until the end. Overall, Celtic were marginally the better side, and we had the last laugh… but the dark days were about to descend.

David Potter

The Celtic team: Bonner, Morris, Rogan, Aitken, McCarthy, Whyte, Grant, McStay, Miller, McGhee, Burns. Scorer: Miller (42)

Rangers: Woods, Stevens, Munro (Souness), Gough, Sterland (Cooper), Butcher, Drinkell, Ferguson, McCoist, Brown, Walters

Referee: R Valentine. Attendance: 72,069

Q: A victory in the final for Rangers would have seen them clinch the treble. What was feeling among the players before the game?

Joe Miller: “Big Billy had taken us away and we were short on numbers as Andy Walker got injured up at Aberdeen and had damaged his eye after taking a kick. That opened up the space for me to play centre-forward as it just left Mark McGhee up front himself. So big Billy shifted things about and I went up front with Mark McGhee for the last three games of the season which was Hibernian and St Mirren and then the cup final. Going into the game we were confident anyway. There were a lot of other things happening in the background with the Maurice Johnston signing and everything – he was coming to the club at that time – so all the pressure was being taken off us regarding how we were going to play, it was all about who we were going to sign. We were all pretty relaxed and confident anyway. We were hitting a bit of form and I had scored in both games against St Mirren and Hibs too.”

Q: Were the players also keen to give the fans some silverware after what had been a disappointing campaign, overall?

Joe Miller: “We had a point to prove as Rangers had obviously done the double and wanted to get one over us. It was in our hands to stop them doing that. I think there was a determination as a squad and quite a lot of the players in the squad were Celtic fans as well, and we did everything we could to stop Rangers winning the treble.

Q: The winning goal came from an unusual source – a perfect pass from Rangers right-back Gary Stevens! What do you remember about the build-up?

Joe Miller: “Was it a Celtic throw-in or not? Roy Aitken and John Brown were over at the touchline and Roy had the foresight and cheek to take the throw. I don’t think the referee had too much of a clue whose throw it was so he just played on. There was a long ball forward from Peter Grant but it wasn’t going to reach me.I think the ball went up in the air off Gough and then I read the back pass back from Stevens. I had no time to think about it. I just picked my spot. Prior to that he had a few short pass backs and was forcing Chris Woods to come and sprint out. I think there were three before that which were going short, so I managed to sprint on to it.”

Q: Where does that goal rank among your achievements at Celtic?

Joe Miller: “To this day you I’m still getting reminded of it by supporters. Throughout your career, it’s probably every boy’s dream to score for the team they support, and I was no different. There were a lot of other highlights in my career that I did enjoy. Being part of the double team the year before was immense and my debut, I enjoyed that. There were a lot of highlights but you are always remembered for that goal, which is sad in a way that they only pick out that goal. It wasn’t a particularly great game but we stopped Rangers doing the treble and it put me in the history books.”

Interview from The Celtic View in 2011.