Hampden in the sun
Encyclopedia
The 1957 Scottish League Cup Final was a football match played on 19 October 1957 at Hampden Park
, in which Celtic
beat rivals Rangers
in a record 7–1 victory. The final was nicknamed Hampden in the Sun, a phrase first coined by Celtic supporters as the title of a terrace song
. It has since been used in other songs, poems and a book.
after a replay in the previous year's Final
. Rangers were the reigning league champions. The match was the 12th League Cup Final, and the first contested by the Old Firm
. It was held at a sunny Hampden Park in Glasgow, at 3.45pm on the afternoon of 19 October 1957.
Celtic attacked from the start, with shots hitting the post twice in the first twenty minutes. The first goal was scored by Sammy Wilson
, from a Charlie Tully
cross on in the 22nd minute. Rangers defended for the remainder of the first half, however in the 44th minute Neil Mochan
scored a solo goal after a run down the left wing. Within eight minutes of the restart Billy McPhail
scored Celtic's third goal with a header from a Bobby Collins
cross. Rangers narrowed the margin five minutes later, a goal by Simpson
, however it only served to reinvigorate the Celtic attack as McPhail, then Mochan scored their second goals.
In the 80th minute, McPhail claimed his third, a hat-trick
of goals all scored with his head. As the game drew to a close violence flared in among the fans, but in the final minute McPhail was fouled in the Rangers' penalty area
. He declined the opportunity to score a fourth goal, a feat never achieved by a player in an Old Firm
match, instead Willie Fernie took the kick. In addition to the seven goals, Celtic hit the woodwork four times. They were permitted to keep their jerseys as a souvenir of the day.
Much of the blame for the poor defensive display by Rangers was attributed to centre back John Valentine, who had signed from Queen's Park
earlier that season. Bobby Collins told The Sunday Post
"I don’t know if Valentine had no faith in George Niven or Niven had no faith in Valentine, but ultimately they had no faith in themselves, something you can sense very quickly on a football field, and inevitably the game became a rout."
The victory, reported in The Times
as "a wonderful exhibition of football", and as an "October Revolution" by The Sunday Post, was comprehensive. The scoreline remains a record in any major British football final, the record margin of victory in an Old Firm game, and Rangers' record defeat.
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RANGERS :
|
GK
1
George Niven
FB
2
Bobby Shearer
(c)
FB
4
Eric Caldow
RH
5
Ian McColl
CH
3
John Valentine
LH
7
Harold Davis
RW
8
Alex Scott
IF
9
Billy Simpson
CF
10
Max Murray
IF
6
Sammy Baird
LW
11
Johnny Hubbard
Manager:
Scot Symon
was released in Europe, featuring a title song by Harry Belafonte
. The song peaked at in the UK singles chart
in June and went on to become the 5th biggest selling single that year Celtic fans composed alternative lyrics to the tune, and began to sing Hampden in the Sun at football matches to celebrate the victory. The song has since been recorded by artists such as Freedom's sons and regularly features on albums of Celtic football songs. The phrase itself has become synonymous with the match, and has since been used in other songs and poems, and is the title of a book about the 1957 final and the iconic status it achieved among the Celtic support.
Hampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
, in which Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
beat rivals Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
in a record 7–1 victory. The final was nicknamed Hampden in the Sun, a phrase first coined by Celtic supporters as the title of a terrace song
Football chant
A football chant or terrace chant, is a song or chant sung at association football matches. They can be historic, dating back to the formation of the club, adaptations of popular songs, or spontaneous reactions to events on the pitch. They are one of the last remaining sources of an oral folk song...
. It has since been used in other songs, poems and a book.
Overview
Celtic entered the final as holders, having beaten Partick ThistlePartick Thistle F.C.
Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football club from Glasgow. Despite their name, the club are based in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908...
after a replay in the previous year's Final
1956 Scottish League Cup Final
The 1956 Scottish League Cup Final was played on 27 October 1956 and replayed on 31 October 1956. Both matches were played at Hampden Park in Glasgow and it was the final of the 11th Scottish League Cup competition. The final was contested by Celtic and Partick Thistle. The first match ended in a...
. Rangers were the reigning league champions. The match was the 12th League Cup Final, and the first contested by the Old Firm
Old Firm
The Old Firm is a common collective name for the association football clubs Celtic and Rangers, both based in Glasgow, Scotland.The origin of the term is unclear. One theory has it that the expression derives from Celtic's first game in 1888, which was played against Rangers. However, author,...
. It was held at a sunny Hampden Park in Glasgow, at 3.45pm on the afternoon of 19 October 1957.
Celtic attacked from the start, with shots hitting the post twice in the first twenty minutes. The first goal was scored by Sammy Wilson
Sammy Wilson (footballer)
Sammy Wilson was a footballer who played for St. Mirren, Celtic, Millwall and Ross County.Although he only spent two years with Celtic, he is remembered for his role in one famous victory, when he scored their first goal in their record 7-1 victory over Rangers in the 1957 Scottish League Cup...
, from a Charlie Tully
Charlie Tully
Charles Patrick "Charlie" Tully was a famous footballer of Celtic Football Club.Tully was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. In 1944 he was struggling to break into a very strong Belfast Celtic team and in a bid to garner better match experience was sent on loan to Cliftonville F.C....
cross on in the 22nd minute. Rangers defended for the remainder of the first half, however in the 44th minute Neil Mochan
Neil Mochan
Neil Mochan was a Scottish professional footballer whose twenty-year playing career included periods in both the Scottish and English top divisions....
scored a solo goal after a run down the left wing. Within eight minutes of the restart Billy McPhail
Billy McPhail
William "Billy" S. McPhail was a Scottish football player who played for Celtic, Clyde and Queen's Park. He scored three goals in Celtic's record 7–1 victory over Rangers in the 1957 Scottish League Cup Final. After retiring, he developed a neurodegenerative disease, which he believed to be...
scored Celtic's third goal with a header from a Bobby Collins
Bobby Collins
Robert Young "Bobby" Collins is a Scottish former football player, best known for his successful spells at Celtic, Everton and Leeds United...
cross. Rangers narrowed the margin five minutes later, a goal by Simpson
Billy Simpson
William "Billy" J. Simpson is a former Northern Ireland international footballer.Simpson signed for Rangers from Linfield for a sum of £11,500 in 1950. He spent nine years at Rangers making 239 appearances and scoring 163 goals...
, however it only served to reinvigorate the Celtic attack as McPhail, then Mochan scored their second goals.
In the 80th minute, McPhail claimed his third, a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
of goals all scored with his head. As the game drew to a close violence flared in among the fans, but in the final minute McPhail was fouled in the Rangers' penalty area
Penalty area
The penalty area , is an area of an association football pitch. It is rectangular and extends to each side of the goal and in front of it. Within the penalty area is the penalty spot , which is from the goal line, directly in-line with the centre of the goal...
. He declined the opportunity to score a fourth goal, a feat never achieved by a player in an Old Firm
Old Firm
The Old Firm is a common collective name for the association football clubs Celtic and Rangers, both based in Glasgow, Scotland.The origin of the term is unclear. One theory has it that the expression derives from Celtic's first game in 1888, which was played against Rangers. However, author,...
match, instead Willie Fernie took the kick. In addition to the seven goals, Celtic hit the woodwork four times. They were permitted to keep their jerseys as a souvenir of the day.
Much of the blame for the poor defensive display by Rangers was attributed to centre back John Valentine, who had signed from Queen's Park
Queen's Park F.C.
Queen's Park Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland. The club are currently the only amateur club in the Scottish League; their amateur status is reflected by their motto, Ludere Causa Ludendi – to play for the sake of playing.Queen's Park are the oldest...
earlier that season. Bobby Collins told The Sunday Post
The Sunday Post
The Sunday Post is a weekly newspaper published in Dundee, Scotland by DC Thomson, and characterised by a 'folksy' mix of news, sentimental stories and short features...
"I don’t know if Valentine had no faith in George Niven or Niven had no faith in Valentine, but ultimately they had no faith in themselves, something you can sense very quickly on a football field, and inevitably the game became a rout."
The victory, reported in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
as "a wonderful exhibition of football", and as an "October Revolution" by The Sunday Post, was comprehensive. The scoreline remains a record in any major British football final, the record margin of victory in an Old Firm game, and Rangers' record defeat.
Match details
Teams
| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> | CELTIC : | |||
| GK | 1 | Dick Beattie Dick Beattie Richard "Dick" Beattie , was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper in both the Scottish and English football leagues... |
||
| FB | 2 | John Donnelly |
||
| FB | 4 |  Sean Fallon |
||
| RH | 5 | Willie Fernie |
||
| CH | 3 | Bobby Evans Bobby Evans Robert "Bobby" Evans was a Scottish football player and manager, most notable for his time with Celtic.... |
(c) | |
| LH | 7 | Bertie Peacock Bertie Peacock John Robert "Bertie" Peacock, MBE was a Northern Ireland international footballer and manager who played for Celtic.... |
||
| RW | 6 | Charlie Tully Charlie Tully Charles Patrick "Charlie" Tully was a famous footballer of Celtic Football Club.Tully was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. In 1944 he was struggling to break into a very strong Belfast Celtic team and in a bid to garner better match experience was sent on loan to Cliftonville F.C.... |
||
| IF | 8 | Bobby Collins Bobby Collins Robert Young "Bobby" Collins is a Scottish former football player, best known for his successful spells at Celtic, Everton and Leeds United... |
||
| CF | 11 | Billy McPhail Billy McPhail William "Billy" S. McPhail was a Scottish football player who played for Celtic, Clyde and Queen's Park. He scored three goals in Celtic's record 7–1 victory over Rangers in the 1957 Scottish League Cup Final. After retiring, he developed a neurodegenerative disease, which he believed to be... |
||
| IF | 9 | Sammy Wilson Sammy Wilson (footballer) Sammy Wilson was a footballer who played for St. Mirren, Celtic, Millwall and Ross County.Although he only spent two years with Celtic, he is remembered for his role in one famous victory, when he scored their first goal in their record 7-1 victory over Rangers in the 1957 Scottish League Cup... |
||
| LW | 10 | Neil Mochan Neil Mochan Neil Mochan was a Scottish professional footballer whose twenty-year playing career included periods in both the Scottish and English top divisions.... |
||
| Manager: | ||||
| Jimmy McGrory Jimmy McGrory James Edward "Jimmy" McGrory was a Scottish football player and manager for Celtic who holds the record for most career goals in British football... |
||||
George NivenGeorge Niven
George Niven was a Scottish footballer who played during the 1950s and 60s for Rangers and Partick Thistle.-Career:...
Bobby ShearerBobby Shearer
Bobby Shearer was a Scottish professional football player and manager. He represented Scotland in four full international games....
(c)
Eric CaldowEric Caldow
Eric Caldow is a former Scottish international footballer who played for Rangers, Stirling Albion and Scotland.-Early life:...
Ian McCollIan McColl
John Miller "Ian" McColl was a Scottish association football defender who played for Queen's Park, Rangers and the Scotland national team...
John Valentine Harold DavisHarold Davis (footballer)
Harold Davis is a Scottish former professional football player who is best known for his time with Rangers.-East Fife:Davis began his senior career at Scot Symon's East Fife and quickly gained praise as a tough tackling, no-nonsense defender but he was drafted for national service in 1951 and...
Alex Scott Billy SimpsonBilly Simpson
William "Billy" J. Simpson is a former Northern Ireland international footballer.Simpson signed for Rangers from Linfield for a sum of £11,500 in 1950. He spent nine years at Rangers making 239 appearances and scoring 163 goals...
Max MurrayMax Murray (footballer)
Max Murray is a former Scottish football player.Murray began his career at Queens Park before moving to Ibrox in 1955. His scoring debut came on the 13 August 1955 in a Scottish League Cup match against Falkirk which the club won 5-0...
Sammy BairdSammy Baird
Stuart Samuel "Sammy" Baird was a Scottish football player and manager.-Career:During his playing career he played for Clyde, Preston North End, Rangers, Hibernian, Third Lanark and Stirling Albion...
Johnny HubbardJohnny Hubbard
Jonathan "Johnny" Hubbard, MBE is a retired South African footballer who spent the majority of his career at Rangers, and latterly played for Bury and Ayr United....
Scot SymonIn song
In the summer of 1957, the motion picture Island in the SunIsland in the Sun (film)
Island in the Sun is a 1957 film that stars an ensemble cast including James Mason, Joan Fontaine, Dorothy Dandridge, Joan Collins, Michael Rennie and Harry Belafonte. The cast includes also Diana Wynyard, Patricia Owens and Stephen Boyd. The film is about race relations and interracial romance...
was released in Europe, featuring a title song by Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte
Harold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s...
. The song peaked at in the UK singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in June and went on to become the 5th biggest selling single that year Celtic fans composed alternative lyrics to the tune, and began to sing Hampden in the Sun at football matches to celebrate the victory. The song has since been recorded by artists such as Freedom's sons and regularly features on albums of Celtic football songs. The phrase itself has become synonymous with the match, and has since been used in other songs and poems, and is the title of a book about the 1957 final and the iconic status it achieved among the Celtic support.
| Hampden in the Sun |
|---|
Oh Hampden in the sun, Celtic 7 Rangers 1, That was the score when it came time up, The Timalloys had won the cup. I see Tully running down the line, He slips the ball past Valentine, It's nodded down by 'Teazy Weazy', And Sammy Wilson makes it look so easy. Chorus I see Mochan beating Shearer, The League Cup is coming nearer, He slams in an impossible shot, The Rangers team has had their lot. Chorus Over comes a very high ball, Up goes McPhail above them all, The ball and Billy's head have met, A lovely sight the ball is in the net. Chorus Young Sam Wilson has them rocked, But unluckily his shot was blocked, Then big Bill with a lovely lob, Makes it look such an easy job. Chorus Now here is Mochan on the ball, He runs around poor Ian McColl, Wee George Niven takes a daring dive, But Smiler Mochan makes it number five. Chorus Down the middle runs Billy McPhail, With John Valentine on his tail, With a shot along the ground, The cup's at Parkhead safe and sound. Chorus Here comes Fernie, cool and slick, He ambles up to take the kick, He hits it hard and low past Niven, The Tims are in their Seventh Heaven. |