A CHANCE to rewrite history is Berwick Rangers boss Jimmy Crease’s message to his troops ahead of tomorrow’s Scottish Cup clash against Celtic.
The Wee Gers face the Glasgow giants hoping to complete the Old Firm giant-killing circle that started back in January 1967.
Back then, Celtic’s rivals Rangers were the visitors at Shielfield with what seemed to be a routine passage to the next round of the cup – only Berwick had other ideas.
Coached by player/manager goalkeeper Jock Wallace – who would go on to have two spells as boss of Rangers with the first bringing two domestic trebles – Berwick decided that attack would be the best form of defence.
After half-an-hour they carved the Ibrox defence apart, with Sammy Reid applying the finishing touch for what was the winning goal.
Despite Rangers’ attempts to retrieve the situation – and skipper John Greig’s plea to the referee for more injury time, only for the official to shout back “I’ve given you four minutes already” – Wallace’s troops held on to book a date at Easter Road, where they ran Hibs close in a 1-0 defeat.
The result at Shielfield shook Scottish football – given that Rangers would be denied the European Cup Winners Cup by a fortunate Bayern Munich goal in the final later that year – and the purge that followed at Ibrox saw top strikers Jim Forrest and George McLean out the door.
Celtic fans have chuckled at this ever since – 1967, of course, being the year they became the first British side to win the European Cup – but while their own Scottish Cup record since the 21st century began has seen success in the competition, there have also been a few embarrassments.
Back in 2000, a 3-1 home defeat to then-First Division Inverness Caledonian Thistle saw John Barnes lose his job. Gordon Strachan would keep his job in 2006 but still had to suffer a 2-1 loss at Clyde, and current boss Neil Lennon could only watch in horror last season as Ross County beat them 2-0 in the semi-final at Hampden.
While Crease is positive about the task in hand, he admits that following in the footsteps of giant-killers past will be tough.
He said: “It is a formidable task that awaits us – no question about that. People have been mentioning the Rangers win in 1967 but things have moved on since then. Whether or not the gap is any wider we will find out on Sunday.
“This is a huge chance for the players to rewrite history, but we are under no illusions of the quality of Celtic’s squad and also their manager Neil Lennon, who is a very astute tactician.
“Neil was involved with the cup shocks Celtic have had against Clyde and Ross County recently.
“He’ll no doubt make sure to warn his team not to suffer the same type of defeat again. For our part, we have had them watched three times since the draw was made and have had as many different reports back.”
Crease’s preparations for the big day have been hampered not only by the recent wintry weather but also in keeping his players’ feet on the ground.
He added: “It’s the biggest game in my career and the players’ too so I’m having to keep them as calm as possible so that we can be ready for kick-off.
“As for my own nerves, I’ve not had time to think about them as I’ve been inundated with media calls ever since the draw was made. I might have to get myself an agent to sort out my schedule.
“But joking apart, it has been hectic and I’m sure that it’s going to be mayhem at Shielfield as kick-off approaches.
“With regard to training, that has been difficult with the weather as we’ve had to flit around five-a-side pitches in Edinburgh and East Lothian.
“However, the groundstaff have done a great job in getting the pitch ready, and Celtic must be thanked for the loan of their covers – and hopefully we’ll put in a display that rewards everyone’s efforts.”
