The Build-up

When the draw for the first round of the 1967/68 Scottish Cup was made, Dunfermline was presented with a real challenge, a trip to Parkhead to face champions Celtic. Despite the difficulties that lay ahead, the draw revived memories of the titanic contests between the two teams in the 1961 and 1965 cup finals.

Prior to the game, manager George Farm took his players away to Dunblane Hydro for three days to prepare. The manager promised that his team would play their normal game in Glasgow, and that there would be "no gimmicks". "Let`s face it, the strain is on Celtic. We have nothing to lose. Everyone half expects us to lose it anyway. They have the advantage of the crowd behind them, but our players are extremely confident."

The Pars were in good form in the league, sitting in fourth place. Just prior to their trip, they had recorded a fine 4-2 win at East End Park over Aberdeen, thanks to goals from Hugh Robertson (2), Jim Fraser and Bert Paton. Johnstone and Buchan scored for the Dons.

In 23 previous visits to Parkhead, Dunfermline had only ever recorded one victory, in December 1964. Several members of the team that triumphed that day were still playing for the Athletic - Willie and Tom Callaghan, John Lunn, Alex Edwards and Bert Paton.

The Match

It was a quiet opening to the match which gave no indication of the shock which was to follow. The first opportunity fell to Alex Edwards, but he opted to pass instead of shooting. Tom Callaghan then forced Celtic keeper Ronnie Simpson to produce a superb save.

Dunfermline survived a scare when Brogan managed to find the net with a shot, but the linesman`s flag indicated offside. Then just before the break, following some good work by Edwards, Bert Paton was unlucky to miss after the ball had been dummied.

Celtic started the second half with more determination, and a Wallace shot just went over the bar. The Athletic fought back and after being set up by Pat Gardner, Tommy Callaghan`s shot was brilliantly saved by Simpson. The Pars then suffered a blow as Jim Fraser was stretchered off with a bad knee injury, being replaced by Ian Hunter.

In 64 minutes Dunfermline took the lead. Substitute Hunter, who had been on the field for 12 minutes, found himself in the clear on the right. His shot was blocked by the Celtic defence, with the rebound falling to Gardner. His shot was also charged down, but this time the ball broke to Hugh Robertson, whose effort from 10 yards beat Ronnie Simpson to land in the net. The Celtic home support were silenced.

Ten minutes later and the unthinkable happened, Dunfermline went two up. Finding himself under pressure from the Dunfermline forward line, Cattenach attempted to pass back to his keeper, only to misjudge the weight of his pass. The ball was woefully short, and with the keeper racing off his line to try and clear, Pat Gardner, nipped in and slipped the ball past Simpson, before popping it into the unguarded net.

Although Celtic tried to get back themselves back into the game, they couldn`t find a way through the Dunfermline defence. Bent Martin saved at Hughes` feet, Robertson foiled Gemmill and just seconds from the final whistle, Martin saved from Chalmers on the goalline.

Two players were booked in what was a very physical encounter, Willie Callaghan for a foul on Bertie Auld, who was in turn booked for a foul on Jim Fraser.

Celtic: Simpson, Cattenach, Gemmell, Murdoch, McNeill, Brogan, Johnstone, Wallace, McBride (Chalmers 62), Auld, Hughes.

Dunfermline: Bent Martin, Willie Callaghan, John Lunn, Jim Fraser (Iain Hunter 56), Roy Barry, Jim Thomson, Alex Edwards, Bert Paton, Pat Gardner, Tom Callaghan, Hugh Robertson.

Referee: R H Davidson (Airdrie)
Attendance: 47,000

Postscript

After the match, Farm said of his side, "every player responded magnificently. They played without being overawed and as soon as I saw they were playing that way, I felt sure that we would win."

The Athletic celebrated the victory at Parkhead with champagne kept after the 60/61 Scottish Cup win. Manager Farm had taken a few bottles to Glasgow, "just in case".

The sixteen first round Scottish Cup ties were attended by just under 160,000 spectators, with gate receipts of £45,000.

The Pars reward for the victory over Celtic, was a visit from either Raith Rovers or Aberdeen, who drew their first match 1-1 at Pittodrie.

After the euphoria of the win, it was back to league business in the next game, with third place rivals Hibernian the visitors to East End Park.

Scottish Cup 1967/1968 - First Round
Atten Receipts
Aberdeen 1 Raith Rovers 1 10,719 £2,290
Ayr United 0 Arbroath 2 4,111 £633
Celtic 0 Dunfermline Ath 2 47,000 £11,650
Clyde 2 Berwick Rangers 0 2,202 £439
Cowdenbeath 0 Dundee 1 5,633 £1,147
Dundee Utd 3 St Mirren 1 9,000 £1,742
East Stirling 3 Hibernian 5 3,300 £670
East Fife 3 Alloa Ath 0 2,490 £365
Elgin City 3 Forfar Ath 1 6,608 £1,177
Hearts 4 Brechin City 1 8,487 £1,454
Morton 4 Falkirk 0 8,189 £1,719
Motherwell 1 Airdrie 1 6,094 £1,309
Partick Th 0 Kilmarnock 0 9,800 £2,100
Queen of South 1 Stirling Albion 1 4,710 £829
Rangers 3 Hamilton 1 27,500 £7,500
St Johnstone 3 Hawick RA 0 3,152 £514
Replays
Airdrie 1 Motherwell 0
Kilmarnock 1 Partick Th 2
Raith Rovers 0 Aberdeen 1
Stirling Albion 1 Queen of South 3