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Friday 22nd October 2021

Partick Thistle

From the Archives: 1971 League Cup final

Partick Thistle's incredible victory over Celtic recalled

It was 50 years ago this weekend that Partick Thistle caused one of the biggest upsets in Scottish football history when they beat Celtic in the League Cup final.

On Saturday October 23, 1971 Davie McParland's side stormed to an almost unbelievable 4-1 win over Jock Stein's team in front of 62,470 fans at Hampden Park.

Alex Rae and Bobby Lawrie had the Jags two goals up after just 15 minutes and Denis McQuade and Jimmy Bone added further goals in an incredible first half. Kenny Dalglish got one back with 20 minutes left but this was Thistle's day.

The 1971 winning team was: Alan Rough, John Hansen, Alex Forsyth, Ronnie Glavin, Jackie Campbell, Hugh Strachan, Denis McQuade, Frank Coulston, Jimmy Bone, Alex Rae and Bobby Lawrie. Johnny Gibson came on as a substitute.

The result was all the more astonishing when you consider this was a season in which Celtic clinched their seventh successive league title, winning 28 of their 34 games to finish 10 points clear of Aberdeen. They thrashed Hibernian 6-1 in the Scottish Cup final and reached the European Cup semi-finals, losing only on penalties to Inter Milan.

The Jags had been promoted as Second Division champions in 1970/71 and finished in seventh place in their first season back in the top flight.

Partick Thistle are planning a weekend of celebrations to mark the historic occasion and will wear a commemorative strip in Saturday's cinch Championship game against Dunfermline Athletic at Firhill.

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