# 1966–67 in Scottish football

The 1966–67 season was the 94th season of competitive football in Scotland and the 70th season of Scottish league football.

## Overview

A number of significant events occurred during the season. The domestic campaign was dominated by Celtic, who along with winning all 5 tournaments they entered, became the first British team to win the European Cup; the great Celtic team who achieved this were later nicknamed the Lisbon Lions.
1966–67 was arguably Scottish football's best ever season in European football, with Rangers reaching the final of the Cup Winners Cup and Kilmarnock reaching the Fairs Cup semi-finals. In addition, Dundee United marked their European debut by eliminating Fairs Cup holders Barcelona.
It was also a season in which the Scottish national team recorded one of their most celebrated victories, beating greatest rivals and World Cup holders England 3–2 at Wembley in the British Home Championship.
The season also marked the league debut of Clydebank, while it was the final appearance of Third Lanark, one of the founding members of the SFA and Scottish League, who went out of business in the summer of 1967.

## Scottish League Division One

Celtic were champions for the second season running, losing only two matches, both to Dundee United; these were Celtic's only defeats against Scottish opposition during the entire season. They won the title at Ibrox, home of arch-rivals Rangers, in a 2–2 draw which meant they could no longer be caught (it was Rangers' final match of the season while Celtic had one more fixture to fulfil).
Clyde finished third, which is their highest ever league placing. Clyde did not qualify for Europe, however, because Rangers finished second and took the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup place.
St Mirren and Ayr United were relegated, meaning the former would be outside the top flight for the first time since 1936. Ayr managed only one league win during the whole campaign, and had to wait until April to record it.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Celtic | 34 | 26 | 6 | 2 | 111 | 33 | +78 | 58 |
| 2 | Rangers | 34 | 24 | 7 | 3 | 92 | 31 | +61 | 55 |
| 3 | Clyde | 34 | 20 | 6 | 8 | 64 | 48 | +16 | 46 |
| 4 | Aberdeen | 34 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 72 | 38 | +34 | 42 |
| 5 | Hibernian | 34 | 19 | 4 | 11 | 72 | 49 | +23 | 42 |
| 6 | Dundee | 34 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 74 | 51 | +23 | 41 |
| 7 | Kilmarnock | 34 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 59 | 46 | +13 | 40 |
| 8 | Dunfermline Athletic | 34 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 72 | 52 | +20 | 38 |
| 9 | Dundee United | 34 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 68 | 62 | +6 | 37 |
| 10 | Motherwell | 34 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 59 | 60 | −1 | 31 |
| 11 | Hearts | 34 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 39 | 48 | −9 | 30 |
| 12 | Partick Thistle | 34 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 49 | 68 | −19 | 30 |
| 13 | Airdrieonians | 34 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 41 | 53 | −12 | 28 |
| 14 | Falkirk | 34 | 11 | 4 | 19 | 33 | 70 | −37 | 26 |
| 15 | St Johnstone | 34 | 10 | 5 | 19 | 53 | 73 | −20 | 25 |
| 16 | Stirling Albion | 34 | 5 | 9 | 20 | 31 | 85 | −54 | 19 |
| 17 | St Mirren (R) | 34 | 4 | 7 | 23 | 25 | 81 | −56 | 15 |
| 18 | Ayr United (R) | 34 | 1 | 7 | 26 | 20 | 86 | −66 | 9 |

### Top scorer

* Stevie Chalmers (Celtic) 21

## Scottish League Division Two

Morton, relegated the previous year, made an immediate return to Division One. They won the title by an eleven-point margin from Raith Rovers, who were also promoted.
Clydebank, who had been established as a separate senior club in 1965 following their ill-fated merger with East Stirlingshire, were elected to the Scottish League in 1966, and finished third from bottom in their inaugural season.
Financially troubled Third Lanark finished in mid-table, but they dropped out of the Scottish League and folded, going into liquidation in the summer: they were the first League team to fold since 1933. The final league match for Third Lanark was a 5–1 defeat at Dumbarton on 28 April 1967.
Brechin City finished bottom of the league for the fourth time in six seasons.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Morton | 38 | 33 | 3 | 2 | 113 | 20 | +93 | 69 | Promotion to the 1967–68 First Division |
| 2 | Raith Rovers | 38 | 27 | 4 | 7 | 95 | 44 | +51 | 58 | Promotion to the 1967–68 First Division |
| 3 | Arbroath | 38 | 25 | 7 | 6 | 75 | 32 | +43 | 57 | |
| 4 | Hamilton Academical | 38 | 18 | 8 | 12 | 74 | 60 | +14 | 44 | |
| 5 | East Fife | 38 | 19 | 4 | 15 | 70 | 63 | +7 | 42 | |
| 6 | Cowdenbeath | 38 | 16 | 8 | 14 | 70 | 55 | +15 | 40 | |
| 7 | Queen's Park | 38 | 15 | 10 | 13 | 78 | 68 | +10 | 40 | |
| 8 | Albion Rovers | 38 | 17 | 6 | 15 | 66 | 62 | +4 | 40 | |
| 9 | Queen of the South | 38 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 84 | 76 | +8 | 39 | |
| 10 | Berwick Rangers | 38 | 16 | 6 | 16 | 63 | 55 | +8 | 38 | |
| 11 | Third Lanark | 38 | 13 | 8 | 17 | 67 | 78 | −11 | 34 | Club folded |
| 12 | Montrose | 38 | 13 | 8 | 17 | 63 | 77 | −14 | 34 | |
| 13 | Alloa | 38 | 15 | 4 | 19 | 55 | 74 | −19 | 34 | |
| 14 | Dumbarton | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 56 | 64 | −8 | 33 | |
| 15 | Stranraer | 38 | 13 | 7 | 18 | 57 | 73 | −16 | 33 | |
| 16 | Forfar Athletic | 38 | 12 | 3 | 23 | 74 | 106 | −32 | 27 | |
| 17 | Stenhousemuir | 38 | 9 | 9 | 20 | 62 | 104 | −42 | 27 | |
| 18 | Clydebank | 38 | 8 | 8 | 22 | 59 | 92 | −33 | 24 | |
| 19 | East Stirlingshire | 38 | 7 | 10 | 21 | 44 | 87 | −43 | 24 | |
| 20 | Brechin City | 38 | 8 | 7 | 23 | 58 | 93 | −35 | 23 | |

## Cup honours
### Scottish Cup

The first round produced one of the most famous giant killing results in the history of the competition when Division Two outfit Berwick Rangers eliminated holders Rangers 1–0 at Shielfield, Sammy Reid scoring the game's only goal.
That result meant Celtic became clear favourites to lift the trophy, and they began with comfortable victories over Arbroath, Elgin City and Queen's Park. They then overcame Clyde in a replayed semi-final to set up a final meeting with Aberdeen, who had eliminated Dundee United at the penultimate stage. A 2–0 victory in the final saw Celtic lift the Cup for the 19th time, equalling Rangers' record in the competition.
Scottish Cup Final

### League Cup

Celtic picked up their first trophy of the season courtesy of a 1–0 win against oldest rivals Rangers in the final. After winning all six matches in a section including Hearts, Clyde and St Mirren, Celtic also eliminated Dunfermline and, in the semi-finals, Airdrieonians on their way to the final. The other semi saw Rangers beat Aberdeen in a replay.
League Cup Final

### Individual honours

| Award | Winner | Club |
| Footballer of the Year | Ronnie Simpson | Celtic |

## Scottish clubs in Europe

Celtic made their debut in the European Cup and exceeded all expectations by lifting the trophy with a memorable victory over Inter Milan in the final in Lisbon, thanks to goals from Tommy Gemmell and Stevie Chalmers. Their achievement ended the stranglehold which Latin teams had hitherto exerted on the competition, as Celtic became not only the first Scottish champions of Europe, but indeed the first British and Northern European ones also. The Lisbon Lions, as they became known, remain the only Scottish side to have won the European Cup.
In a notably successful season for Scottish clubs in Europe, Rangers had the chance to win Glasgow's second continental trophy within a week after reaching the Cup Winners Cup final for the second time, only to narrowly lose out to Bayern Munich in Nuremberg. Earlier in May there had been the possibility of Scottish involvement in the final of all three European tournaments, but Kilmarnock lost out to Leeds United in their Fairs Cup semi-final meeting. Nevertheless, it remains the club's best European run.
Dundee United had a remarkable introduction to European football; drawn against Fairs Cup holders Barcelona, United eliminated the Spaniards with victories in both legs. Of Scotland's five representatives, only Dunfermline failed to make any great impact, losing to eventual winners Dinamo Zagreb in the Fairs Cup second round.

### Celtic

| Date | Venue | Opponents | Score | Competition | Celtic scorer(s) |
| 28 September 1966 | Celtic Park, Glasgow (H) | FC Zürich | 2–0 | EC1 | Gemmell, McBride |
| 5 October 1966 | Letzigrund, Zürich (A) | FC Zürich | 3–0 | EC1 | Gemmell (2 (1 pen)), Chalmers |
| 30 November 1966 | Stade Marcel Saupin, Nantes (A) | FC Nantes | 3–1 | EC2 | McBride, Lennox, Chalmers |
| 7 December 1966 | Celtic Park, Glasgow (H) | FC Nantes | 3–1 | EC2 | Johnstone, Chalmers, Lennox |
| 1 March 1967 | Stadium of Vojvodina, Novi Sad (A) | FK Vojvodina | 0–1 | ECQF | |
| 8 March 1967 | Celtic Park, Glasgow (H) | FK Vojvodina | 2–0 | ECQF | Chalmers, McNeill |
| 12 April 1967 | Celtic Park, Glasgow (H) | Dukla Prague | 3–1 | ECSF | Johnstone, Wallace (2) |
| 25 April 1967 | Stadion Juliska, Prague (A) | Dukla Prague | 0–0 | ECSF | |
| 25 May 1967 | Estádio Nacional, Oeiras (N) | Inter Milan | 2–1 | EC Final | Gemmell, Chalmers |

### Rangers

| Date | Venue | Opponents | Score | Competition | Rangers scorer(s) |
| 27 September 1966 | The Oval, Belfast (A) | Glentoran | 1–1 | CWC1 | McLean |
| 5 October 1966 | Ibrox Park, Glasgow (H) | Glentoran | 4–0 | CWC1 | McLean, Johnston, D. Smith, Setterington |
| 23 November 1966 | Ibrox Park, Glasgow (H) | Borussia Dortmund | 2–1 | CWC2 | Johansen, A. Smith |
| 6 December 1966 | Rote Erde Stadion, Dortmund (A) | Borussia Dortmund | 0–0 | CWC2 | |
| 1 March 1967 | Ibrox Park, Glasgow (H) | Real Zaragoza | 2–0 | CWCQF | D. Smith, Willoughby |
| 22 March 1967 | La Romareda, Zaragoza (A) | Real Zaragoza | 0–2 * | CWCQF | |
| 19 April 1967 | Ovcha Kupel Stadium, Sofia (A) | Slavia Sofia | 1–0 | CWCSF | D. Smith |
| 3 May 1967 | Ibrox Park, Glasgow (H) | Slavia Sofia | 1–0 | CWCSF | Henderson |
| 31 May 1967 | Frankenstadion, Nuremberg (N) | Bayern Munich | 0–1 (a.e.t.) | CWC Final | |
* Rangers progressed on a coin flip.

### Dundee United

| Date | Venue | Opponents | Score | Competition | Dundee United scorer(s) |
| 25 October 1966 | Camp Nou, Barcelona (A) | Barcelona | 2–1 | FC2 | Hainey, Seemann |
| 16 November 1966 | Tannadice Park, Dundee (H) | Barcelona | 2–0 | FC2 | Mitchell, Hainey |
| 8 February 1967 | Stadio Comunale, Turin (A) | Juventus | 0–3 | FC3 | |
| 8 March 1967 | Tannadice Park, Dundee (H) | Juventus | 1–0 | FC3 | Døssing |

### Dunfermline Athletic

| Date | Venue | Opponents | Score | Competition | Dunfermline scorer(s) |
| 24 August 1966 | Unknown, Oslo (A) | Frigg Oslo | 3–1 | FC1 | Fleming (2), T. Callaghan |
| 28 September 1966 | East End Park, Dunfermline (H) | Frigg Oslo | 3–1 | FC1 | Delaney (2), T. Callaghan |
| 26 October 1966 | East End Park, Dunfermline (H) | Dinamo Zagreb | 4–2 | FC2 | Delaney, Edwards (pen.), Ferguson (2) |
| 2 November 1966 | Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb (A) | Dinamo Zagreb | 0–2 | FC2 | |

### Kilmarnock

| Date | Venue | Opponents | Score | Competition | Kilmarnock scorer(s) |
| 25 October 1966 | Bosuilstadion, Antwerp (A) | Royal Antwerp | 1–0 | FC2 | Mclnally |
| 2 November 1966 | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock (H) | Royal Antwerp | 7–2 | FC2 | Mclnally (2) Queen (2, 2 pens) McLean (2, 1 pen.), C. Watson |
| 14 December 1966 | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock (H) | AA Gent | 1–0 | FC3 | Murray |
| 21 December 1966 | Jules Ottenstadion, Ghent (A) | AA Gent | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | FC3 | McInally, McLean |
| 19 April 1967 | Bruno-Plache-Stadion, Leipzig (A) | Lokomotive Leipzig | 0–1 | FCQF | |
| 26 April 1967 | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock (H) | Lokomotive Leipzig | 2–0 | FCQF | McFadzean, McIlroy |
| 19 May 1967 | Elland Road, Leeds (A) | Leeds United | 2–4 | FCSM | McIlroy (2) |
| 25 May 1967 | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock (H) | Leeds United | 0–0 | FCSM | |

## Other honours
### National

| Competition | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
| Scottish Qualifying Cup - North | Elgin City | 5 – 4 * | Nairn County |
| Scottish Qualifying Cup - South | Hawick Royal Albert | 8 – 2 * | Tarff Rovers |

### County

| Competition | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
| Aberdeenshire Cup | Keith | | |
| East of Scotland Shield | Hibernian | 2 – 1 | Hearts |
| Fife Cup | Raith Rovers | 5 – 1 | East Fife |
| Forfarshire Cup | Dundee | 4 – 3 | Dundee United |
| Glasgow Cup | Celtic | 4 – 0 | Partick Thistle |
| Lanarkshire Cup | Airdrie | 2 – 1 | Hamilton |
| Renfrewshire Cup | St Mirren | 3 – 2 * | Morton |
| Stirlingshire Cup | Falkirk | 5 – 1 | Stenhousemuir |
$^*$ - aggregate over two legs

### Highland League

Top Three :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Ross County | 30 | 24 | 4 | 2 | 107 | 32 | +75 | 52 |
| 2 | Elgin City | 30 | 19 | 9 | 2 | 111 | 37 | +74 | 47 |
| 3 | Inverness Caledonian | 30 | 21 | 3 | 6 | 101 | 54 | +47 | 45 |

## Scotland national team

Unbeaten Scotland became outright British champions for the first time in four years. Following a draw in Cardiff and victory at home to Northern Ireland, Scotland travelled to Wembley needing to beat England, who had won both their matches, to take the title. This was secured with a 3–2 win which has become legendary in Scottish football, not only because it was England's first defeat since becoming world champions the previous year, but due to Scotland's assured performance and the skillful arrogance of Jim Baxter, who at various times juggled the ball by himself.
At the same time, Scotland's Home Championship win got Scotland off to a good start in their first attempt to qualify for the European Championships, with this and the following season's tourney doubling as qualifying matches for the 1968 finals.
Scotland had begun the season with Kilmarnock manager Malky McDonald in temporary charge for the games against Wales and Northern Ireland. Bobby Brown was then appointed as the national team's first full-time manager, with the England match proving to be a memorable start to his tenure.
| Date | Venue | Opponents | Score | Competition | Scotland scorer(s) |
| 22 October 1966 | Ninian Park, Cardiff (A) | Wales | 1–1 | BHC / ECQG8 | Denis Law |
| 16 November 1966 | Hampden Park, Glasgow (H) | Northern Ireland | 2–1 | BHC / ECQG8 | Bobby Murdoch, Bobby Lennox |
| 15 April 1967 | Wembley Stadium, London (A) | England | 3–2 | BHC / ECQG8 | Denis Law, Bobby Lennox, Jim McCalliog |
| 10 May 1967 | Hampden Park, Glasgow (H) | Soviet Union | 0–2 | Friendly | |
Key:
* (H) = Home match
* (A) = Away match
* ECQG8 = European Championship qualifying - Group 8
* BHC = British Home Championship