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When you drew Ajax, was it daunting
prospect?
No, at that time the mindset was it didn't matter
who we got, and I think that confidence showed
because we were extremely disappointed to
lose the two goals in the first leg in Glasgow, It
was quite a frantic start to the game, maybe a
wee bit too gung-ho in losing the goals at the
back. But Big Billy told us to tighten up and try
and sneak a 3-2 win,
What goes through your mind when
you lose a goal so early like that? Does it
completely throw your game-plan?
I must admit it shocks you a bit, but you have
to get yourself together quickly and believe
in yourself, It floors you for a good five or six
minutes but we managed to pull it together
and get back into the match, I think they were
happy to go back home with the draw, and we
were a wee bit cautious of losing a late one and
going over there with the disadvantage, At least
when it's a draw you're in with a shout, I think
going over there 3-2 down would have been a
thankless task,
So was the team confident going in to the
return leg?
Well, I was carrying a wee injury and it was
debatable whether I would travel or not. But Big
Billy asked me to go, because at that time it was
any two from me, Frank McGarvey and Charlie
Nicholas to play up front, He was one of the first
to do a rotational system and between the three
of us we scored over 100 goals that year - we
were scoring a phenomenal amount of goals, He
was debating whether or not to play the three
of us to go out and get the goals, because we
knew we needed a couple at least. We thought
they might even nick one themselves. I think
it was a thigh injury I was carrying at the time,
but I got an injection just to sit on the bench
never mind play, and then got on in the last 15
minutes.
Did Celtic take a strong support with
them?
We played in an old stadium, I'm sure
it was the Olympic Stadium, the Amsterdam
ArenA wasn't built then. But there was a
massive number of Celtic fans who travelled
over for the game, There must have been about
9,000 who went out and their support was
tremendous,
V.
Did it feel like a last throw of the dice when
Billy McNeill put you on as a substitute?
I think putting me on was a last bit of hope,
yes, They knew I was carrying the injury but
he threw me on in a desperate attempt to go
for it, We knew we were out otherwise, They
equalised and it was a scrappy goal they scored
too, It was flicked in from the wing and went by
about six players, everyone left it for someone
else and it crept in at the back post, You start to
think it wasn't going to be your night after that
but I came on and was told to see what I could
do,
Images from the
first leg in Clasgow
Éfeigs1
52 Celtic vAjax
