Billy Stark has four Scottish Cup medals from Aberdeen and Celtic to know how much this competition means – but only the pain of defeat, and a broken wrist, to remember St Mirren by.
The classy midfielder had eight unrewarded years in Paisley before his old Saints boss, Alex Ferguson, took him to Pittodrie in July 1983, and was an immediate hit, winning six trophies, including the Scottish Cup in 1984 and 1986. Billy McNeill remembered how Stark shone at St Mirren against his previous Celtic side before the manager had also moved in 1983, to Manchester City, and when McNeill returned to Parkhead in 1987, he got Stark from the Dons.
The impact was just as swift – a title and Scottish Cup in 1988 and another Scottish Cup in 1989. Celtic’s Scottish Cup triumph in 1980 was just the second honour on the young manager’s CV but McNeill didn’t forget how Saints took his team to the brink in an epic fourth-round collision watched by 60,000 over two games, and thousands of fans who didn’t get in for the Love Street lockout at the replay.
Celtic were two minutes away from going out in the original tie on Saturday February 16, as over 32,000 at Parkhead saw Saints keeper, Billy Thomson – who sadly died this week at just 64 – protect Frank McDougall’s first half lead by defying McNeill’s team, notably Johnny Doyle and Bobby Lennox, until Murdo MacLeod’s header rescued the Hoops.
The replay on Wednesday, February 20, is still regarded as a classic four decades later.
It was a five-goal thriller that went to extra-time, where Doyle conjured up the winner for Celts who had to play for 101 minutes with 10 men after Tom McAdam was sent off.
Saints did not make the game all-ticket and such was the clamour, the official attendance of 27,166 didn’t include many more who climbed walls to get in ‘unofficially.’
The thousands who didn’t, had to go home and watch the highlights later on BBC.
“There was no live football on TV then,” smiles Stark, now 66. “That night was Love Street’s record crowd. That was such a good St Mirren team that it is a real shame it never got to a final, there was no tangible reward. Myself, Peter Weir and Frank McDougall got those when we moved to Aberdeen.
“There are 20 minutes of the old BBC footage from the replay with Celtic that I’ve seen on YouTube. Peter was destined for the top, a great crosser of the ball and worked so well with Iain Munro on the left and Dougie Somner was one of the top scorers in Scotland. The saves from Billy Thomson were not even half was good as the first game which was not screened.
“We had actually beaten Celtic 2-1 at Love Street in November in the Premier League so they didn’t hold any fears for us but they had such a good side, especially in midfield with Tommy Burns, and that night Davie Provan, George McCluskey, Johnny Doyle and Bobby Lennox were all inspired.”
Jimmy Bone’s header put Saints 1-0 up after just 11 minutes and lots of Celtic fans were still getting into the packed ground when McAdam was sent off eight minutes later after a clash with McDougall.
McNeill’s players were angered by the decision and Doyle made it 1-1 on the half hour. Somner’s penalty put Saints 2-1 up in 59 minutes after Weir was fouled but Lennox also netted from spot in 72 minutes after Weir brought down Doyle, before Doyle settled the tie the first minute of extra time.
“In hindsight, maybe Tom McAdam’s sending-off gave Celtic something to push them on. They ran all night, none more so than Bobby Lennox who was almost 37. Bobby was my hero as a kid. If VAR had been around he might have scored 1000 goals after all the others he wrongly had disallowed for offside when his pace was too quick for linesmen.
“My own memento from that night was that I broke my scaphoid. I landed awkwardly and went to hospital the next day. They put it in plaster and I went back to see my manager, Jim Clunie, and he asked me if I would get the plaster changed for one of the softer wrist supports so I wouldn’t be out so long. I agreed and that wrist injury and the pain of defeat is why I always remember that night.”
Doyle used the inspiration of his Paisley triumph to also score against Real Madrid just two weeks later in Celtic’s 2-0 European Cup quarter-final first-leg.
Tragically, Doyle would die just 19 months later after his Real glory night. His life was cruelly cut short at the age of 30 on October 19, 1981 in a tragic accident working on his home.
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