Celtic 1
Dundee Utd 1
League (Division One)

Match Report

In what was the clubs' first meeting in the top flight since 1931, United approached the game with a slight edge in terms of form - the Parkhead side sitting five places below United in the Division One table with only four wins from thirteen on record. Wattie Carlyle and Stewart Fraser dropped out of the side who were victorious against St Mirren last week, while John Roe and Jim Irvine came in.

The match opened with quick exchanges at both ends before United broke the deadlock. The move began when Neil Mochan, returning to Parkhead for the first time since leaving the Glasgow club in November, slipped a ball to Gibby Ormond for a quick one-two, and taking the ball back, Mochan squared to an unmarked Jim Irvine and the United outside right was on hand to put the ball past Frank Haffey with a left footed effort. Stunned, the Celtic eleven battled hard for an equaliser over the next half hour, but their efforts fell short, Bertie Peacock and Bertie Auld coming closest before an overhead kick from John Hughes forced Lando Ugolini to parry the attempt. Jim Conway was next to test United with a shot at goal, but his effort rocketed the post and Hughes fired the rebound over. Celtic did have the ball in the net shortly before half time when Hughes nodded home from a Duncan MacKay free kick but the goal was disallowed for offside. Just before half time, Peacock rattled the crossbar and moments later, another goal was chalked off for the Celts, Chalmers the scorer this time, but a foul at the far post saw United awarded with a free kick.

It took Celtic just a few minutes of the second half to level the scoring. A long MacKay clearance beat Tommy Graham and Bertie Auld swooped on the chance to square along the ground to John Hughes who promptly scored from two yards out. Celtic continued their dominance following the goal and Ugolini was beaten again soon after when Conway whipped in a drive which rebounded off the underside of the bar and away to safety. It was United's turn to have a goal disallowed on the 64th minute when Dennis Gillespie headed past Haffey from a Mochan cross. With no further scoring, the game ended, rather fortunately for United, as a draw.