It was the evening of March 1st, 1967, the venue a football stadium in a place called Novi Sad in Yugoslavia, the occasion a quarter-final tie in the European Cup. Celtic were about to run out into a stadium lit by brilliant floodlights to face a team called Vojvodina.

To say I was nervous is something of an understatement. I had already played two European matches – home ties against Go-Ahead Deventer and Aarhus – but we were ahead in those games at the time and I found them straightforward.

This match was not only against a team I had never heard of before but one which came from a country well regarded for the quality of its football. So, you can understand my nervousness.

Just before the match, Bertie Auld suddenly appeared beside me as I was washing my hands in the bathroom and launched into a tirade, pointing out that I had no reason to be nervous, as I was holding my place in one of the best teams in Europe, all the boys in the side were right behind me and I had just to play my normal game. At the time, it was just the boost I needed and I was always grateful for his input.

It was typical of Bertie, whose presence in the dressing-room was always good for the team. As a player, he was very sharp over the first few yards and a fine passer of the ball, scoring more than a few important goals at vital times. Another strength was his confidence.

With Bertie in the dressing-room, it was likely to be noisy and full of laughter, a very essential ambience for success. I, for one, always found his presence very re-assuring. For a number of years, Bertie was an essential part of one of the best teams in Europe yet was always easy to deal with and ready to help.

During his career at Celtic Park, and also after his retirement, there can be few other players who have kept up such a great rapport with the Celtic support, attending functions all over not only his native Scotland but also South of the Border and North America.

The fact that Bertie had been ill was fairly well-known but his passing would still have caused some surprise.

At this difficult time, my thoughts are with Bertie’s wife Liz, his children Susan and Robert, plus his extended family. Their husband, father and grandfather was a real nice guy. May he rest in peace.

Jim Craig remembers his friend and fellow Lisbon Lion