It was on April 11, 1925 that a crowd of just over 75,000 filled Hampden for the Scottish Cup final between Celtic and Dundee.

Both sides had enjoyed average league campaigns. The Tayside club finished eighth while the Hoops were a distant fourth. The Scottish Cup, therefore, was their only chance of a trophy.

The Hoops had seen off Third Lanark, Alloa Athletic, Solway Star, St Mirren (after a second replay) and then Rangers in the semi-final to make it to Hampden.

Celtic had won the Scottish Cup on 10 previous occasions, while Dundee had lifted it once – in 1910 when they beat Clyde in a second replay. It remains Dundee’s only Scottish Cup success.

And it was the Dens Park side who took the lead with a first-half goal from former Celt, Davie McLean. They held on to the lead until the 75th minute of the game when the most extraordinary goal in Celtic history was scored.

Patsy Gallacher was the man who netted the goal, and while it was Jimmy McGrory, just a couple of weeks short of his 21st birthday who headed the winner with five minutes remaining to give Celtic their 11th Scottish Cup triumph, the game has come to be known as ‘The Patsy Gallacher Final.’

WITH A JINK AND A JOUK

Patsy Gallacher lost his balance no fewer than three times and recovered, with the ball still at his feet, when he scored his most memorable Scottish Cup final strike in the Scottish Cup final on April 11, 1925. With 15 minutes to go, he took possession and an eyewitness, newspaper account captures the moment perfectly. ‘He jinked, jouked, hurdled, swerved, dribbled, jumped, fell, got up, ran on, jinked again, stumbled, jouked once more, went over his wilkies with the ball still grasped between his feet and suddenly, he was over the line, him and the ball, past an astonished Jock Britton, and Hampden to the last 75,000th man was rising in starry-eyed tribute to a genius in bootlaces.’ Minutes later he almost went through again, with Jimmy McGrory going on to score a late winner.

THE MIGHTY ATOM

The official height given for Patsy Gallacher on his debut against St Mirren in December 1911, is 5’5” although some sources list him as being 5’6”, 5’7” and 5’9”! Weighing around seven stones, there was a real fear that the 18-year-old would be seriously hurt amid the hurly-burly of Scotland’s top flight. ‘Boys, meet your new inside-right,’ said Willie Maley when he introduced the new signing from Clydebank. ‘Willie,’ responded an incredulous Jimmy Quinn, ‘if you put that wee thing out on the park you’ll get done for manslaughter!’ The concerns proved to be unfounded as ‘Charlie Chaplin’s double’ was ‘tricky’, ‘elusive’ and showed ‘cool artfulness’, becoming ‘a favourite in his first match’. In that 3-1 win over St Mirren, a Celtic legend was born.

IRELAND’S MESSI!

Patsy breezed past no fewer than 11 Hibernian players with the ball on September 19, 1921, en route to a stunning solo goal. ‘The Mighty Atom’ actually took possession straight from kick-off, crossing the halfway line, going by his first man and then driving straight at goal, jinking and dancing past his opponents. He then ghosted into the penalty box, evaded another couple of men, before rounding goalkeeper Bill Harper with ‘a gentle tap’. Although Celtic lost the match 2-1, this solo effort was still viewed as one of the highlights of the campaign, one that showed the skill and ability of the crowd’s favourite.

BHOYS’ LOSS WAS BAIRNS’ GAIN

The day of July 27, 1926 was dark one in the club’s history and one which highlights the attitude of the then board towards great players who had outlived their use. After 15 years of courageous service and an unfathomable number of kicks and assaults during matches, Patsy was ‘retired’ by the club without his knowledge in July 1926. The little playmaker had missed most of the previous season with a knee injury and it is widely believed that the board acted in order to save on wages. ‘I am as right as rain!’ said Patsy when the news was broken to him. ‘The idea of being finished has never entered my head!’ He reluctantly moved to Falkirk, for a fee of around £1,500, with the Bairns getting six years of sterling service from a player who had been shamefully treated by Celtic’s ‘custodians’.

A CELTIC LEGEND

Patsy played 464 competitive games during his 15-year-career in the Hoops. Although mainly deployed as a playmaker at inside-right, he also scored an extraordinary 196 goals – many of which were viewed as unbelievable feats of skill and bravery. His honours for Celtic included six league championship winner’s medals, including the four-in-a-row run between 1914 and 1917. He also won four Scottish Cups and in 1912, 1914, 1923 and 1925. His international career included 11 caps with Northern Ireland, two call-ups with the Scottish League select and one appearance for the Irish Free State, which was earned while playing for Falkirk.

HANGING UP THE BOOTS

Patsy was 39 when he retired and his achievements are made all the more remarkable when you consider the obstacles he had to overcome in life and the courage he showed in matches did not begin to compare to the strength of character he showed off it. Patsy’s wife died aged 35 while giving birth to their sixth child. Patsy became the sole figurehead of the house and combined games and training with Celtic, with his work as a shipwright in the Clydebank yards. This was dangerous work in itself and Patsy once missed a match for Celtic after being hurt when a box of tools dropped on his foot. In his later years he ran the International Bar in Clydebank, where he was a welcoming host and publican. His generosity and kindness was legendary and when he passed away his family discovered a stacked pile of IOUs from regular customers, dating back years, which Patsy had never called in.

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Patsy somersaults Celtic to Scottish Cup success