BAIRNS PARTY WAS A BLUR!
But famous cup win over Celts turned our lads’ holiday into something teetotally different
THE result was unforgettable but the celebrations were a little hazy.
Falkirk may not have got the lads’ holiday they were hoping for when they stunned Celtic in the Scottish Cup 24 years ago, although they still made the most of the party.
The Bairns will square up to Celts again on Saturday at Parkhead with memories still fresh of the epic 180 minutes in 1997 when Alex Totten’s men shocked the Hoops at Ibrox in the semi-finals.
Kevin James nabbed a leveller to set up a replay before Paul McGrillen struck to secure a famous triumph and send the Brockville men into a showpiece with Kilmarnock.
The Final was a step too far but Falkirk legend Scott MacKenzie admits the last-four victory was one of the highlights in club history. Even if it did sink their holiday plans. The Bairns booked up for Magaluf as a reward for reaching the last four but flew out before the Final as even they didn’t expect to get the better of a Tommy Burns side featuring stars including Paolo di Canio, Jorge Cadete and Andreas Thom.
Even so, they still made the most of the post-match party in the wake of one of the great Scottish Cup upsets.
Albion Rovers assistant boss MacKenzie said: “We’d been booked up to go to Magaluf a few weeks before the Final. It was meant to be a bit of a lads’ end-of-season holiday but turned into a training camp.
“Everyone knocked their pan in because they wanted to be in the team, so it didn’t turn out quite as first planned. But it was a great week to get our minds right for the Final.
“We’d already had the party after the Celtic game anyway.
“We’ll never forget the semi-final but I don’t think we can remember half about that night in Falkirk!
“The bus was going back through Camelon. We got to the big roundabout and there was a crowd of about 300 Falkirk fans.
“We piled off the bus and into the Roman Bar – it was some night.
“I’d dragged my father on to the bus after the game and I don’t think we got home until about 5am.
“St Johnstone were at Brockville that weekend and they battered us 5-0 – but we still got clapped off at the end. It just showed how big a result it was.”
Falkirk were huge underdogs but MacKenzie admits they fancied it with experienced pros such as Kevin McAllister, Scott Crabbe and England cap Andy Gray around.
The current team could take note as he added: “We were not overawed.
“We had a few guys in the dressing room who’d been around the block, like Crunchie, Crabbo and myself, along with some top youngsters like Kevin James and Andy Seaton.
“It was a good blend and we’d had a few decent results against Celtic over the years back then.
“The pressure was all on them. They had lost the league, Rangers had won nine in a row and it was their last chance at a trophy.
“They had some team, players like
Di Canio, Cadete, Thom and so on. But we deserved to go through.
“Don’t get me wrong, we had to ride our luck. I remember the ball coming off me and then hitting our post. That’s when you start to think it might be your day.
“Celtic thought they were home and dry when Tommy Johnson scored in the first game.
“But we hung on and Kevin popped up with an equaliser. We fancied our chances in the replay, even though everyone was saying you only get one bite at it in these games.”
It’s not just the party that night that sticks in MacKenzie’s mind.
He said: “The dressing room was going mental at the end but the door went and it was Tommy Burns.
“He came in, congratulated us and wished us well in the Final.
“It was a touch of class because he knew what the reaction was going to be and he probably knew the result would cost him his job.
“But that was the kind of man he was and when he left, the dressing room was silent. It was a different story on the bus, mind you.”
Unfortunately there will be no jetting out or nights in the pub this weekend – or even fans in the ground for the third-round tie – due to the pandemic.
But MacKenzie reckons that doesn’t mean history can’t repeat itself with
It was meant to be a bit of a lads’ end-of-season holiday but turned
Celtic in a similar situation to 24 years ago and chasing a silver lining to a grim season.
The former Bairns midfielder said: “We had nothing to lose that day and it’s the same for Falkirk this weekend.
“It’s also similar in that Celtic are under a lot of pressure to win the Scottish Cup this year.
“Falkirk have to try to be tight for as long as possible and then maybe a into a training camp bit of tension might creep in. We’ve seen it with Celtic losing to Ross County and St Mirren this season.
“It’s a huge gulf in class for Falkirk and especially tough this year with the lack of games and the stop-start nature of the season. But they can have a go and see what happens.
“No one expected Brora to knock out Hearts but this year strange things can happen.”