Same-day semis not as mad as you may think...
AFTER the SPFL decided to play both the upcoming Betfred Cup semi-finals between Celtic and Hearts and Rangers and Aberdeen on the same day and at the same Hampden venue, the subsequent fall-out from fans, the press and the clubs themselves saw the league governing body agree to move the former to BT Murrayfield, albeit holding on to the October 28 date.
Holders Celtic will play Premiership front-runners Hearts at the home of Scottish rugby in the country’s capital in the lunchtime kick-off while Steven Gerrard will attempt to get to the first showpiece final of his fledgling managerial career against old rivals the Dons in Mount Florida later on the same afternoon.
While to the modern football fan the thought of having four rival clubs playing their last-four fixtures on the same day, let alone at the same stadium, seems outlandish, playing semifinals concurrently was once the norm in the Scottish game.
Indeed, SteveO, Bellshill, asked: With the Betfred Cup semi-finals taking place on GET the lowdown on Scottish football’s fascinating history with a visit to the National Stadium. There’s fun among all the exhibits for every family member. Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sunday 11am-5pm. Adults £6, U16/concs £3, U5 free. Tel: 0141 616 6139 or visit www. scottishfootball museum.org.uk the same day this month I was wondering when was the last time this rare occurrence happened?
A: Although the younger generation may find two semifinals on the same day rare in modern football this was the norm throughout the 1940s and 1950s. It did also happen a number of times in the 1960s and 1970s and the last such time was 1987/88 in the Skol Cup. Aberdeen beat Dundee 2-0 at Tannadice while Rangers beat Motherwell 3-1 at Hampden – both on September 23, 1987. The Ibrox club went on to beat Aberdeen 5-3 on penalties in the final after a 3-3 draw.
Jackie, Dumbreck, was also curious about the nature of the cup rivalry between the Dons and the Lights Blues. He asked: Aberdeen and Rangers have met in many League Cup finals over the years including three in a row in the late 1980s, but how many times have they played each other in the semi-finals?
A: Aberdeen and Rangers have met five times in League Cup semi-finals. The first was in 1955/56 when Aberdeen won 2-1, then in 1966/67 it finished 2-2, with the Ibrox side going on to win the replay 2-0. In 1976/77 Aberdeen won 5-1, while in 1990/91 a Trevor Steven goal gave Rangers a 1-0 win. And the last time was 1995/96 when a Billy Dodds double was enough for Aberdeen to get the final in a 2-1 win.