147,000 TO ZERO
Empty Hampden will be a far cry from glory days
TOMORROW’S Scottish Cup final between Celtic and Hearts will take place behind closed doors at Hampden due to the ongoing pandemic. Here Sportsmail takes a walk down memory lane to revisit some of the landmark attendances of yesteryear in Mount Florida.
Celtic 2 Aberdeen 1; April 24, 1937.
The Scottish Cup final between Celtic and Aberdeen drew an astonishing 147,365, which remains a record for a national cup final and the largest-ever attendance for a club match in Europe. However, for Celtic’s Jimmy Delaney, it was not even the biggest game he had played in that week. The Scotland star faced England at the same venue seven days earlier as an incredible 149,415 fans crammed in to see a 3-1 win against the Auld Enemy. That remains a European attendance record for an international match and contemporaneous reports even suggest an extra 20,000 gained unauthorised entry. That would have been feasible given architect Archibald Leitch estimated Hampden could hold 183,724 at its fullest. Following the Burnden Park stadium disaster in Bolton in 1946, the Mount Florida ground’s capacity had to be reduced to around 135,000.
Rangers 1 Morton 1; April 17, 1948, and Rangers 1 Morton 0; April 21, 1948. A crowd of 129,176 watched Torry Gillick score for Rangers and Jimmy Whyte for Morton as the teams battled out a 1-1 draw after extra-time. Four days later the replay saw 131,975 cram back into Hampden as Billy Williamson of Rangers scored the only goal of the game in extra-time. The overall total of 261,151 remains the largest combined attendance for a Scottish Cup final plus replay.
Motherwell 4 Dundee 0; April 19, 1952.
The 1952 final saw 136,304 fans turn up at Hampden to see Motherwell sweep aside Dundee with goals from Jimmy Watson, Willie Redpath, Wilson Humphries and Archie Kelly. The attendance remains a Scottish record for a match not featuring Celtic, Rangers or the Scotland national team.
Celtic 4 Rangers 0; April 26, 1969.
The biggest Old Firm crowd of all time packed into Hampden as 132,870 watched Celtic and Rangers go head-to-head. Jock Stein’s side scored four goals without reply through Stevie Chalmers, George Connelly, Bobby Lennox and Billy McNeill. Future Aberdeen and Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson, playing in place of the suspended Colin Stein, was made a scapegoat for the Rangers humiliation and never played for the Ibrox side again.
Rangers 3 Celtic 2; May 5, 1973. A crowd of 122,714 saw Rangers lift the Scottish Cup with goals from Alfie Conn, Tom Forsyth and Derek Parlane. On target for Celtic were George Connelly from the penalty spot and Kenny Dalglish. The match was the last UK football match to break the 100,000 attendance barrier. Following the Safety at Sports Grounds Act, Hampden’s capacity was reduced to 85,000.
Celtic 0 Rangers 1; May 29, 1999.
In the wake of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster that claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool fans, the UK government outlawed standing areas in British football stadia. This Old Firm Scottish Cup final was the first match when the new all-seater Hampden was complete. A capacity 52,063 was in attendance as Rod Wallace scored to clinch the domestic Treble for Rangers.