Veteran of first Hampden clash recalls bruising game

The superstar of St Johnstone’s first League Cup final team is hoping it will be a case of “third time lucky” at Hampden.

The recent release of a “Greatest Saints” book, with John Connolly at number one of the top 50, has given younger fans an insight into the outstanding talent of the 1969 side’s creative heartbeat.

As a teenager making his name at the top of Scottish football, Connolly couldn’t inspire Willie Ormond’s men to victory against one of the great Celtic elevens who were between European Cup finals.

But, although Saints v Livingston is a 50-50 match-up, there is no denying Callum Davidson’s squad face a lesser challenge this weekend.

“It’s incredible to think this is just the third League Cup final in the club’s history so they don’t come around very often,” said Connolly, who later played for Everton, Birmingham City and Newcastle United.

“Hopefully it will be third time lucky and at least they aren’t facing a Rangers or Celtic side at the top of their game like 1969 and 1998.

“It’s going to be tough but the players will take confidence from winning at Livingston recently.

“I’m actually making Saints slight favourites now going into this one. I’ll be wishing Callum and the players all the best.”

“The current Saints players need to strike the balance between seizing the moment and smelling the roses.

“To be honest I don’t remember much about our final,” said Connolly, 70.

“I know there will be no fans at Hampden but hopefully the Saints players still take things in on the day.

“As a player you are too caught up in the game and there wasn’t the same level of TV coverage.

“Jock Stein said some very complimentary things about us before and after the final. This was an October game and he’d warned his players they wouldn’t get it easy because we had drawn 2-2 at Parkhead on the first day of the season in August.

“It would be great if someone dug up old archive footage of the Celtic match, especially as it was St Johnstone’s first ever major cup final.”

Connolly, who returned to Perth to manage the club in 2004, added: “I was only 19 for the final and half the Celtic team had played in the European Cup win over Inter Milan two years earlier – guys like Billy McNeill, Stevie Chalmers, Jim Craig and Bobby Murdoch. They’d eat the current Celtic side for breakfast.

“Remember, back then Celtic and Rangers were competing at the top level in Europe. It was probably the high point of Scottish football.

“Henry actually had a chance in the first minute but Bertie Auld got their early goal and John Fallon pulled off a few strong saves to protect their lead.

“We were disappointed to lose because when you make a cup final you want to win it. The current team will be the same.

“Reports say I was upended a few times by big Billy McNeill but that was only to be expected. You knew you were going to take a hit but that never worried me.

“Like John Greig at Rangers, Billy was a hard player but fair.

“I was looking back on the infamous Leeds UnitedChelsea game the other day. Some of the tackles were scary. But that was the game back then.

“Football is a totally different game nowadays. Half the centre-backs you see don’t make a tackle and they’re knocked off the ball far too easily.”