Jackie led the Saints to a real family celebration
ST JOHNSTONE boss Tommy Wright decided he has plenty of striking options in his squad.
The Perth men only signed young defender Clive Smith on loan from Preston during the January transfer window.
They entertain Celtic this afternoon with Steven MacLean and Danny Swanson their joint-top scorers with seven goals.
Back in November 1964, Saints were badly in need of some new forward thinking.
Their team had only scored three times in home league games when they took on the might of Celtic.
But manager Bobby Brown had taken action to beef up the attack of his newly-promoted side.
Four players made their home debuts and three of them were forwards.
Jackie Coburn, Felix McGrogan and Neil Duffy took their first bow alongside new goalie Mike McVittie.
Although McGrogan was the only one of the outfield trio to score, they all earned their win bonuses as St Johnstone whipped Celtic 3-0.
Special mention went to Jackie Coburn and his energetic display.
The Sunday Post report of the shock result said: “Coburn’s needle-sharp thrusts had an upsetting effect on a Parkhead defence which never settled to a steady game.”
The man signed from East Stirlingshire had an extra-special reason for being delighted with the result. It was a real family affair for him. He recalled: “My brother Willie was a real St Johnstone stalwart at left-back and we were playing professional football together for the first time on our home patch.
“Signing for Saints was a big thing for me because I came from the area, I was a supporter of the club and I’d trained with them from time to time when I was playing for other teams.
“It was great to be involved in a victory over Celtic and a big celebration for the Coburn family.”
Although Jackie didn’t score that day – Bill McCarry and Jim Kerray were the others on target – he displayed his eye for goal just a month later.
He said: “I scored a hat-trick in a 4-4 draw with Dundee at Dens Park.
“I was pleased with that but my old mate Alan Gilzean went one better by scoring all four for his side.
“We did National Service together at the same camp in Farnborough, and even played together for Aldershot’s second-string side.”
Jackie spent just one season with Saints after deciding to remain as a part-timer.
He explained: “I had a decent job with a wine merchant, was learning that trade and thought I might be getting too old to become a full-time player.”
The first match of his professional career couldn’t have been more dramatic.
Jackie announced his arrival in fine style by scoring a hat-trick for Forfar in a 5-2 win over Brechin City.
He went on to score 34 goals in his first season. That immediately made him a club legend and no player has surpassed his total in the last 56 years.
Next came the experience of playing for East Stirlingshire during the only top flight campaign in their history.
Jackie scored against Celtic at Parkhead but this was a 5-2 defeat on the way to Shire finishing bottom of the First Division One.
After his season with St Johntone, there was a brief spell with Montrose before Jackie was recruited to help Ayr United win promotion to the top tier.
Now 78, he retired in 2015 after 12 years as a Perth and Kinross councillor.