BY DAVIE HAY

THE 30-year anniversary dinner at Celtic Park on Sunday night to commemorate the Love Street title win in ’86 reconfirmed to me just what a memorable chapter that game is in the history of the club.

It was great to get the opportunity to catch up with that squad. There were a few who could not make it because of various geographical reasons and personal reasons but seeing the bulk of that squad in a room together was a reminder of just what a great team that was.

There was one obvious absence, though.

I have said this before but Maurice Johnston was the best player I signed for Celtic. And I am unconvinced by anyone who tells me that he doesn’t regret what happened and how he did it. I was actually in Norway when Mo was paraded by Celtic before the cup final. I actually spoke to him on the phone that day and he told me that it wasn’t done yet but that the club were desperate to announce it.

But even then I didn’t really think too much about it. I just assumed it was a case of getting the contract signed. It was only days later I flew into Glasgow and the taxi driver who picked me up was a guy whose brother I had played football with.

The first thing he said to me was : “Davie, you’ll never guess who has signed Mo Johnstone.” I had a really strange feeling but when he told me he had signed for Rangers I honestly couldn’t believe it.

Even if he had gone south of the border back to England after the move had fallen through, I think that the support would have blamed the club rather than the player.

But to go to Rangers I think will always be deemed unforgivable in the eyes of the Celtic support.

It entirely tarnished the memory of what he achieved at Celtic. He was a great forward for the club. He trained well, he was a great presence on the pitch, he scored goals and he had a significant hand in that season which we celebrated this weekend and I do think if he was being entirely honest he might suggest that it is something he regrets doing.

So much of his time at Celtic has been entirely glossed over. He has been denied so many of the accolades he would have got because of what happened.

But he scored one of the great Celtic goals that day at Love Street in a move that was quite sublime. It is fair to say it is one of the great Celtic goals but because of what happened he will never receive any real recognition from anyone of a Celtic persuasion for his part in it.

I know that Mo was up before the Old Firm game last month and was insistent that he has no regrets about what happened but I must say that privately I wonder if he would say the same.

Even after all the years that have passed I believe that he harbours regrets about how it was done.

But in terms of the achievement of winning the league on this day 30 years ago, I have to say that in the run-up I just had a feeling that Hearts were feeling the pressure.

And while everyone remembers that day and the performance, for me it wasn’t all about Love Street – although that was the culmination of it – it was also the momentum in the build-up to it.

We were playing well, scoring goals and I just felt that we were going to do it.