ONE of the most hilariously inventive of all the many great Celtic songs over the past 125 years is surely the one that immortalised the gloriously ironic Coronation Cup snatch of 1953:

Said Lizzie to Philip, as they sat down to dine,

“I’ve just had a note from an old friend of mine –

his name is Big Geordie, he’s loyal and true;

and his dirty big nose is a fine shade of blue.

He says that the Rangers are right on their game

and asks for a trophy to add to their fame.

We’ll send up a cup that the Rangers can win … “

… says Philip, “Just watch that the Celts don’t step in!”

Majestic stuff … if you’ll pardon the pun!

And so it came to pass that “Chookie Embra’s” spoof ‘prophecy’ was fulfilled on Wednesday 20th May of Coronation Year, as Celtic overcame fellow Irish descendants, Hibernian, in an all-green final that was almost certainly never envisaged at the planning stage of a competition designed to celebrate Union and Monarchy.

Details of that landmark campaign need no re-telling here, so deeply are they etched into the psyche of the Celtic-minded.  For the present record, though, the hallowed engineers of the epic 2-0 victory by the undoubted tournament underdogs (including the final, in which Hibs, with their legendary ‘Famous Five’ forward line, were heavily fancied) are under-noted:

Bonnar; Haughney & Rollo; Evans, Stein & McPhail; Collins, Walsh, Mochan, Peacock & Fernie.

(Scorers: Mochan & Walsh)

Johnbhoy