Hampden in the sun

Hampden in the sun is a phrase used to describe the 1957 Scottish League Cup final at Hampden Park, in which Celtic beat rivals Rangers in a record 7-1 victory. [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19980416/ai_n14160384 Headers harmed my brain, says footballer] , "The Independent", 16 April 1998] First coined by Celtic supporters as the title of a terrace song, [http://www.nafcsc.com/information/hampden_in_the_sun.htm Hampden in the Sun] , The North American Federation of Celtic Supporters Clubs, Retrieved 22 June 2007] Alford, Mark. [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20030412/ai_n12682837 So Farewell Billy McPail] , "The Independent", 12 April 2003] Rej, Arindam . [http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,1563,1379020,00.html Veterans battle to prove brain damage link] , "The Guardian", 23 December 2004] it's since been used in other songs, [http://www.charlieandthebhoys.co.uk/celticoverall.htm Celtic Over All] by Charlie and the Bhoys] poems Hoops bid farewell to hat-trick legend Billy, "News of the World", April 6 2003] and a book.Burns, Peter & Woods, Pat (1998). "Oh, Hampden in the Sun", Mainstream Publishing, ISBN 1851589112]

Overview

Celtic entered the final as holders, having beaten Partick Thistle the previous year. Rangers were the reigning Scottish Football League Champions. The match was the first League Cup final contested by the Old Firm, and was held at a sunny Hampden Park in Glasgow, at 3.45pm on the afternoon of 19 October 1957.

Celtic attacked from the start, with shots hitting the post twice in the first twenty minutes. The first goal was scored by Sammy Wilson, from a Charlie Tully cross on in the 22nd minute. Rangers defended for the remainder of the first half, however in the 44th minute Neil Mochan scored a solo goal after a run down the left wing. Within eight minutes of the restart Billy McPhail scored Celtic's third goal with a header from a Bobby Collins cross. Rangers narrowed the margin five minutes later, a goal by Simpson, however it only served to reinvigorate the Celtic attack as McPhail, then Mochan scored their second goals.

In the 80th minute, McPhail claimed his third, a hat-trick of goals all scored with his head. As the game drew to a close violence flared in among the fans, but in the final minute McPhail was fouled in the Rangers' penalty area. He declined the opportunity to score a fourth goal, a feat never achieved by a player in an Old Firm match, instead Willie Fernie took the kick. In addition to the seven goals, Celtic hit the woodwork four times. They were permitted to keep their jerseys as a souvenir of the day. [http://kerrydalestreet.com/page/1957-10-19%3A+Celtic+7-1+Rangers%2C+League+Cup+-+Pictures Just one word for Celtic - Magnificent] , "The Sunday Post", 20 October 1957]

Much of the blame for the poor defensive display by Rangers was attributed to centre back John Valentine, who had signed from Queen's Park earlier that season. Bobby Collins told "The Sunday Post" "I don’t know if Valentine had no faith in George Niven or Niven had no faith in Valentine, but ultimately they had no faith in themselves, something you can sense very quickly on a football field, and inevitably the game became a rout."

The victory, reported in "The Times" as "a wonderful exhibition of football", [http://kerrydalestreet.com/page/1957-19-10%3A+Celtic+7-1+Rangers%2C+League+Cup?t=anon Glasgow Rangers Outplayed] , "The Times", 21 October 1957] and as an "October Revolution" by "The Sunday Post", was comprehensive. The scoreline remains a record in any major British football final, the record margin of victory in an Old Firm game, and Rangers' record defeat. [http://www.rangers.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Records/0,,5,00.html Records and Honours] Rangers.co.uk, retrieved 24 June 2007]

Match details

footballbox
date = October 19, 1957
team1 = Celtic
score = 7 – 1
report = [http://kerrydalestreet.com/page/1957-19-10%3A+Celtic+7-1+Rangers%2C+League+Cup?t=anon Report]
team2 = Rangers
goals1 = Wilson goal|22
Mochan goal|44, goal|75
McPhail goal|53, goal|67, goal|80
Fernie goal|90 (pen)
goals2 = Simpson goal|58
stadium = Hampden Park, GlasgowRef: J.A. Mowatt
Attendance: 82,293

Teams

In song

In the summer of 1957, the motion picture "Island in the Sun" was released in Europe, featuring a title song by Harry Belafonte. The song peaked at in the UK singles chart in June and went on to become the 5th biggest selling single that year [ [http://www.everyhit.com/chart1.html Chart Archive: 1950s singles] , everyHit.com, retrieved 23 July 2007] Celtic fans composed alternative lyrics to the tune, and began to sing "Hampden in the Sun" at football matches to celebrate the victory. The song has since been recorded by artists such as "Freedom's sons" [ [http://www.cherryred.co.uk/crzone/licensing/show_foot.php?cat=Celtic%20F.C. Licensing Catalogue] , Cherry Red Records, Retrieved 23 June, 2007] and regularly features on albums of Celtic football songs. The phrase itself has become synonymous with the match, and has since been used in other songs and poems, and is the title of a book about the 1957 final and the iconic status it achieved among the Celtic support.Burns, Peter & Woods, Pat (1998). "Oh, Hampden in the Sun", Mainstream Publishing, ISBN 1851589112]

ee also

*Arbroath 36-0 Bon Accord
*History of Celtic F.C.
*History of Rangers F.C.
*Lisbon Lions
*The Bhoys from Seville

Notes and references