Celtic v Hearts Scottish Cup Semi 1988

Highlights of the 1988 Scottish Cup semi between Celtic and Hearts. Vintage performance from Paul McStay and a legendary fight back from the Birthday Bhoys.

[@jamesmurray1449]

In 1986 my mum met a Celtic supporter from Gourock, and from then on I started to follow them and was lucky to have attended this and the final after, both games we scored 2 in the last few minutes after being 1 down. I was only used to English games so these were a breath of fresh air to me, the atmosphere the crowds...totally sold on it...loved Celtic ever since.

[@michaeltortolano908]

Paul McStay........class.......

[@MrMallorcaboy]

mcstay was superb in this match.

[@Sean1970_Edenderry]

Was in the hearts section of main stand but all celtic supporters & coming back to Edinburgh was great! Can still clearly see Henry drop the ball 😂 Good Times HH 🇮🇪✊☘

[@greenjedi8]

Perhaps Paul's and indeed any Celtic midfielders finest display ever!

[@robertogilvie7928]

Was crying at the final whistle. .was celtic mad..love the bhoys so much ..TGB

[@drjohnbhoy1299]

I was listening in the radio that day What memories Paul B McStay his finest gamd ever The Centenary Double was written in the stars Hail hail

[@jimmybhoy]

Late goals in both semi final and final our club is blessed.. For our centenary year our name was on the double before a ball was kicked.. God bless Glasgow celtic.. A club like no other fact🍀

[@m75s87]

Correct. A club where abusing kids in the boys club was covered up and BJK.

[@trebleking1641]

Hundreds of abused children agree with that, mate.

[@shauny1boy]

Thanks for posting - what a season the centenary year was - it was almost as if the double was destined to happen. HH

[@denzilite]

This looked like one hell of a game. 100% commitment from the players, you could tell it meant everything to them to get a victory. Something you dont see from a lot of players these days

[@endlesssabbatical9612]

The Maestro was a genius

[@RichardSmith-ew3xz]

Henry, Henry, drop the ball, Henry , drop the ball. Henry Smith always obliged when asked to drop the ball. Celtic done pretty much the same to DUFC in the final, again two very late goals to secure the double. COYBIG

[@grahammckechnie8438]

Nice one henry nice one son nice one henry let's have another one

[@kipstrange1973]

I was at this match and the final. Good memories.

[@easystreet303]

Kip Strange I was there with my dad as an 11 year old, I remember being terrified of the crowd and crying when the second goal went in!!😂 amazing stuff

[@jimmybhoy]

Good memories... In my books that's celtics 2nd biggest besides the Lisbon lions.. 1888/1988🍀🇮🇪

[@scottkennedy203]

A was there to at semi and final, always remember first game in Scottish cup that year against Stranraer, nightmare game,won 1,0 worse we played all season,1988 ma favourite season ever ,was just ment to be 🍀

[@dmac4048]

My first ever game!! All the goals were fouls but amazing day that I’ll never forget!!

[@johnmcaree7298]

always love the massive grin on the face of the polis after the second goal.

[@jameskerr337]

great season!! "happy birthday to you"

[@kenpurves9727]

Top three Celtic games I have ever been at.😄😄

[@dmgsoultogetherness6667]

what a day

[@ewanmacfarlane9195]

Mcstey could have played for any team

[@dmguk9931]

that whole season...🍀

[@peterfinnie263]

Paul mcstsay ripping nae medals mckay a new one

[@ssammut1966]

I was at this game, was brilliant to beat those scumbags. I remember the equaliser when all my pound coins and some badges id bought went bye bye.

[@marky1888no1]

Henry henry drop the ball

[@Sunburst75]

The atmosphere and crowd noise at games like this at Hampden was immense. I've been in it many times when there was over 125,000 in it, mostly standing. It was a special place.The new Hampden is a shithole with no atmosphere, and diabolical viewing from the 2 ends. The sooner a new national stadium is built, the better.

[@MrMallorcaboy]

66,000 at this game, never got to see 125,000 at a game, can only imagine what it would be like.

[@denzilite]

Aye that looked like some atmosphere and the players were giving everything. The Cup final against Dundee United after this was the first Celtic game I can remember watching. That was the start of 31 years of Celtic obsession, its been one hell of a ride.

[@jimgavin1726]

Sunburst75 what are you, 150?

[@jimgavin1726]

Sunburst75 your talking pish.

[@Sunburst75]

@@jimgavin1726 Haha not quite! I was at many Cup Finals from 1968 on and Scotland v. England games when the crowds were huge. I think I was about 5 at the first one. I've got clearer memories of the early 70s one's, particularly the 1970 League Cup Final (Rangers 1 Celtic 0) attendance 106,000 , and Scotland 0 England 0 where the attendance was 137,000, plus probably another few thousand who climbed over the walls and gates!!

[@patrickreilly3322]

Great team coybig

[@junglejamesie]

Henry, Henry, drop the ball. Henry - drop the ball...

[@thomascalvey9781]

I

[@karlheinz676]

Ah yes......Good old Henry.

[@martinnicol9196]

The mark mcgee semi

[@17henke]

Henry drop the ball

[@gerardkenny7682]

Brian bawnogue Clondalkin we had very good team then 💯🇮🇪👍

[@DJJohnnyMac]

Would love to fine the whole match.

[@Heronjim]

I often wonder if Archie Mcpherson is watching the same game.

[@locheerebel5760]

just the same standard o referee in those days bricker of a foul on goalkeeper for hearts goal or am I being paranoid? thankfully football prevailed once more and god bless Albert Kidd.

[@barbarian981]

Foul on the Hearts goal, foul on Celtic´s second goal.

[@scotthiddleston8590]

Ken what I mean mate McGee on Henry smith no different and nothing wrong with any of them but u just look through ur green tinted glasses..

[@liammellows-hz3pf]

Paul McStay was very balanced as a footballer,and seldom made a mistake.His quiet demeanour left him without a job in football after his playing days.Just not comfortable in interviews or speaking to the media..Great player.

[@johncarroll772]

He worked as a male stripper in Australia after he retired.

[@jakeharkness1167]

Great games in sos days how football should be. HEARTS GOT REVENGE in Beaties penatly afew years later

[@transmissionggb2820]

Hearts really knew how to lose a game or trophy by blowing it when it counted. The final with United was the same as United loved blowing Scottish cup finals as they played 4 in the 80s and found a way to blow it no matter who they played, also in finals just before and after the 80s they blew them too. Must of been 6 finals in about 14-15 years and united blew it and hearts just did it in any competition and were found out in the end as a hopeless bunch who just played defence on the break with hoof ball so never a great team unlike the dons at the time as they played great football and were fit as to a lesser extent were united but lacked the great play and great management and a Willie Miller to make sure they did it right on the pitch to win when it counted although they had Jim McLean I always think they should have won more trophies than they did two league cups and the league was decent but they lost so much when it came to finals even in Europe they blew that by losing it at home where they should have done better after beating Barca and a great German team of the time to then lose to a very good Swedish team who had won the uefa cup for the second time that night in Dundee. So if they could have won more then Scottish football would have had teams that were winning more trophies from the old firm and making it more competitive in the years to come instead of the dons being the only team that could still challenge in the early to mid 90s against old firm or at least rangers who won just about everything after 91, until the season the dons nearly went down after that it was Celtic who were the challenge to rangers and it just flipped back and forth since and you just wonder how things could of changed if hearts won the title in 86, united ufea cup 87 and even what could of been if dons won title in 91 after another cup double the year before. How things could of been different for the whole of Scottish football if it was not for these three big moments in the game.

[@trebleking1641]

I don't think you used the words blow it or blew it enough in your post, mate. 😁

[@transmissionggb2820]

@@trebleking1641 I think I needed someone to blow me when I wrote that shite. It goes on for ages.

[@trebleking1641]

@@transmissionggb2820 I know, mate. No offence, but what load of pish...😆👍

[@transmissionggb2820]

@@trebleking1641 no offence at all, it is utter shit and there is no excuse for it, am sorry you had to see it.

[@kaypaxian1]

Celtic fans easily forget in those days youre lucky if 2 or 3 Hearts players would make celtic team, nowadays its none, And they act like theyre world beaters. Try and live on Hearts,/ hibs budgets, Rangers tried it a few years ago, and couldnt get out the championship.

[@cariza5]

Mark McGhee Always Scored Against Hearts and Big Roy, He would have killed Gascoigne.

[@truebluebears76]

cariza5 and Gazza would have scored more penalty s if Aitken was playing cos he gave 1 away nearly every game big fuking carthorse

[@cariza5]

@@truebluebears76 Aitken would have beat butcher in a fist fight.

[@truebluebears76]

cariza5 there's no hope for you pal if you think that big Terry Hurlock would have eaten Aitken for breakfast

[@cariza5]

@@truebluebears76 Roy Aitken, Mick McCarthy and Bobo Balde would have beaten Graeme Souness, Terry Butcher and Terry Hurlock in a fist fight, here is the current hard man of Scottish football kzbin.info/www/bejne/mYjQd2hqerSNi9U

[@ianclark6485]

How could that not be a foul? The striker never even touched the ball ha

[@theflyintheointment]

To be fair though.....all 3 goals in this game you could say the same 😂

[@patrickreilly3322]

All celtic bhoys

[@tezzabowbow6510]

Good owl henry 👍👍😂😂

[@khsmith6242]

Hearts FC, THE ultimate bottle job club and due another relegation any season now

[@bowtower]

I'm so glad the goal stood, it only made the gorgie mobs agony more enjoyable to watch, they actually thought they were going to win. GGTTH

[@khsmith6242]

Hearts the ultimate bottle merchants. But success did follow… in the Tennents sixes lololololol muppets

[@scotthiddleston8590]

U joking mate ..pat bonner just waiting for ball .big Dave is entitled to go for that and doesn't do a lot wrong keepers get too much protection so I you just paranoid

[@jbuck147]

he was nowhere near the ball - he just went for the keeper