1978–79 Celtic F.C. season

Celtic 1978–79 football season

Celtic
1978–79 season
Chairman	Desmond White
Manager	Billy McNeil
Stadium	Celtic Park
Scottish Premier Division	1st
Scottish Cup	5th Round
Scottish League Cup	Semi-finalists
Anglo-Scottish Cup	Quarter-finalists
Top goalscorer	League: Tom McAdam 7 All: Tom McAdam 13
Highest home attendance	55,867
Lowest home attendance	14,728
Average home league attendance	25,469
← 1977–78 1979–80 →

During the 1978–79 Scottish football season, Celtic competed in the Scottish Premier Division.

Competitions

Scottish Premier Division

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Celtic (C)	36	21	6	9	61	37	+24	48	Qualification for the European Cup first round
2	Rangers	36	18	9	9	52	35	+17	45	Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round
3	Dundee United	36	18	8	10	56	37	+19	44	Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
4	Aberdeen	36	13	14	9	59	36	+23	40	Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
5	Hibernian	36	12	13	11	44	48	−4	37

Source: Statto and RSSSF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions

Matches

Morton v Celtic

12 August 1978 Premier League	Morton	1–2	Celtic	Greenock
15:00				Stadium: Cappielow Park Attendance: 16,040

Celtic v Hearts

19 August 1978 Premier League	Celtic	4–0	Hearts	Glasgow
15:00				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 22,907

Motherwell v Celtic

26 August 1978 Premier League	Motherwell	1–5	Celtic	Motherwell
15:00				Stadium: Fir Park Attendance: 19,710

Celtic v Rangers

9 September 1978 Premier League	Celtic	3–1	Rangers	Glasgow
15:00				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 55,867

Celtic v Hibernian

16 September 1978 Premier League	Celtic	0–1	Hibernian	Glasgow
15:00 BST				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 26,169

Partick Thistle v Celtic

23 September 1978 Premier League	Partick Thistle	2–3	Celtic	Glasgow
15:00 BST				Stadium: Firhill Park Attendance: 21,272

Celtic v St Mirren

30 September 1978 Premier League	Celtic	2–1	St Mirren	Glasgow
15:00 BST				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 25,379

Aberdeen v Celtic

7 October 1978 Premier League	Aberdeen	4–1	Celtic	Aberdeen
15:00 BST				Stadium: Pittodrie Stadium Attendance: 22,563

Dundee United v Celtic

14 October 1978 Premier League	Dundee United	1–0	Celtic	Dundee
15:00 BST				Stadium: Tannadice Park Attendance: 17,726

Celtic v Morton

21 October 1978 Premier League	Celtic	0–0	Morton	Glasgow
15:00 BST				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 22,220

Hearts v Celtic

28 October 1978 Premier League	Hearts	2–0	Celtic	Edinburgh
15:00 BST				Stadium: Tynecastle Park Attendance: 19,269

Celtic v Motherwell

4 November 1978 Premier League	Celtic	1–2	Motherwell	Glasgow
15:00 GMT				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 19,808

Rangers v Celtic

11 November 1978 Premier League	Rangers	1–1	Celtic	Glasgow
15:00 GMT				Stadium: Hampden Park Attendance: 53,941

Hibernian v Celtic

18 November 1978 Premier League	Hibernian	2–2	Celtic	Edinburgh
15:00 GMT				Stadium: Easter Road Attendance: 21,450

Celtic v Partick Thistle

25 November 1978 Premier League	Celtic	1–0	Partick Thistle	Glasgow
15:00 GMT				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 24,669

Celtic v Aberdeen

9 December 1978 Premier League	Celtic	0–0	Aberdeen	Glasgow
15:00 GMT				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 22,646

Celtic v Dundee United

16 December 1978 Premier League	Celtic	1–1	Dundee United	Glasgow
15:00 GMT				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 19,868

Morton v Celtic

23 December 1978 Premier League	Morton	1–0	Celtic	Greenock
15:00 GMT				Stadium: Cappielow Park Attendance: 12,636

Celtic v Aberdeen

3 March 1979 Premier League	Celtic	1–0	Aberdeen	Glasgow
15:00 GMT				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 25,331

Celtic v Motherwell

17 March 1979 Premier League	Celtic	2–1	Motherwell	Glasgow
15:00 GMT				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 14,866

Celtic v Morton

28 March 1979 Premier League	Celtic	3–0	Morton	Glasgow
19:30 GMT				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 17,728

Hibernian v Celtic

31 March 1979 Premier League	Hibernian	2–1	Celtic	Edinburgh
15:00 GMT				Stadium: Easter Road Attendance: 16,071

Motherwell v Celtic

4 April 1979 Premier League	Motherwell	3–4	Celtic	Motherwell
19:30 GMT				Stadium: Fir Park Attendance: 8,744

Celtic v Partick Thistle

7 April 1979 Premier League	Celtic	2–0	Partick Thistle	Glasgow
15:00 GMT				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 17,478

Dundee United v Celtic

11 April 1979 Premier League	Dundee United	2–1	Celtic	Dundee
19:30 GMT				Stadium: Tannadice Park Attendance: 14,424

St Mirren v Celtic

14 April 1979 Premier League	St Mirren	0–1	Celtic	Paisley
15:00 GMT				Stadium: St Mirren Park, Love Street Attendance: 19,549

Hearts v Celtic

18 April 1979 Premier League	Hearts	0–3	Celtic	Edinburgh
19:30 GMT				Stadium: Tynecastle Park Attendance: 10,633

Aberdeen v Celtic

21 April 1979 Premier League	Aberdeen	1–1	Celtic	Aberdeen
15:00 GMT				Stadium: Pittodrie Stadium Attendance: 22,593

Celtic v St Mirren

25 April 1979 Premier League	Celtic	2–1	St Mirren	Glasgow
19:30 GMT				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 17,171

Celtic v Dundee United

28 April 1979 Premier League	Celtic	2–1	Dundee United	Glasgow
15:00 BST				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 35,807

Celtic v Hibernian

2 May 1979 Premier League	Celtic	3–1	Hibernian	Glasgow
19:30 BST				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 21,728

Rangers v Celtic

5 May 1979 Premier League	Rangers	1–0	Celtic	Glasgow
15:00 BST				Stadium: Hampden Park Attendance: 51,359

Partick Thistle v Celtic

7 May 1979 Premier League	Partick Thistle	1–2	Celtic	Glasgow
15:00 BST				Stadium: Firhill Park Attendance: 17,659

St Mirren v Celtic

11 May 1979 Premier League	St Mirren	0–2	Celtic	Paisley
19:30 BST				Stadium: St Mirren Park, Love Street Attendance: 20,800

Celtic v Hearts

14 May 1979 Premier League	Celtic	1–0	Hearts	Edinburgh
19:30 BST				Stadium: Tynecastle Park Attendance: 16,507

Celtic v Rangers

21 May 1979 Premier League	Celtic	4–2	Rangers	Glasgow
19:30 BST				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 55,296

Scottish Cup

Montrose v Celtic

31 January 1979 Third round	Montrose	2–4	Celtic	Montrose
19:30 GMT				Stadium: Links Park Attendance: 3,066

Celtic v Berwick Rangers

26 February 1979 Fourth round	Celtic	3–0	Berwick Rangers	Glasgow
19:30 GMT				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 13,000

Aberdeen v Celtic

10 March 1979 Fifth round	Aberdeen	1–1	Celtic	Glasgow
15:00 GMT				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 23,000

Celtic v Aberdeen

14 March 1979 Fifth round replay	Celtic	1–2	Aberdeen	Glasgow
19:30 GMT				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 37,000

Scottish League Cup

Celtic v Dundee

16 August 1978 First round 1st leg	Celtic	3–1	Dundee	Glasgow
19:30 GMT				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 10,515

Dundee v Celtic

23 August 1978 First round 2nd leg	Dundee	0–3 (2–6 agg.)	Celtic	Dundee
19:30 GMT				Stadium: Dens Park Attendance: 12,698

Dundee United v Celtic

30 August 1978 Second round 1st leg	Dundee United	2–3	Celtic	Dundee
19:30 GMT				Stadium: Tannadice Park Attendance: 12,648

Celtic v Dundee United

2 September 1978 Second round 2nd leg	Celtic	1–0 (4–2 agg.)	Dundee United	Glasgow
15:00 GMT				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 28,563

Celtic v Motherwell

4 October 1978 Third round 1st leg	Celtic	0–1	Motherwell	Glasgow
19:30 GMT				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 17,643

Motherwell v Celtic

11 October 1978 Third round 2nd leg	Motherwell	1–4 (2–4 agg.)	Celtic	Motherwell
19:30 GMT				Stadium: Fir Park Attendance: 17,911

Montrose v Celtic

8 November 1978 Quarter-final 1st leg	Montrose	1–1	Celtic	Montrose
19:30 GMT				Stadium: Links Park Attendance: 4,284

Celtic v Montrose

15 November 1978 Quarter-final 2nd leg	Celtic	3–1 (4–2 agg.)	Montrose	Glasgow
19:30 GMT				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 9,372

Rangers v Celtic

13 December 1978 Semi-final	Rangers	3 – 2 (aet)	Celtic	Glasgow
19:30 GMT				Stadium: Hampden Park Attendance: 49,349

Anglo-Scottish Cup

Celtic

Clyde

3 August 1978 1st round 1st leg	Celtic	2–1	Clyde	Glasgow
20:00 GMT				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 10,000

Clyde

Celtic

5 August 1978 1st round 2nd leg	Clyde	1–6 (2–8 agg.)	Celtic	Glasgow
20:00 GMT				Stadium: Shawfield Stadium Attendance: 12,000

Burnley

Celtic

12 September 1978 Quarter-final 1st leg	Burnley	1–0	Celtic	Burnley
20:00 GMT				Stadium: Turf Moor Attendance: 25,000

Celtic

Burnley

27 September 1978 Quarter-final 2nd leg	Celtic	1–2 (1–3 agg.)	Burnley	Glasgow
20:00 GMT				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 27,000

Glasgow Cup

Celtic v Clyde

8 May 1979 Semi-final	Celtic	3–2	Clyde	Glasgow
19:30 BST				Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 2,000

Rangers v Celtic

16 May 1979 Final	Rangers	3–1	Celtic	Glasgow
19:30 BST				Stadium: Ibrox Park Attendance: 2,000

Club staff

Board of directors
Position	Name
Chairman	Desmond White
Secretary	Desmond White
Directors	Thomas Devlin James Farrell Kevin Kelly

Football staff
Position	Name
Manager	Billy McNeill
Assistant manager	John Clark
Reserve Team Manager	Frank Connor
Reserve Coach	Jimmy Lumsden
Trainer	Neil Mochan
Physio	Bob Rooney
Masseur	Jimmy Steele
Chief Scout	John Kelman

Transfers

Transfers In
Date	Name	From	Transfer Fee
July 1978	Jim Lumsden	Clydebank F.C.	£10,000
September 1978	Davie Provan	Kilmarnock F.C.	£125,000
September 1978	Murdo MacLeod	Dumbarton F.C.	£100,000
October 1978	Bobby Lennox	Houston Hurricane	Free Transfer
March 1979	Vic Davidson	Blackpool F.C.	£35,000
		Total Transfer Fees	£270,000

Transfers Out
Date	Name	To	Transfer Fee
August 1978	Pat Stanton	Retired	Released
September 1978	Paul Wilson	Motherwell F.C.	£50,000
September 1978	Joe Craig	Blackburn Rovers F.C.	£40,000
March 1979	Roy Baines	Greenock Morton F.C.	£12,000
April 1979	Alfie Conn Jr.	Derby County F.C.	Free Transfer
April 1979	John Dowie	Doncaster Rovers F.C.	Free Transfer
		Total Transfer Fees	£102,000

References

v t e Celtic F.C. seasons
1888–89 1889–90
1890–91 1891–92 1892–93 1893–94 1894–95 1895–96 1896–97 1897–98 1898–99 1899–1900
1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10
1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20
1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30
1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40
1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50
1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60
1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70
1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80
1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90
1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000
2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10
2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20
2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
List of unbeaten football club seasons

v t e 1978–79 in Scottish football
« 1977–78 1979–80 »
Domestic leagues	Football League Premier Division First Division Second Division Highland League
Domestic cups	Scottish Cup Final League Cup Final Junior Cup
European competitions	European Cup European Cup Winners' Cup UEFA Cup Anglo-Scottish Cup
Related to national team	Results Euro 1980 qualifying (Group 2) British Home Championship
Club seasons
Premier Division	Aberdeen Celtic Dundee United Heart of Midlothian Hibernian Morton Motherwell Partick Thistle Rangers St. Mirren
First Division	Airdrieonians Arbroath Ayr United Clyde Clydebank Dundee Dumbarton Hamilton Academical Kilmarnock Montrose Queen of the South Raith Rovers St. Johnstone Stirling Albion
Second Division	Albion Rovers Alloa Athletic Berwick Rangers Brechin City Cowdenbeath Dunfermline Athletic East Fife East Stirlingshire Falkirk Forfar Athletic Meadowbank Thistle Queen's Park Stenhousemuir Stranraer