What would be doing today if a certain game of football hadn’t resulted in a 5-2 win for the newly formed Celtic club exactly 124 years ago today?
Pausing for a moment to contemplate life without Celtic is unthinkable. It’s the bond that binds so many people together, a common interest through families, through different working professions and a passion that can barely be described.
When Brother Walfrid finally saw his side in green and white stripes take the field on 28 May 1888 he could have had no idea the social phenomenon that he was starting.
The initial aim of providing food for the hungry across the east end of Glasgow soon evolved and developed into one of the biggest and best supported clubs as football fever gripped the working class taking advantage of half day working on Saturday’s.
Celtic were soon setting the standards in the game playing at the new look Celtic Park and winning six Scottish championships in a row.
The club went on to experience lean and depressing times but by and large the support stayed faithful although not afraid to criticise those in authority if they felt that the club was being short changed.
Supporters have always been at the heart of Celtic and are without doubt the major attraction to new players.
As recently as last month the scenes of joy that exploded around Kilmarnock’s Rugby Park and back along the M77 to Glasgow will never be forgotten as Neil Lennon’s side defied the odds to take the title with a thrilling 6-0 victory.
Last weeks visit to Norwich proved an eye-opener to the locals as they discovered that the Poznan was really the Huddle as they joined in with the travelling support with both sets of fans happy to chant that ‘They Just Can’t Get Enough’.
Behind every great footballing success for the club are tales about the supporters. Lisbon and Seville weren’t just sporting occasions, they were landmarks in Scotland’s social history as thousands poured out of the country for never to be forgotten experiences with every single fan returning with stories to tell.
At the clubs lowest ebb in the early 1990’s it was the supporters who saved the club by providing a platform for Fergus McCann to drag the club into the 20th and 21st centuries.
The special relationship between supporters, players and club is the cornerstone of Celtic’s success. The folklore of the club develops with every passing year as groups ranging from the Thai Tims and Celtic Graves Society add to the Celtic Story which all kicked off 124 years ago today.
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