Celtic’s league title win in 1986 will remain one of the most talked about in the club’s history.
Celtic went into their last league game of the season needing to win by three goals or more and pray that Hearts lost at Dundee which, even then, was a tall order.
On the 22nd of March, Celtic played out an epic 4-4 draw with Rangers at Ibrox which was the catalyst for an eight-game winning streak that made Hearts’ bottle crash on the final league game of the season.
However, what Celtic fans may not know is that there was a former Rangers player who put in a man of the match performance for Dundee against Hearts at Dens Park that day that helped send the title to Celtic Park.
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How former Rangers man helped Celtic win the title in 1986
First up, Celtic beat St Mirren at Love Street after goals from Brian McClair (2), Maurice Johnston (2) and Paul McStay sealed the famous win.
However, as Albert Kidd stole the headlines with his late double to sink Hearts at Dens Park, former Rangers defender Colin Hendry shares how he was a big part of the most famous Celtic title win in the club’s history.
And he didn’t look too chuffed telling the story.
Hendry told the Let Me Be Frank Podcast [1m 40s], “I played for Dundee against that infamous game against Hearts that prevented Hearts winning the league.
“And I thought you, Frank, were playing for Celtic at St Mirren that day but you might have been playing for St Mirren.
“I played the full 90 minutes. I played alongside Jim Duffy and I’d just been converted from a striker to a centre-half.
“Archie did not fancy me as a striker and he says, ‘Listen get to the back out of the road’.
“I walked away with the Man of the Match award that day as well.”
The incredible run of results that saw Celtic win the Scottish league with just 50 points
Celtic won the league that day with just 50 points. Hearts ended the season gutted in second place with the same number of points but with three goals less.
Rangers finished 5th in the table behind Dundee United and Aberdeen on just 35 points. However, for Celtic the Bhoys played 36 games, won 20, drew 10, and lost six.
But it was the final 12 fixtures of the season that saw some remarkable results that still allowed Celtic to pip Hearts to the league title.
- 8 February 1986: Celtic 1–1 St Mirren
22 February 1986: Celtic 1–1 Hearts
15 March 1986: Celtic 1–1 Dundee United
22 March 1986: Rangers 4–4 Celtic
29 March 1986 Clydebank 0–5 Celtic
2 April 1986: Celtic 2–1 Dundee
5 April 1986: St Mirren 1–2 Celtic
12 April 1986: Aberdeen 0–1 Celtic
19 April 1986: Celtic 2–0 Hibernian
26 April 1986Pr: Celtic 2–0 Dundee
30 April 1986: Motherwell 0–2 Celtic
3 May 1986: St Mirren 0–5 Celtic
So whatever happened to Albert Kidd after that day? The former Dundee man now lives in Australia where he probably never has to put his hand in his pocket ever again if he bumps into Celtic fans in the local bars.
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