Scottish Cup classics: Steven Tweed’s 1995 regrets

THE Hibernian captain was struggling to be fit on time, and Celtic were desperate to shrug off a reputation for under-­performing in big knockout games.
Willie Falconer celebrates after scoring Celtics second goal during the first half of the replayed 1995 semi-final at Ibrox. Picture: SNSWillie Falconer celebrates after scoring Celtics second goal during the first half of the replayed 1995 semi-final at Ibrox. Picture: SNS
Willie Falconer celebrates after scoring Celtics second goal during the first half of the replayed 1995 semi-final at Ibrox. Picture: SNS

That is the case now, as we look ahead to Sunday’s Scottish Cup final. And it was also the case back in 1995, when the clubs met in the semi-final.

Several seasons on from their last trophy, the 1991 League Cup, Hibs were enjoying a ­decent league campaign in which they would finish in third place, a couple of points clear of Celtic. Nonetheless, Tommy Burns’s team were favourites to win through to the final, even though it was being played at Ibrox.

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The first tie was on a Friday night, and ended in a goalless draw. Hibs were deemed fortunate to take the tie into a replay, having had a penalty awarded against them with just 15 minutes to go. When Jim Leighton saved Andy Walker’s spot-kick, however, they felt justice had been done, as they were adamant that Pat McGinlay’s foul on Paul McStay had taken place outside the box. There had been some confusion before the ­penalty was taken, as Walker appeared to refuse to hand over the ball to John Collins, Celtic’s usual penalty taker.

Paul McStay is challenged by Michael O'Neill. Picture: SNSPaul McStay is challenged by Michael O'Neill. Picture: SNS
Paul McStay is challenged by Michael O'Neill. Picture: SNS

But Burns was unperturbed, saying: “It is a good sign when two players are fighting to take such an important penalty kick. I thought Celtic dominated the game and that was the most ­encouraging thing for me.”

Failure to win that Friday night match had an ominous feeling to it for some Celtic supporters, as it had been only a few months earlier that their team had suffered an ignominious defeat by Raith Rovers in the Coca-Cola Cup final. That game had also been at Ibrox, where the decisive penalty shoot-out took place at the same end as ­Leighton’s saved spot-kick.

There had been a time during Burns’s playing days when the mere presence of the midfielder’s name on a teamsheet was enough to calm the nerves of many Celtic supporters. But his appointment as manager after a promising spell at Kilmarnock had come at a less auspicious time in Celtic’s history.

Burns – who died, aged 51, five years ago this month – had succeeded Lou Macari in 1994. The club had not been champions since their centenary in 1988, and the last trophy they won was the Scottish Cup in 1989. They were overdue a success, but with each failure the pressure grew.

Hibs had anxieties too ahead of the replay, particularly over captain Gordon Hunter. Manager Alex Miller hoped to have him back from injury, but was forced to field a makeshift
defence instead.

It was a member of that defence, Steven Tweed, who was presented with his team’s best chance of taking a lead when a cross by Willie Miller fell at his feet inside the six-yard box. But Tweed shot wide, and Celtic went on to take control of the first half, scoring twice, through John Collins and then Willie ­Falconer, before the break.

Hibs striker Keith Wright provoked some anxiety in the Celtic ranks when he pulled a goal back midway through the second half, but Phil O’Donnell eventually put the tie beyond doubt with his team’s third goal seven minutes from time.

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Tweed, who plans to attend Sunday’s final with his son Conar, explained yesterday that he remembers feeling more disappointed at the end of the first match than he did after the second. “That scoreless draw was probably harder to take than the 3-1 defeat, because we had our chances and didn’t take them,” he said. “We gave 100 per cent in the second game too, but we were arguably beaten by a better team on the night. We had a few chances in that first game. We really should have put them to bed.”

And what about that miss in the second game? Perhaps ­diplomatically, Tweed remembers little about it.

“It was a typical centre-half ­effort. I was more interested in not losing a goal,” he said.

“Seriously, we did have a good defence at the time – I think it was the season before that we came within a couple of minutes of beating [Rangers goalkeeper] Chris Woods’s record for not conceding a goal.

“At that time I just took it for granted that we were going to play in cup finals all the time. This team are back in the final now for the second year in a row, but we were probably more consistent overall. Certainly in the league our performances were better.

“We were involved in ­European games regularly too. And domestically, my memory is that we expected to be in semi-finals nine times out of ten competitions.”

That degree of expectation is more commonly associated with Celtic, but back in 1995, after those cheerless seasons without a trophy, hope was the most you could expect at Parkhead. And that hope was realised in the final, when a goal by Pierre van Hooijdonk was enough to see off the challenge of Airdrie.

That Scottish Cup was the only trophy Collins would win in his six seasons with Celtic. Having been with Hibs previously, he was just as familiar with the Edinburgh club’s sorry story of failure in the cup.

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Therefore, while pleased to win through to the final and then to beat Airdrie, he naturally felt a lot of sympathy with Hibs.

“You always feel sympathy,” Collins said yesterday. “Both clubs have been a huge part of my life. “I had six years at Hibs as a kid from leaving school to becoming a professional. I’ve got some unbelievably happy memories from that time – a lot of important friendships and relationships were built at that young age.

“There’s a special bond when you’re apprentices at 16, 17, 18, cleaning the stands together, sweeping the terraces then going on to make my debut.

“Then I got a massive move to Celtic and spent six years there. So both clubs have given me nothing but happy memories.”

While Celtic steadily improved in the seasons subsequent to the end of that trophy drought, there were less happy memories ahead for Hibs. Some of the best players from the team built up by Miller left over the following two years, and ­relegation would follow in 1998.

The year before that, they met up with Celtic again in the cup – in the fourth round this time. The tie again went to a replay, and Celtic again emerged triumphant – though in contrast to 1995 they did not go on to win the trophy.