Saint Mungo Cup
Encyclopedia
The Saint Mungo Cup was a one-off football
tournament held in Glasgow
, Scotland
, to celebrate the 1951 Festival of Britain
. The competition was contested by 14 Scottish Division A clubs together with Clyde
and Queens Park from Division B. Celtic
defeated Aberdeen
3–2 in the final in front of a crowd of 81,000 at Hampden Park
.
Aberdeen went two goals ahead with goals from Henry Yorkston in 14 minutes and Tommy Bogan after 35 minutes. Charlie Tully
changed the game in Celtic's favour setting up two Sean Fallon goals in the second half and then scored the winner himself. On their road to the final Celtic had beaten Heart of Midlothian
2–1, Clyde
4–2 in a replay the day after a 4–4 draw in the quarter finals and Raith Rovers
3–1 in the semi-finals.
In the semi-final against Raith Rovers (played of course at Hampden Park,Glasgow), the Celtic goalkeeper George Hunter suffered a head injury. In those days, no substitutes were permitted.However, when a goalkeeper was injured and had to leave the pitch, an outfield player was permitted to don the goalkeeper's jersey and play in goal for the rest of the game or until the injured 'keeper came back on after treatment. When Hunter was injured, Bobby Evans acted as goalkeeper for about ten minutes, until Hunter returned to the field.(See the match report in the "Glasgow Herald" of the day following the match.)
The Corporation of Glasgow who had organised the tournament and provided the cup named after Glasgow's patron saint
as their donation to the Festival of Britain were left red faced when the triumphant players and manager Jimmy McGrory
discovered, on closer examination, that the cup was decorated with ornate life belts and mermaid
s. It was revealed that the trophy was not in fact new but third hand. The cup had been made in 1894 as a yachting
trophy. In 1912 it had been altered for a football competition between Provan Gasworks and a City of Glasgow Police
team.
Celtic at first demanded a new trophy, but today the St. Mungo Cup proudly takes its place in the Celtic Park
trophy room.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
tournament held in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, to celebrate the 1951 Festival of Britain
Festival of Britain
The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition in Britain in the summer of 1951. It was organised by the government to give Britons a feeling of recovery in the aftermath of war and to promote good quality design in the rebuilding of British towns and cities. The Festival's centrepiece was in...
. The competition was contested by 14 Scottish Division A clubs together with Clyde
Clyde F.C.
Clyde Football Club are a Scottish professional football team currently playing in the Third Division of the Scottish Football League. Although based for the last fifteen years in the new town of Cumbernauld, they are traditionally associated with an area that covers Rutherglen in South...
and Queens Park from Division B. Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
defeated Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
3–2 in the final in front of a crowd of 81,000 at Hampden Park
Hampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
.
Aberdeen went two goals ahead with goals from Henry Yorkston in 14 minutes and Tommy Bogan after 35 minutes. Charlie Tully
Charlie Tully
Charles Patrick "Charlie" Tully was a famous footballer of Celtic Football Club.Tully was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. In 1944 he was struggling to break into a very strong Belfast Celtic team and in a bid to garner better match experience was sent on loan to Cliftonville F.C....
changed the game in Celtic's favour setting up two Sean Fallon goals in the second half and then scored the winner himself. On their road to the final Celtic had beaten Heart of Midlothian
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
2–1, Clyde
Clyde F.C.
Clyde Football Club are a Scottish professional football team currently playing in the Third Division of the Scottish Football League. Although based for the last fifteen years in the new town of Cumbernauld, they are traditionally associated with an area that covers Rutherglen in South...
4–2 in a replay the day after a 4–4 draw in the quarter finals and Raith Rovers
Raith Rovers F.C.
Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Kirkcaldy, Fife. They are members of the Scottish Football League, currently playing in the First Division, having secured promotion from the Second Division as champions in 2009. Rovers have won one national trophy, the...
3–1 in the semi-finals.
In the semi-final against Raith Rovers (played of course at Hampden Park,Glasgow), the Celtic goalkeeper George Hunter suffered a head injury. In those days, no substitutes were permitted.However, when a goalkeeper was injured and had to leave the pitch, an outfield player was permitted to don the goalkeeper's jersey and play in goal for the rest of the game or until the injured 'keeper came back on after treatment. When Hunter was injured, Bobby Evans acted as goalkeeper for about ten minutes, until Hunter returned to the field.(See the match report in the "Glasgow Herald" of the day following the match.)
The Corporation of Glasgow who had organised the tournament and provided the cup named after Glasgow's patron saint
Saint Mungo
Saint Mungo is the commonly used name for Saint Kentigern . He was the late 6th century apostle of the Brythonic Kingdom of Strathclyde in modern Scotland, and patron saint and founder of the city of Glasgow.-Name:In Wales and England, this saint is known by his birth and baptismal name Kentigern...
as their donation to the Festival of Britain were left red faced when the triumphant players and manager Jimmy McGrory
Jimmy McGrory
James Edward "Jimmy" McGrory was a Scottish football player and manager for Celtic who holds the record for most career goals in British football...
discovered, on closer examination, that the cup was decorated with ornate life belts and mermaid
Mermaid
A mermaid is a mythological aquatic creature with a female human head, arms, and torso and the tail of a fish. A male version of a mermaid is known as a "merman" and in general both males and females are known as "merfolk"...
s. It was revealed that the trophy was not in fact new but third hand. The cup had been made in 1894 as a yachting
Yachting
Yachting refers to recreational sailing or boating, the specific act of sailing or using other water vessels for sporting purposes.-Competitive sailing:...
trophy. In 1912 it had been altered for a football competition between Provan Gasworks and a City of Glasgow Police
City of Glasgow Police
The City of Glasgow Police was the police of the City of Glasgow, Scotland. In the 17th century, Scottish cities used to hire watchmen to guard the streets at night, augmenting a force of unpaid citizen constables. On June 30, 1800, the authorities of Glasgow, successfully petitioned the British...
team.
Celtic at first demanded a new trophy, but today the St. Mungo Cup proudly takes its place in the Celtic Park
Celtic Park
Celtic Park is a football stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which is the home ground of Celtic FC. Celtic Park, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 60,832, is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the sixth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom, after Murrayfield, Old Trafford,...
trophy room.