1985–86 Celtic F.C. season

The 1985–86 Scottish football season was to be Davie Hay's 3rd season in charge after winning his first trophy, the Scottish Cup the previous season, Celtic were looking to compete for the Scottish Premier Division league title^[2] that Aberdeen had won the two previous seasons under Manager Alex Ferguson.

The club would begin the season with a new Chairman, Thomas Devlin^[3] who had been a director since 1949 took over the job from Desmond White who died suddenly while on holiday in Greece during the summer.^[4] Desmond White a important figure in the clubs history, had been Chairman since 1971, when he took over from Sir Robert Kelly, he had been a director since 1947 when he succeeded his father Thomas White on the board of directors.^[5]

Celtic were linked with several players during the summer, especially strikers to replace cup winning hero Frank McGarvey who was surprisingly sold to St Mirren just after scoring the winning goal in the 1985 Scottish Cup Final.^[6] Full backs Graeme Sinclair and Mark Reid had already departed in May. The club was linked with various players during the pre-season, speculation included players such as Pat Nevin^[7] and Frank Gray.^[8] It would take until November for Celtic to make a signing when they brought in ex Aberdeen hero Mark McGhee from German Bundesliga team Hamburg.

The domestic season began with a draw away to Hearts at Tynecastle, followed by consecutive league victories. Celtic's League Cup campaign opened with two comfortable wins against lower-league opposition, defeating Queen of the South and Brechin City. August concluded with a strong performance at Celtic Park against Rangers, with the Old Firm encounter ending in a draw after a closely contested match.^[9]

September began with disappointment in the League Cup. Celtic were eliminated following a dramatic 4–4 draw after extra time away to Hibernian, before losing the subsequent penalty shoot-out. The team responded positively in league competition, recording three wins from three matches to maintain momentum in the early stages of the season. Celtic's European campaign in the European Cup Winners’ Cup also began during the month, with a challenging first-round draw against Atlético Madrid. Celtic achieved a creditable 1–1 draw in the first leg away in Madrid. September 1985 was also marked by tragedy with the death of former Celtic and Scotland manager Jock Stein. Stein collapsed and died while attending Scotland's World Cup qualifying match, in which the national team secured the point required to reach the play-offs for the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico.

Celtic’s European campaign came to an end in October following a poor second-leg performance against Atlético Madrid, played behind closed doors.^[10] The sanction had been imposed by UEFA as a result of crowd disturbances during the previous season’s fixture against Rapid Wien in the UEFA Cup.^[11] Domestically, Celtic began the month at the top of the league table^[12] but experienced inconsistent form. Victories over St Mirren and Clydebank were offset by home defeats to Hearts and Dundee United^[13] These results caused Celtic to relinquish first place, and they finished the month second in the table behind Aberdeen on goal difference.

Inconsistent league form continued into November, with the team opening the month with consecutive defeats. A heavy loss away to league leaders Aberdeen at Pittodrie.^[14] was followed by a home defeat to a dominant Rangers side.^[15] These results saw Celtic fall to third place in the table, three points behind Aberdeen and one point adrift of Rangers.^[16] A home victory over Clydebank, with both goals scored by new signing Mark McGhee, helped stabilize results^[17] However, a subsequent draw away to Hibernian delayed any sustained return to form.

December began with a hard-fought draw against an improving Hearts side, a result that saw them drop to fourth place in the league. Aberdeen remained top of the table, with Hearts in second and Rangers narrowly ahead of Celtic on goal difference. A scheduled fixture against Motherwell was postponed due to heavy rain.^[18] Celtic returned to league action on Monday, 23 December, suffering a 1–0 defeat away to Dundee United. The result further weakened their position in the title race, leaving the club in fifth place and four points behind leaders Hearts, although Celtic had played three matches fewer.^[19] Celtic ended the calendar year with a victory over Clydebank, moving back into fourth position and setting the stage for a crucial New Year’s Day encounter with Rangers at Celtic Park.

Celtic began the New Year with a 2–0 victory over rivals Rangers, a result that revitalised their league campaign and left Rangers trailing in the championship race.^[20] Despite the win, Celtic still faced a challenge to close the gap on Aberdeen, Hearts, and Dundee United, who occupied the positions above them in the table. In their next fixture, Celtic were defeated 4-2 by a strong Dundee United side;^[21] however, this proved to be their final league loss of the season. Two subsequent draws against Aberdeen^[22] and Hibernian slowed momentum, but a home victory over Motherwell helped preserve their title ambitions. Celtic’s Scottish Cup campaign also commenced in January, beginning with a 2–0 win over St Johnstone.

Celtic prepared for the 1985–86 season with a summer tour Sweden during late July and early August, playing 4 games during a weeks trip.

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