Induction for 66-67 Legends
The 2014 Clyde FC Hall of Fame Dinner will take place at the Hilton Strathclyde in Bellshill on Friday 11th April.
Club director and event organiser, David Macpherson contacted the official website to explain the background behind the main event of the evening; the official Hall of Fame induction of The Bully Wee’s famous 1966-67 team:-
“When we looked at and assessed potential entrants into the Clyde FC Hall of Fame, several playing members of the 66-67 squad kept cropping up, as well as manager Davie White. Sadly, Davie’s premature passing last July meant we had to revise our focus and it was shortly afterwards that we decided to honour the entire squad from that season. Some are already members of the club’s Hall of Fame in their own right and some may well receive this individual honour in the future, but on 11th April we will honour the entire playing squad – not forgetting Davie White – for their remarkable achievements that season.
“That Clyde team finished third in the top tier of Scottish Football; a fantastic achievement in its own right, but elevated even more when you consider that champions Celtic would be crowned Champions of Europe a few weeks later, second-placed Rangers would be very narrowly beaten in the final of the European Cup Winners Cup final a few days after Celtic won in Lisbon… and that was a part-time Clyde team! Yes, every one of the players either worked or studied by day and trained by night.
“We also reached the Scottish Cup semi-final, where we faced the same all-conquering Celtic side. Part-time Clyde gave as good as they got and held Celtic to a 0-0 draw, in a match where we weren’t without our chances. The replay was just a step too far, as Clyde went down by two goals to nil.
“The season wasn’t over though and enough league points were gathered to ensure we finished third in the league. This should have ensured we became the first part-time team from Scotland to qualify for a European competition, however it wasn’t to be. The European Competition allocation for Scotland meant that Celtic would go into the European Cup and Aberdeen into the Cup Winners Cup. The three places for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup should have gone to Rangers, Clyde and Hibs, but the one-city-one-club rule was invoked and Dundee took Clyde’s place, by virtue of Rangers and Clyde being deemed to be from the same city.”
The event will be hosted by Clyde’s very own Dougie Donnelly, who has many fond memories of being a ballboy at Shawfield during the 66-67 season. There will also be contributions from Billy McNeil, John Greig, Jim Duffy and radio celebrity Scotty McClue.
Supporters in attendance will be given the opportunity to meet the players and get copies of a specially commissioned book on the 1966-67 season, written by the head of the Clyde Archive, Gordon Sydney.
Tickets are priced at a very reasonable £40 per person, with tables of ten available at a reduced rate of £360. They are available via the Clyde Office, or by contacting Gordon at shawfieldboy@gmail.com or via ‘Shawfield 1972’ on the website forum. Dress code is smart/casual.