Cumbernauld Utd
United vs Celtic 1968
United Vs Celtic 1968
United's successful start in their re-introduction to Junior Football brought scouts flocking to their games and Johnny Hamilton was snapped up by Hibernian. In his four years at Easter Road, Johnny went on to win League Cup and Dryborough Cup winners medals
Although United were narrowly beaten 2-1 by Pollok in their next game, they won their next 
five matches, including a 3-0 win against Glasgow Perthshire and it was at that game that a young 16-year-old played for United as a trialist arid scored one of the three goals. Frank Meechan, a former Celtic defender of the 1950's and at that time, an assistant to the legendary Jock Stein at Parkhead, stayed in the neighbouring village of Croy and reckoned the young player could fit into the United structure and asked if he could be given a trial. Frank indicated that should the young trialist prove suitable then he, on behalf of Glasgow Celtic, was prepared to farm the youngster out to United to gain experience and blood him in the harsh realities of Junior Football and so we thus encounter the arrival of a young Kenny Dalglish at Curnbernauld United.
In only his second game for United, Dalglish demonstrated his extraordinary quality in scoring four goals in a 5-1 trouncing of Yoker at Holm Park on 14th August 1967. His ability to be in the right place at the right time was apparent even then and it was mainly thanks to him that United were top of the Division on goal average. Within weeks of his arrival at United, Dalglish, at sixteen-years-of-age, was selected to play in a trial for a Scottish Junior Select. On 2nd September 1967, United visited Ayrshire and beat Irvine Victoria, 5-3 in the First Round of the West of Scotland Cup, due in no small way to Dalglish laying on goals for McKenna and Plank and scoring the last one himself.
Season 1967/68 was slowly drawing to a close and United had experienced a very successful baptism in Junior football and thoughts abounded about occupying their own ground for the forthcoming season. The idea gained favour of inviting a big named soccer club to help celebrate the opening of Ravenswood by playing a challenge match. There is no bigger name in European soccer than the winners of the European Champions' Cup and Celtic, being the current holders of that trophy seemed the natural choice. An approach was made to Jock Stein to send a representative team to inaugurate the ground, but the big man actually did more than that when he brought his famous Lisbon Lions plus a second string of players to Ravenswood on Monday 13th May 1968 to give the people of the New Town an honour not bestowed on any other Junior Football Club.
Prior to kick-off, a flag donated by Mrs E Crawford, in memory of her late husband, William, one of the founder members of United, was hoisted. Jock Stein, ably assisted by Provost Gordon Murray, United President, Jim Paterson and Match Secretary Bob Wood, cut a ribbon to officially open the new stadium and big Jock actually kicked off the first match which was a 15-minute each way match between the famous Lisbon Lions and Cumbernauid United F.C.
The honour of scoring the first-ever goal at Ravenswood goes to Celtic's Bobby Lennox and team mate Willie Wallace scored the second to finish the scoring at 2-0 to the Lisbon Lions, not that anyone was bothering who won or who lost, everyone was so thrilled at seeing such a high profile team as the European Champions playing at United's new home ground.
The Celtic first team was: Simpson, Gemmell, O'Neil, Murdoch, McNeil, Brogan, Johnstone, Gallagher, Wallace, Lennox, Hughes,
The second game of the night was between United and the Celtic Starlets who won 4-1, goals from Macari (2), Connolly and Quinn and Rae scoring for United.
The Celtic second string was; Raith, Murray, Gorman, Cattenaeh, McKellar, Hogg, Murdoch, Connolly, Quinn, Macari and Clark.
United used all their registered players in at least one game and the honour of playing against Celtic that night was enjoyed by: Robertson, Wilson, Stewart, McDonald, Stevenson, Pethard, McEwan, Bain, McKenna, Dalglish, Donald, Mackie, Plank, Devine, Rae, Paterson, Russell, Smith, McKnight and Currie.
Matchday Foreword By Jock Stein
"The emphasis on football today is sadly more often on clubs closing than new teams starting up. That's why it gives us all at Celtic Park-and I am sure in the rest of Scottish football-very real pleasure when a new ground opens.
We have taken an interest in Cumbernauid United since it started, already one of your youngsters, Kenny Dalgliesh, is on our books... I am sure he will be the first of many.
It is good to see that a new town such as Cumbernauid puts football forward as one of its priorities. I am sure that you are part of the changing face of football. We must move to the new population areas . . . even senior football must be ready for change, Who knows what the future will be? Cumbernauid with its massive football poteritial, should surely be able at some time to support a senior team.
I hope Celtic will come back one day for such a fixture. In the meantime your go-ahead team and officials have already proved to be an asset to Junior football ... I am sure they will continue to do so in the next few years.
Celtic lake a lot out of football, but we like to feel we also put something back . . . and this match, part of a series we have been playing since the season ended, is one of the ways we can achieve this.
I look forward to a good match today, memorable for the opening of your new ground and memorable also that it will be Celtic's last game in Scotland of the most eventful season we have had since I took over as manager".
Eleven days later, Jock Stein sent a Celtic Under-21 side to Ravenswood to play a friendly, the Celtic side winning 5-2, but the very action of Celtic sending the side to play at Ravenswood showed the esteem in which the New Town club were held.