Opponents: v Aston Villa
Competition: Friendly
Date: 05/02/1949
Venue: Celtic Park, Glasgow
Score: 0-2
Scorers: n/a
Referee: unknown
Attendance: 35,000
Comments: The article below appeared
in the Sunday Post the day after the match.
A thousand pities Aston Villa don't play in Glasgow every week. To home Scottish eyes they presented a welcome novelty. Their strip for a start is quite unique - maroon with light blue sleeves and shoulders while their keeper Rutherford was resplendent in a green sweater. But it was their play we marvelled at most. Here was a side at the bottom of the English league serving up super stuff.
Just short of looking what Jimmy Hogan called "the greatest football club in England" they certainly produced all the Hoganised football here. The open space they made their twelfth man and well they employed him.
There was a novelty too in each of their goals - a 'dummied' free kick job after 14 minutes by Dorsett (who scored the goal in the 1957 match) and a cool as a cucumber kick by Dixen after 35 minutes.
Indeed studied opportunism was a great Villa asset. The cool collected head of veteran George Cummings, the absolute surefootedness of Irish internationalist Con Martin. The clear understanding of wingers Goffin and English nationalist Les Smith who switched at will. All gave Villa the appearance of having just that something extra.
Manager: unknown
Scorers: Jimmy McGrory
Team: Bonnar, Boden, Milne, Docherty, McPhail, McAuley, Hanlon (Fauldhouse Utd), Evans, Johnston, Tully, Paton.
Manager: unknown
Scorers: Dorsett 14, Dixon 35
Team: Rutherford, Parkes, Cummings, Powell, Martin, F.Moss, Goffin, Dixen, Edwards, Dorsett, Smith.
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