THE biggest daze successful Scottish Cup history.
The greatest-ever header connected the nation’s sports pages.
Times Newspapers Ltd
News Group Newspapers Ltd
News Group Newspapers Ltd
Ken Macpherson - Commissioned by The Sun GlasgowTwenty-five years agone today, Super Caley went ballistic — and Celtic were atrocious.
And Highland large Charlie Christie, the ex-Celt who was antheral of the lucifer successful the 3-1 win, admits the legendary header successful The Scottish Sun has go conscionable arsenic celebrated arsenic the crippled itself.
Christie, present 58, told SunSport: “The header is synonymous with the game. I usage the connection ‘ballistic’ each the clip present and it’s not a connection I’d ever utilized earlier then.
“Sky Sports showed the header the next time erstwhile we were celebrating, our fans person utilized it successful chants — it summed it up astatine the time, and it inactive does.”
Ryan Christie’s first-ever travel to Celtic Park revolved astir tantrums and tears.
For dada Charlie, it was each astir souvenirs.
The 1 helium kept, the 1 helium mislaid and the 1 helium missed retired on.
Twenty-five years agone contiguous — agelong earlier helium would star for Inverness Caley Thistle oregon Celts — four-year-old Ryan cheered his begetter connected the Highlanders’ top night.
A nine conscionable 2 years older than the small lad stunned John Barnes’ all-stars successful 1 of the astir celebrated giantkillings in Scottish Cup history.
Super Caley did, indeed, spell ballistic — and truthful did Ryan erstwhile the archetypal necktie was called disconnected owed to tempest harm astatine Parkhead.
Charlie recalled: “Ryan threw a spot of a tantrum erstwhile the crippled was called disconnected 10 days earlier.
“To calm him down, his mum Sharon promised him that erstwhile the crippled was rescheduled helium would decidedly get to it.
“Little did we cognize it would beryllium a rain-soaked Tuesday night. He was delighted.
“You spot however his vocation has panned retired with his clip astatine Celtic, it was rather fitting helium was determination that night.
“He remembers the celebration. He doesn’t retrieve overmuch of the crippled — emblematic for a four-year-old.
“But helium remembers the feeling of euphoria with the 4500 fans that thing peculiar had occurred.”
Caley Thistle’s celebrations peaked erstwhile Steve Paterson’s heroes linked hands and charged towards their jubilant fans.
But Christie was absent from the iconic image.
Times Newspapers LtdHe explained: “I missed retired connected the astir celebrated photograph successful the club’s history.
“Some idiot took maine to the sidelines and grabbed maine and gave maine the antheral of the lucifer award.
“I deliberation Ryan and Sharon were down there, too, and I benignant of mislaid what was happening down me.
“I ran implicit to them aft they’d finished and said, ‘Thanks a batch lads, you could person waited!’
“I was a spot disappointed I’m not successful the photo but it was large the fans stayed behind. It was different furniture connected that night. That picture, similar the Scottish Sun’s celebrated headline, is rather synonymous with the crippled — the lads with their arms out-stretched going implicit to the fans.”
Along with his antheral of the lucifer award, Christie kept the No 10 garment helium wore successful the large giantkilling.
But it was past LOST connected the nighttime of the club’s 25th day celebrations successful 2019 — and he’s ne'er been reunited with it.
The Highland large revealed: “It was the 25-year day meal astatine the Kingsmills Hotel.
“We selected a fewer strips which meant thing and that, of course, was 1 of them.
“Some of the young lads were wearing them astir the room.
“I took my garment down and I was connected the microphone that night.
News Group Newspapers Ltd“When we collected each the strips astatine the extremity of the night, it was gone.
“Dan Mackay, who was an academy subordinate I had coached and aboriginal went to Hibs, wore it and laid it retired with the remainder astatine the extremity of the night.
“But it disappeared and I’ve ne'er got it back.”
And twenty-five years connected from their top night, Christie has revealed brag Steve Paterson had to alteration his squad astatine the past moment.
He said: “Davide Xausa was unavailable for the crippled due to the fact that determination was a precocious occupation with his registration.
“He was Canadian and I don’t cognize if it was thing to bash with his planetary clearance.
“It led to Barry Wilson playing successful the No 10 relation down Dennis Wyness, which would ne'er different person happened.
“Barry scored 1 and won the punishment and I’ve often thought it was different small thing, similar the archetypal crippled being postponed, which worked successful our favour.
“Steve was astatine our crippled past week and we were speaking astir the Celtic game.
“He said that was the crippled that planted Inverness football connected the map. Those were his words.
“He’s right. It laid the foundations. It gave a six-year-old nine the content that it could truly spell places.
“We were sixth successful the First Division astatine the time. And coming done the divisions, we ever felt we could marque it to the First Division but we weren’t definite astir making the last step.
“I conscionable consciousness that nighttime gave everyone astir the nine that other spot of belief.
“John Barnes was a fantastic subordinate but it conscionable hadn’t worked for him astatine the club.
PA:Press Association“Things weren’t large astatine the clip due to the fact that they were trailing Rangers by rather a bit, which is ne'er a bully thing.
“You could really consciousness that the tide was turning and the fans were getting fed up with the mode the nine was run.”
Christie recalls the chaotic celebrations connected the mode home to the Highlands — and for a fewer days afterwards.
He said: “You tin ideate the travel home from Glasgow.
“Celtic were bully capable to enactment immoderate beers connected the bus.
“We stopped connected the mode up the roadworthy astatine Pitlochry, a accustomed haunt aft distant games.
“The next time — and it was said arsenic an off-the-cuff remark — ‘let’s conscionable for a spot of luncheon astatine the golf club’.
“It was Fairways Golf Club, who were a sponsor of the nine astatine the time, and a wee spot retired of the centre.
“What you thought mightiness beryllium 3 oregon 4 turned into 12 oregon 13.
“It was conscionable a large day.
“We had Sky Sports connected the telly and we were each implicit the headlines.
“It was a Caley Thistle stronghold and a batch of the fans were coming in.
“Word got retired we were successful determination and it was a peculiar feeling wherever you cognize you’ve done thing special.”
THEY returned up the A9 arsenic Highland heroes aft the top win successful the club’s history.
But Charlie Christie feared Inverness Caley Thistle would person been connected the roadworthy to ruin if they had not won astatine Celtic Park.
Life-saving currency from 1 of Scottish football’s biggest shocks allowed them to wage for the tarmac outside their ain ground.
And 25 years connected — with the nine present successful the grip of medication — Christie has told the existent squad to summon the tone of 2000 to get connected the roadworthy to recovery.
He revealed: “People hide we were truly struggling financially, chiefly due to the fact that of the roadworthy which we had to enactment wealth towards erstwhile the stadium was built.
“It was a bequest of indebtedness we had.
“Dougie McGilvray, the chairman, did a large job and his successor David Sutherland, too.”
Kenny RamsayMcGilvray and Sutherland were connected the transportation astatine the extremity and Christie added: “It was rather a turnaround astatine the club. We restructured the debt and we were capable to measurement on.
“I spoke to the boys erstwhile we went into administration. I brought up 2000.
“These are young guys of 20 oregon 21 years of age.
“They astir apt didn’t cognize maine but I talk to them intermittently to update them connected wherever we are arsenic a club.
“I said to them, ‘Guys, we tin travel retired the different end. We did it successful 2000’.
“A batch of it successful 2000 was down to that 1 result.
“The boys successful that team, the bulk of them were pals.
“After the win, we had interaction from ex-pats successful Australia and South Africa to congratulate us.
“But radical don’t realise — and we kept it undercover to a grade astatine the clip — however atrocious the fiscal problems astatine the nine were.
“I told the players we tin bounce connected again. Make nary mistake, there’s nary crushed that we can’t.
“Whether we spell backmost to Parkhead and bushed Celtic again, I’m not truthful sure. But we tin surely get backmost to the Premiership again.
“It’s bully for the young lads to perceive due to the fact that a batch of them weren’t calved erstwhile the crippled took place. It’s bully for them to spot wherever the nine has been successful the past.”
Head manager Scott Kellacher takes his young squad to Arbroath contiguous arsenic they look to retrieve the 15-point punishment for plummeting into medication past autumn.
SNSThey prevarication successful ninth place, 2 points from imaginable safety, aft back-to-back wins implicit Queen of the South and Alloa.
Most of Kellacher’s players weren’t adjacent calved erstwhile the nine went ballistic successful 2000.
But walking done the corridors astatine the Caledonian Stadium, they are fixed reminders of immoderate of the heroics of erstwhile teams.
Dennis Wyness, 1 of the stars astatine Celtic Park, scored the lone extremity to destruct Seville-bound Celts from the Scottish Cup successful 2003 nether brag John Robertson.
Greg Tansey, Edward Ofere and David Raven scored successful the 2015 Hampden semi-final triumph implicit the Hoops — 1 remembered for a handball connected the Caley Jags goal-line which the officials amazingly missed.
Virgil van Dijk and John Guidetti scored for Celtic but John Hughes’ Caley Thistle reached the last with Marley Watkins and James Vincent netting against the Bairns and skipper Graeme Shinnie lifting the trophy.
Highland fable Christie added: “The 2000 crippled was, for galore years, our champion result.
“But I bash deliberation we usurped it successful 2015 erstwhile we bushed Celtic successful the semi-final astatine Hampden.
“I cognize we bushed Celtic successful 2003 with John, and I played successful that crippled too.
“But to spell to Hampden to play a Celtic squad that was going for the Double — and, yes, we got each the breaks that were going with the handball — it usurped us.
“We won the Cup successful 2015 against Falkirk astatine Hampden but that semi-final was special.”
Keep up to day with ALL the latest quality and transfers astatine the Scottish Sun shot page
English (US) ·