The Big Match Midweek SPL

What better to add to the three-in-one-week Motherwell v Celtic fixtures than a game from the past?

The September 1982 clash between the sides is maybe not one The Steelmen will want to remember, but if they wanted to avoid the attention of a goal nets blog 35 years later, they shouldn't have installed such classic Continental D's at their ground, should they?

Check out a super-rare assist by David Moyes, a rare double from Roy Aitken and a less rare hat trick from Charlie Nicholas in his last season at Celtic. Oh, and the brilliant white nets at Fir Park. Enjoy!

The Big Match Week 13

Can we agree to rename the week's retro feature as The Big Match? Thanks. It just seems ITV did the 1970's and 1980's way better than the BBC.

With that out of the way, this week's Big Match features West Ham and Leicester, who fought to a 1-1 standstill at the dreadful London Stadium last Friday.

The first match featured is from 1973 and it's also a 1-1 draw. Look out for the Persil white of Peter Shilton's goalie kit and the early season Boleyn nets - they're whiiiite. 



The second game is from the last day of 1977. The Boleyn nets may be mid-winter filthy but check out the unlikely (and scientifically difficult to understand) ball retention offered by the support system. Scored into the tight trampolines of today, John McDowell's opener or Steve Kembell's cross-cum-shot for 1-3 would have rebounded to the halfway line.

MOTD (Retro) Champions League Special

Bayern Munich may have eventually triumphed in Glasgow last night but they have struggled previously on Scottish grounds and been beaten. This week's Match of the Day (Retro) looks at two previous visits of Bayern to Scotland.

The first visit featured is the1983 Cup Winners Cup quarter-final tie against a top Aberdeen side who would go on to win the tournament. Look out for an ageing Paul Breitner, two terrific goals for Bayern and the superb ball retention of the Pittodrie Continental D's.




The second featured Bayern match in Scotland is the first leg of the 1989 UEFA Cup quarter-final against Hearts. By 1989 Hearts had long dismantled their great Bernabeu-style stanchions and had replaced with loose-hanging Continental D's which were good - but no cigar.