Is it ironic that we only celebrate things when they are gone, and not while we have them?
The History of Goal Nets would like to pay tribute to Celtic's unbeaten run of 69 games, ended yesterday by Hearts. So this week's Big Match comes from Tynecastle 1978, on another occasion the maroons triumphed (and Celtic's long standing goalkeeping woes were laid bare - poor Peter Latchford).
Two great goals by Drew Busby, fantastic old stanchions at Tynecastle.
Revisiting The History of Goal Nets series on World Cups - starting with Chile 1962
The Chilean FA told FIFA they had to give Chile the World Cup "because we have nothing else." So Chile won the rights to host the 1962 tournament and they got plenty in return: Garrincha in his prime, the Italy v Chile Battle of Santiago and these stanchions of almost perfect quarter circumference on which to hang the tournament's nets.
Though football on TV was in its infancy and the matches at the '62 finals were not broadcast live, the influence of the tournament could be seen in the stanchions installed at stadia as diverse as Estadio Bernabeu, Madrid -
Up to Scotland for end-of-season celebrations at Celtic Park where unbeaten champions Celtic close out their league season against Hearts. To commence celebrations we preview the match by reviewing past match-ups and the History of Goal Nets in the fixture.
1967 - first, a match from 50 years ago, in Celtic's European Cup winning year 1967. The hardware at Parkhead was standard A-frames, the software ill-fitting nets that would have fitted - and wouldn't have looked out at place at - the European Cup final of 1960.
1972 - four years later Celtic had installed the Continental D supports that would instantly identify games at Celtic Park on TV throughout the 1970's and 1980's, while Hearts were identifying with the legendary Ajax - then in the midst of their three European Cups in a row - with their shirt design
1988 - flag day at Celtic Park as Paul McStay, Frank McAvennie and pristine, opening day goal nets team up to down the Jambos.
1992 - four years later Hearts enjoyed a rare triumph in Glasgow after Celtic had replaced the organic Continental D's - where the hardware (supports) was separate from the software (the nets) - with a green supports and nets combo, complete with ground supports that did for the aesthetics.
I've looked everywhere but can't find it - can anyone supply footage of the goal at Parkhead when the ball went in off Henry Smith's head?
I was recently in touch with Hearts historian and archivist David Speed regarding the wonderful stanchions that once supported the Gorgie goal nets. His reply to my enquiry is as below.
Dear History of Goal Nets, thanks for your enquiry about the goal nets and frames. This is indeed an interesting question. Th nets and stanchions to which you refer were installed at the start of 1965-66 and, as you say, were dismantled at the end of 1983-84. Sadly I was not involved in preserving the club's history at that time and they were not retained. I checked this with the club groundsman and there is nothing of this nature in the store. I have also checked the club minutes and no reason is given for the change of goals. This must have been a fashion issue. Regarding the change in 1983-84, it is only a personal observation but perhaps the change was due to the fact that the ground was struggling to comply with the Safety of Sports Ground Act. In this connection, more space was required around the perimeter for the police and stewards. The D-shape stanchion achieved this.
David supplied the marvellous photo below for our pleasure.
The Lions moved to what was known as the New Den in 1993, where modern box nets inevitably followed a fairly standard set of Continental D's.
But dig into Millwall's history of goal nets at the (old) Den and a rich seam of diversity is revealed.
The early 90's groove was a highly distinctive set of Continental D's.
While just a couple of years earlier black A-frames (similar to Hibernian's?) stood at either end of Cold Blow Lane.
The same stanchions can be seen up close about a minute into this beautiful clip from 1979.
But in the fine tradition of saving the best for last, back in the fierce Mid-70's the architecture were white A-list A-frames, separated at birth from the A-frames at Leeds Utd.
The Red Lichties are famous abroad for a 36-0 and their Gayfield Park being the stadium closest to the sea in Britain...
But if you pay your entry money and walk through the gates of history, you'll see Arbroath once played between a set of A-frames as curvy as those at Tynecastle but skinny as QPR.
Though Motherwell are more popularly recognised for the Continental D's installed at Fir Park in the early 1970's -
The steelworks suspending the nets prior are more culturally appropriate for a club nicknamed the Steelmen and based in Lanarkshire, home to the Ravenscraig steelworks of the time.
Too curvy by far to be included in any A-list A-frames series, the old stanchions at Tynecastle defy a Scottish or British categorisation even in an era of great diversity in goal design.
Might the possible source of inspiration for the Gorgie stanchions be those at the Bernabeu?
And might those at the Bernabeu have been inspired by the goals at the 1962 World Cup in Chile.
