On Tuesday night June 5, 1951, a crowd of 8,000 watched Glasgow Celtic defeat the National Soccer League All Star team 2-1. The match was played at C.N.E. Stadium in Toronto.
Celtic had won the Scottish Cup in the 1950-51 season in Scotland. This was Celtic’s fifth game on their nine-game North American.
N.S.L. All Stars forward Alex Ptomoley shocked the Scottish club when he scored the first goal of the game five minutes into the first half.
Celtic star player Charlie Tully then scored to make it 1-1 at half-time. 43 minutes into the second half John McPhail scored the winning goal for Glasgow Celtic.
Of the National Soccer League All Stars only two players were born in Canada. Many of the players on the All Star team were recent arrivals from Scotland. In a match report in the Aberdeen Evening Express on June 6, 1951, John McPhail commented to the paper’s reporter: ” We came here to play Canadians and found ourselves up against half Clydeside”.
Line-ups:
National Soccer League:
Glasgow Celtic: George Hunter;