‘He was like greased lightning, but I’d use all my pace to tire him out early on’ Celtic icon Jim Craig on his toughest Old Firm opponent

There are few fixtures anywhere in the world that carry the intensity, edge and passion of the Old Firm derby.

For more than 135 years, these encounters between Rangers and Celtic have been a match that is always played at full throttle and generations of players have now passed through the ranks of both sides, each of them left with deeply etched memories of the iconic derby clash.

Jim Craig was part of Celtic’s greatest-ever side, winning seven league titles and the 1970 European Cup during his seven-year stay with the club, a period which saw him take part in plenty of Old Firm clashes.

Craig on his toughest Old Firm opponent

While Celtic enjoyed a period of domestic dominance during his time in Glasgow, Craig still faced some intense battles during Old Firm clashes, with one opponent standing out.

“Willie Johnston – he was like greased lightning!” Craig recalls to FourFourTwo. “What I’d do was run back and just try to knock the ball out of play or hit it back to the goalkeeper, Ronnie Simpson.

“Willie was a 60-yard sprinter and I was a 200-metre runner, so he would often burst past me, but I could catch him. So I would knock those long balls back towards the goalkeeper and test Willie to beat me there.

“I used all my pace to tire him out early on. By the second half, it was a different contest. I could have asked Jock to swap me with Gemmell and let him kick Willie all afternoon, but I preferred using skill.”

These battling qualities also served him well when the stakes were even higher.

Of the four Scottish Cups that Craig lifted with Celtic, a victory over Rangers was only bettered by a 6-1 victory over Hibs in 1972, in his final game for the Bouys before he moved to South Africa and signed for Hellenic FC.

“The 4-0 win against Rangers in 1969, but also the 1972 final, which was my last game for Celtic,” Craig answers when asked which was his favourite.

“My dad was a Hibs fan from Leith and he said to me before the match, ‘I know you’re going to win but go easy on my guys today’.

“We beat them 6-1 and they were a good side.”