Today, March 13, 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of the passing of Celtic legend, Jimmy Johnstone, and his son, James, will be present on the pitch at half time in this Saturday’s SPFL clash against Motherwell. Jinky, the Greatest Ever Celt was born in Viewpark in Uddingston and throughout the 1960s and ‘70s, the winger terrorised defenders not just in Scotland, but in Europe and beyond. Such was his wizardry of the wing and his penchant for making memorable goals for others, it’s sometimes forgotten just how much of a potent and remarkable goalscorer he was himself, in fact, up until the advent of Henrik Larsson, Jinky was, in fact, Celtic’s top European scorer. Indeed, with 130 goals and outscoring many famed strikers, only 12 Celtic players throughout the entire history of the club have scored more goals than him, and the fact that no fewer than FIVE of that dozen were his fellow team-mates show just how free-scoring Jock Stein’s Celts were. Here in honour of the Greatest Ever Celt, we take a look at Jinky’s goalscoring exploits. FIRST GOAL, LEAGUE, APRIL 29, 1963, HEARTS 4-3 CELTIC It’s well-documented that Jimmy Johnstone made his debut as a young Celtic team went down 6-0 to a vibrant Kilmarnock at Rugby Park. It was in his second appearance, a month later, though, that he scored his first goal after Hearts took a 2-0 half-time lead at Tynecastle. The Celtic tactic following the break was to give the youngster more of the ball and within 15 minutes the Hoops were 3-2 ahead with a brilliant solo goal from Johnstone putting them in front. Unfortunately, the home side hit twice more to win 4-3. The 18-year-old Johnstone played five games in all at the end of that season – losing three, drawing one (the 1-1 Scottish Cup final against Rangers) and winning one (a 2-0 win over Clyde). It wasn’t a good return for his first clutch of games – but that was soon to change.LAST GOAL, LEAGUE, DECEMBER 14, 1974, DUNDEE 0-6 CELTIC While it was a Jimmy Johnstone field day when he scored his first Celtic goal, on the day he scored his last goals in the Hoops, it was Kenny Dalglish who was ruling the roost in a 6-0 win over Dundee at Dens Park. Dalglish netted a hat-trick that day and had a hand in the other three goals – two of which were score by Johnstone. Indeed, the Dundee defence also had a helping hand in the winger’s double, the first arriving in the fifth minute and the second in the 30th minute with those goals sandwiching Dalglish’s first goal in the 19th minute. However, another Johnstone ‘goal’ in the 26th minute was chalked off as the referee deemed the header never crossed the line. Going out on a hat-trick would have been a real high, especially considering that would have been his first for the club. He played eight more games that season before joining San Jose Earhquakes. MOST IMPORTANT GOAL, LEAGUE, MAY 6, 1967, RANGERS 2-2 CELTIC The Ibrox side had already watched Celtic lift the League Cup, the Glasgow Cup and the Scottish Cup that season. They couldn’t do anything to stop the Hoops winning the European Cup later that month, but they still had a vested interest in the league title. There were two provisos, though, they had to beat Celtic in their final game at Ibrox and then hope that Kilmarnock would do them a favour in Celtic’s final game on May 15. Things seemed to be going to plan for the home side when Sandy Jardine scored in the 40th minute but just 60 seconds later, Jimmy Johnstone scored from close range after a goalmouth scramble. In the 74th minute, Jinky again struck, this time from 20 yards and although Rangers equalised with nine minutes to go, the Wee Man’s goals ensured a clean sweep of all four domestic trophies and Lisbon was still to come.HIGHEST-SCORING SEASON – 1970/71 Jimmy Johnstone scored what proved to be the winner in Celtic’s first outing of the season, a 2-1 League Cup win over Hearts at Tynecastle, and carried on finding the net throughout the 1970/71 term. The fact that the three Celts above him in the scoring charts, Harry Hood, Willie Wallace and Bobby Lennox, scored 82 goals between them shows how prolific the Celts were in front of goal that season. Helping Jinky on his way to his top scoring season were no fewer than five doubles and three of those were against a Dundee side who were probably sick of the sight of him that season. One of those doubles came in Celtic’s biggest win of the term, an 8-1 victory at Dens Park. A S G League 30 8 League Cup 9 – 5 Scottish Cup 8 – 2 Europe 4 – 4 Total 51 – 19 HOOPS HAT-TRICK HIGHS Many of the top scorers from Celtic’s most successful period have Jimmy Johnstone to thank for laying many of their goals of a plate for them. More than a few of them can probably thank him for completing hat-tricks, but the Wee Man himself never scored a triple. There was that aforementioned double when he scored his last goals as another was chalked off to rob him of a hat-trick. However, that was as near as he got, although that particular double was the last of no fewer than 24 he scored throughout his Celtic career, so there is a high probability that a few of his performances in those games certainly merited a hat-trick. He also wasn’t averse to the odd double in Europe as well, but more about that in the next section. AND ANOTHER GOALSCORING THING… Although not an out and out striker, Jimmy Johnstone was, until the arrival of Henrik Larsson, Celtic’s top scorer in European football. Indeed, just four days after scoring his first double in a 7-1 win over Aberdeen, he broke his European duck with a double in a 6-0 win over Go Ahead Deventer in 1965. However, another European double was to go down in Celtic folklore. On November 13, 1968, a half-time 1-1 European Cup scoreline with Red Star Belgrade, inspired Jock Stein to suggest to Jinky that if the Hoops won by four goals, he wouldn’t have travel to Yugoslavia. Jimmy’s fear of flying put the fear of God into Red Star. He ran amok in a one-man show and scored twice as Celtic won 5-1. Despite the overtures of Jock Stein, and, believe it or not, the Red Star hierarchy who wanted their fans to witness his play, Jinky demanded his reward and didn’t fly out for the return game. A S G League 298 10 82 League Cup 87 5 21 Scottish Cup 47 1 11 Europe 66 1 16 Total 498 17 130
Trending Now
