​In the modern era, wires above the pitch can be seen keeping a watchful eye on the game, and there is always a risk that the ball might strike them. When that happens, the referee is expected to halt play. The England controversy centered on whether the ball actually hit the cable.
Celtic Park first installed floodlights in 1959, but long before that the club had already experimented with another lighting system. On Christmas Day in 1893, Celtic hosted Clyde in a friendly and the main thrill of the day was that the match would be played under artificial light. This setup did not use floodlights; instead, wires were strung high across the field on poles, with lights suspended from them to illuminate the pitch.
Needless to say, it was a limited and imperfect solution. Some areas of the pitch stayed brightly lit while others remained in darkness, making visibility difficult for players. But the most persistent complaint concerned the ball repeatedly striking the wires, disrupt­ing the flow of play.
The Christmas Day game finished 1–1, and these lights were used again in January 1894 when Celtic hammered St Bernard’s 8–1 in the Scottish Cup. Once more, the problem of the ball hitting the wires drew protests from St Bernard’s, who argued for a replay, though their request was denied. For Celtic, however, the episode marked the end of the experiment with lighting from above; the club’s fans would have to wait until the 1950s for another home match played under lights.
When Fergus McCann oversaw the construction of the new Paradise in the mid‑1990s, the old over‑the‑pitch floodlights were rendered obsolete. According to former Celtic director Tom Grant, the lightbulbs that had hung over Celtic Park were slated for disposal—until Fergus learned of their existence. He reportedly sold them to the Scottish FA for use at Hampden Park, giving the old lighting a second life.
What a man Fergus proved to be. Matthew Marr
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