Rangers ceased competing in 1990, and once Tennent's ended their sponsorship deal, the tournament was quietly shelved.
Prior to these tournaments, I think for most of us of a certain generation, televised indoor football meant the yearly Daily Express sponsored 5-a-side event held at The Empire Pool, Wembley. Highlights of which we would see on Wednesday's Sportsnight with Coleman.
It was mostly English sides competing, as might be expected. Although I can recall Celtic participating more than once, and indeed winning the thing in 1981. Which gave me the same pleasing nationalistic glow I felt when Celtic (or to be strictly accurate, Jim Craig) won Quizzball a decade or so earlier.
Also in the early 1980s, when I think about it, I attended a 5-a side tournament (sponsored by The Daily Record, I think) at Glasgow's Kelvin Hall.
The little I can recall of this event is that Rangers and Celtic had been drawn in opposite halves of the draw - and both seemed to be on an inexorable path to the final, until each lost their semi-finals to diddy teams. Leading to a decidedly anticlimactic final, with slavering David Francey doing his best, (but failing) to excite the interest of those few frustrated old firm fans who had bothered to hang around.
In January 1984, amid much fanfare (TV adverts!), the Tennent's Sixes were launched. The inaugural tournament featured all the current Premier League sides, with the exception of Aberdeen. Fergie clearly feeling the current holders of the European Cup Winners Cup were above such frivolity.
The event was held over two evenings (Monday & Tuesday) in mid January, and I can recall queueing in the cold and slush outside Coasters Arena in Falkirk awaiting entry, and being both rather honoured and slightly miffed to see Jock Stein wander to the head of the queue and be admitted.
The format of this tourney really was an odd one: three groups of three teams, with the group winners and best runner-up qualifying for the semi-finals. With the group matches spread over both days, some clubs played both their group matches on the first evening, whilst others just one.
Rangers and St. Johnstone opened the show and, within five seconds of the first match starting, The Saintees had fallen foul of the brutal "at least one player in the opponents' half at all times" rule. The severe punishment for which was a penalty kick - which Davie Cooper converted. That goal, it could be argued, would later eliminate St. Johnstone. Ally Dawson scored a further two for Rangers, as they ran out 3-2 winners.
Celtic were up next, and they were run ragged by Dundee who won 4-2, and for whom Iain Ferguson and a teenaged Tosh McKinlay both shone. That was Celtic's only contribution to the first evening, given the format of the tournament, and Dundee went on to defeat Hearts in their next match, guaranteeing them a place in the last four. Celtic met Hearts in their second group match on Day Two, requiring a three goal victory to retain any real chance of progressing, but fell just short so were eliminated.
Another victim of the lop-sided format were St. Johnstone. They had lost their first match against Rangers 3-2, then won their second with the same scoreline, against Hibs - both on Day One.
Consequently, they had to come back the following evening, not knowing whether they would get another match as best runner up. In the event, the final group match of Day 2 finished Dundee United 3-2 Motherwell. Which left Motherwell and St Johnstone each on two points, and both with equal 5-5 goal records.
Motherwell progressed by a bizarre tie-breaker, having scored earlier in their opening match than St Johnstone had managed in theirs!!
Thus Saints' Day Two trip from Perth had all been for naught.
Joining Motherwell and Dundee in the last four were Dundee United, and Rangers who had defeated Hibs with a brace of Davie Cooper goals. The semi-final draw was made out on the arena floor, by four leggy Tennent's cans girls, each ripping open a dodgy-looking brown paper bag containing a football top. The draw paired Rangers with Motherwell, leaving the two Dundee sides to battle it out for the other final spot.
In the first tie, a remarkably youthful looking Gary McAllister opened the scoring for Motherwell in the first-half, before Rangers stepped up a few gears after the break, coming back to win 2-1 through goals by Bobby Williamson and (inevitably) Davie Cooper.
In the other semi, George McGeachie set Dundee on their way, scoring the opener in a 4-2 win. I am not quite sure how McGeachie found himself on the pitch here, for as of January 1984 he was a Raith Rovers' player, having left Dundee four years earlier. The eligibility criteria for the Sixes clearly were a bit fluid.
My recollection from the first evening is that the crowd were a rather diverse lot, but on the second evening there appeared to be a lot of Rangers fans. And, certainly for the final, a lot of surrogate Dundee fans.
All of whom were served up a real treat of a final.
Iain Ferguson opened the scoring with his 5th goal of the tournament, as Rangers toiled to create much in the first period. Only equalising through Ally Dawson right on the half-time bell. Indeed, so close to the bell, that the Dundee players enjoyed a major moan to the ref at the break.
Undaunted, the Dee players just rolled up their sleeves and got on with things, and they were soon 3-1 up. Gers' Bobby Williamson lumbered upfield to pull one back, only for Ray Stephen to make it 4-2 with less than six minutes remaining.
However, Iain Ferguson then did the silly chasing back thing, allowing Davie Cooper to score from the resultant spot-kick; after which Dundee inexplicably folded.
Billy Davis and Bobby Williamson put Gers 5-4 ahead before, with 90 seconds remaining, Dundee were thrown life-line with a penalty of their own. But Ferguson's attempt was saved by Andy Bruce (anyone remember him?), and that was sort of that. Davie Cooper scored an impressive individual breakaway goal in the dying seconds to make it 6-4, and half the folks immediately exited the arena.
Teams
Rangers Dundee
Andy Bruce Bobby Geddes
Ally Dawson George McGeachie
Jimmy Nicholl Tosh McKinlay
Davie Cooper Cammy Fraser
John McClelland J Smith (who was this?)
Bobby Williamson Bobby Glennie
Ian Redford Ray Stephen
Davie Mitchell Lex Richardson
Billy Davies Iain Ferguson
Eric Ferguson Albert Kidd
Tennent's Soccer Sixes 1984 programme
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| Thanks to MJM for scanning this for me. |
I also attended the 1985 Sixes, this event held at Ingliston just outside Edinburgh, although I have far fewer memories of this one. I know Celtic declined to enter, but that Aberdeen did this time around.
My overriding memories of 1985 are Hearts fans doing their twirling scarf thing - the first time I had encountered that - during their final win over Morton.
Also, a Hearts' fan gobbing on Neale Cooper's back, when he had to take over in goal for spell during Aberdeen's semi-final with Morton. I assume Jim Leighton (or was it Bryan Gunn) had been sin-binned for something or other.
On the day after the first Ingliston session, I was approached by a stranger in the staff canteen at work, and asked if I had enjoyed the previous night at the Sixes. Slightly bemused, but assuming the chap had seen me attending the venue, I mumbled I had.
He then looked at me again; "You are Dougie Robertson, aren't you?" The Morton forward had been one of the stars of Day One. I was tempted to say, "Aye" but owned up.
From 1986 onwards, The Tennent's Sixes moved to the SECC in Glasgow, and I lost interest. As did most of the rest of the country, eventually.
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