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Scoop magazine for boys was available on newsagent's shelves for the first time in November 1977. Aimed mainly at boys in the aged under 14 market it was printed by DC Thomson in Dundee on very thin poor quality paper compared to the other magazines of the day such as Shoot, but was also noticeably cheaper in price. Perhaps because it was printed in Dundee it usually had a higher content of Scottish football articles and pictures than the other magazines of that period and this article is taken from an edition of Scoop in September 1980 and tells the story of Celtic player Mike Conroy in the 1980 Scottish cup final.

In the spring of 1978 Celtic were in dire straits, suffering their worst run of form since the early 1960's. The loss of Kenny Dalglish to Liverpool and the serious injuries to their three most experienced players McGrain, Stanton and Conn had left a void that even Jock Stein could not fill and partly due to the horrendous injury list Stein called up Mike Conroy from the juniors of Port Glasgow to the senior ranks. Mike was the son of Michael Conroy senior a popular Celtic right half from the 1950's.

When Billy McNeill became manager in the summer of 1978 he discarded some experienced pros such as Joe Craig, Paul Wilson and Ronnie Glavin and relied on the younger blood such as Conroy, George McCluskey and the newly signed duo of Davie Provan and Murdo MacLeod. Mike became a fixture in the first team squad and won league medals in 1979, 1981 and 1982. He was what the papers liked to call a 'combative' midfielder and was invaluable in the high pressure games of the period against Rangers and Aberdeen when a more physical element was required.

Mike's finest hour came in the 1980 Scottish cup final against Rangers when Celtic were desperately short of central defenders with Roddy MacDonald injured and Tom McAdam suspended.  Jim Casey had initially been earmarked for the centre half's jersey but he was injured in training a few days before the final and McNeill turned to Conroy although he had never played in this position before. It's on the record that in the days before the final Conroy was bombarded with high crosses to deal with in training as this was a major tactic for Rangers in those days.

Happily for Celtic Mike Conroy coped superbly in his new role and Celtic won 1-0. Danny McGrain was voted man of the match but it was the view of many that Conroy was Celtic's best player that day. Although only 5'9" he was able to nullify the aerial threat of the dangerous Derek Johnstone. If you watch the video footage of the game, the very last moment of the final sees Peter Latchford not only catch a cross but also grab Conroy in the process and as they end up in a tangle they burst out laughing as the referee looks to blow the final whistle.

Somewhat strangely Conroy was allowed to move to Hibs in October 1982 for a £40,000 fee. The prodigious Paul McStay had arrived on the scene and as his appearances became fewer Mike probably moved for a regular game at Easter Road.

Michael Conroy junior will long be remembered in the hearts of Celtic fans for that Scottish cup final performance alone.

This splendid image is taken from the 1980 Scottish cup final between Celtic and Rangers. At this  point the players are having a rest before the game resumes for the 30 minutes of extra time. Danny McGrain is shown  refreshing Alan Sneddon in the stifling heat by throwing a pale of water in his face as Roy Aitken looks on with amusement. Murdo MacLeod is the other Celt in the picture who appears to be taking a drink of water.

Approximately 40 minutes later and Danny Bhoy was lifting the cup. Approximately 45 minutes later and all hell broke loose as the '1980 riot' took place. This was the last day when it was legal to bring alcohol into a football stadium in Scotland.