Vata became as he joined Celtic
Tam (Pollok) asks: With Scotland playing Albania in the Nations League, and as a die-hard Celtic fan, it got me thinking about Rudi Vata. Can you give details of his time at Celtic and am I right that he was the first Albanian to play in Scottish football? A: You are correct. Vata was the first Albanian to play in Scottish football. Liam Brady signed the right-back on August 1992 and he made his debut against Dundee in a 1-0 win at Dens Park in October 92. He went on to play over 50 times for Celtic and scored four goals. His highlight at Celtic was being part of the 1995 Scottish Cup-winning team, who beat Airdrieonians 1-0. This made Vata the first Albanian to win a top honour in a major European country. He left in 1996 for Apollon Limassol but returned to Scotland in 2003/04 to join St Johnstone.
Willie (Elderslie) asks: I remember attending my first GET the lowdown on Scottish football’s fascinating history with a visit to the National Stadium. There’s fun among all the exhibits for every family member. Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sunday 11am-5pm. Adults £6, U16/concs £3, U5 free. Tel: 0141 616 6139 or visit www. scottishfootball museum.org.uk
Scotland game in the early 70s. It was a European Championship qualifier against Belgium and I think Scotland won. Could you provide details of the match? A: The match was at Pittodrie in November 1971 and Scotland did win the game. Over 36,000 fans saw Derby County’s John O’Hare score the only goal of the game after five minutes. Belgium went on to qualify for the Euro 1972 Championships whilst Scotland finished third in the group of four with three wins and three defeats. The match was significant though for a future star of the Scotland team with Kenny Dalglish coming as a substitute for the first of his 102 caps.
David (Balloch) asks: With all the interest in Hampden recently can you tell me if Queen’s Park and Scotland have always played there?
A: There have been three Hampdens with Scotland international matches played at all three. Queen’s Park started life in 1867 playing on the Queen’s Park recreation ground, hence the name. In 1873 they leased ground from the Glasgow Corporation Parks department on the east side of Cathcart Road. It is now the site of the Hampden Bowling Club.
In 1884, a decision to run the railway line through part of the ground saw the club move 200 yards to the other side of Cathcart Road to the second Hampden. This stadium was later known as Cathkin Park, the home of Third Lanark. Queen’s moved to the third Hampden, the current national stadium, in 1903 to develop what was to become the biggest football ground in the world.