LISBON LION Tommy Gemmell will be celebrated when a statue of the Celtic legend is unveiled in his hometown of Craigneuk at 2pm on Saturday.

The club icon was the scorer of the crucial and utterly unforgettable equalising goal as Jock Stein’s side became the first British club to conquer Europe when they overcame mighty Inter Milan 2-1 in the glorious sunshine on the evening of May 25 1967 in the Portuguese capital.

CQN are marking the well-deserved honour to a genuine Celtic great with an EXCLUSIVE series in the countdown to the big day.

TOMMY GEMMELL signed for Celtic on October 25 1961 and made his debut as an unknown left-back in a First Division game against Aberdeen at Pittodrie on January 5 1963.

His first appearance kicked off a rollercoaster career that catapulted the extraordinarily-gifted 19-year-old to legendary status at the Parkhead club.

Gemmell was promoted to the top side following a 4-0 defeat from Rangers at Ibrox.

He played his part in an immediate turnaround in fortunes as Jimmy McGrory’s side recovered from their hammering in Govan to overwhelm the Dons 5-1 on their own territory with powerhouse frontman John ‘Yogi’ Hughes firing in a...