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

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.

Celtic book author Alex Gordon, a lifelong friend of the iconic Celt and who co-wrote Tommy’s 2014 best-selling autobiography, ‘All The Best’, looks back at the remarkable career of a completely one-off character.

Here is another edited chapter from Tommy during his three-year manager’s stint as manager of Dundee.

Please enjoy.

I TOOK an immediate shine to Ian Redford when I helped out with the Errol amateur side in 1976. As a player, I had some spare time and I thought I would do my bit for the locals and I’m glad I did because it brought...