Celtic's first trip to Moscow was a tale of diplomatic wrangles, runway panic and five different capital cities

This epic journey took place in January 1966, at the height of the Cold War and in the middle of a brutal Soviet winter. It was Jock Stein's first full season in charge and Celtic headed east confident of taking their place in the European Cup-Winners' Cup semi-finals after a 3-0 first-leg win. But Moscow was not their final destination. Nor was it Ukraine, home of opponents Dynamo Kiev. The harshness of the weather had caused the game to be switched to Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, where a fiery 1-1 draw took Stein's side through to the last four.

Yet that result, momentous as it was, became something of a footnote in a story which began with a stand-off between the Soviet authorities and Celtic's chairman. It was, admittedly, hardly an impasse to match the Cuban missile crisis, but Bob Kelly – as fans of that era will ruefully testify – could match any Politburo official when it came to intransigence. He certainly proved immovable when the Soviets, who had no diplomatic ties with Ireland, objected to the club's decision to fly with Aer Lingus. UEFA was called upon to intervene, and rather than accede to the repeated suggestion that he simply switch airline, Kelly struck a compromise that entailed a massive detour via Moscow on both legs of the journeys.

"That was Bob for you," Sean Fallon, Stein's assistant, recalled with a smile. "If he felt he was in the right, nothing would shift him. He was a very principled man and he could be very stubborn when it came to matters like that. He wouldn't be bullied by anyone. But although a lot of people didn't like him, he always fought Celtic's corner and always did what he thought was best for the club."

Sadly, Kelly's motives weren't always matched by his wisdom, although on this occasion being rerouted through Moscow proved to be the least of Celtic's worries. Their plane was beset by problems almost from the moment it left Glasgow, with a mechanical fault necessitating an unscheduled stop in Copenhagen. Jim Craig recalls Bobby Murdoch spotting the massed fire engines as the Tarmac drew closer and remarking casually: 'There must be a plane in trouble'. It took just a couple of seconds before Murdoch realised with a start – and several expletives – on which aircraft concern had centred.

But the journey to Tbilisi, in comparison to what was to follow, proved positively serene. There was even time to stop for photos at Red Square while Russian officials pored over Celtic's papers and the disputed Aer Lingus plane. It was a very different story on the way home, when players and staff were prohibited from disembarking during a five-hour stop-off in Moscow, an edict enforced by scowling, rifle-wielding guards.

With snow falling and ice forming, getting back in the air was of greater concern than getting off the plane and this was only achieved after a risky and uncertain takeoff from the treacherous runway. "The weather really was terrible," said Fallon. "There were a lot of nervous-looking people on that flight. It got so bad in the end that the pilot decided he couldn't make it back to Glasgow, so we had to change course and land in Sweden."

So it was that Stockholm became the fourth capital city on this increasingly arduous trip, with an overnight stay required before another attempt could be made at negotiating the snow-laden skies. By then the clock was ticking down to a 3pm kick-off at Tynecastle the following day, and there was no sign of an end to the technical troubles. "The engines had iced up," Fallon recalled. "I don't think Aer Lingus were used to flying to countries like Russia in those days, and the plane certainly seemed to be struggling. We were on board, off, then back on again. Each time they would try to take off and something would go wrong. I wasn't one of the most nervous fliers in that group, but it was quite frightening."

Less than eight years had passed since the Munich air disaster, and there were enough similarities – not to mention mechanical failings – to make everyone twitchy. Eventually, enough was enough. The Celtic players were climbing the stairs for another attempted take-off when Bob Kelly shouted, "Stop! Get everyone off. And get another plane out here!" It was later said that the chairman had overheard the pilot tell a colleague, "I don't want another Munich on my hands."

By the time a new aircraft had been rerouted from Brussels and returned the weary Celtic party to Glasgow, it was 11pm. The match with Hearts was 16 hours away, and the Scottish League – though informed of developments – had not ordered a postponement. Worried relatives had congregated at the airport, but for players and staff the reunion was brief. As Fallon explained: "Jock wanted everyone at Celtic Park for a training session. The families weren't happy as it was going on midnight by this stage. But Jock was worried, and rightly so, about the players tightening up after a journey like that." Despite Stein's best efforts, a gentle session under the floodlights and a few snatched hours of sleep provided insufficient preparation. Hearts won 3-2 to allow Rangers to draw level at the top of the table, a potentially disastrous twist in the season that earned Celtic their shot at Lisbon legion. But not all the consequences were negative. As fate would have it, the Hearts player who did most to torment the leggy visiting defence was a certain Willie Wallace. And as Joe McBride later reflected: "I think that was the crowning point in Jock saying, 'I want him'. It wasn't too long before Willie was playing for us."

Wallace, of course, went on to play a key role in Celtic's European Cup run in 1967, although his signing could well have squeezed out the man whose goal secured the trophy. Billy McNeill still remembers being told by Stein: "Wallace and Joe McBride could become the greatest striking partnership in the history of the Scottish game, maybe in Europe too." Only McBride's knee injury prevented his theory from being tested and, crucially, allowed Stevie Chalmers to keep his place in the side.

"Wallace was a great signing and McBride was an outstanding centre-forward, so I'm sure they would have made a great pairing," reflected Fallon. "But I'm glad it didn't happen at the expense of Stevie because he deserved his role in all that great success we had, especially having been there through all the lean years. He was a great servant for Celtic, and the fact he scored the winning goal in Lisbon gives him a place in the club's history forever."

Perhaps most importantly of all, the Dynamo Kiev and Hearts matches ended once and for all any debate on who picked the team. The pivotal moment arose after Jim Craig, harshly sent off in the former match, refused to apologise to the chairman, considering himself to have done nothing wrong. Kelly's anger at this show of obstinacy led to the right-back being omitted in favour of John Cushley, who endured an afternoon to forget. It was several years later that Stein told Craig, "You know, you're responsible for me getting a free hand at Celtic." The manager recounted the story of club secretary Desmond White, furious at the chairman's intervention, calling a meeting later the same day, at which Stein confirmed he would have preferred Craig to have played. A line was duly drawn in the sand. "Jock told me that was the turning point for him," said Craig. "From then on, he made all the decisions."

Fallon acknowledges the significance in this change. "That was a big change for Bob to make, having picked the team for so long when Jimmy McGrory was manager. In the end, he gave up control because of his respect for Jock. He wouldn't have done that for just anyone. The two of them were always very close, coming from the same Lanarkshire background, and Jock proved not to everyone he was more than worthy of being given that control. Even back then, before Lisbon, we could see where the club was heading with Jock as manager. They were very exciting times for all of us."

That particular week, the excitement reached a new, uncomfortable level. Celtic's class of 2012 will hope for the same outcome as Stein's side, preferably without the drama.

* BackPage Press will be publishing Sean Fallon's autobiography next year. Find out more by following @SeanFallonCelt on Twitter.