An extract from Celtic in the Fifties Volume One – At the end of the storm
The two quality, hardback volumes pick up the story from the end of the 1940s, with Celtic struggling on and off the field, before documenting in some detail how the arrival of some of the greatest names in our history transform the fortunes of the grand old team by the middle of the next decade.
Here’s an early taster from Volume One, which includes a foreword by the legendary Archie Macpherson…
Three young Celts would make their senior debuts during August 1949, as Jimmy McGrory’s men opened their latest campaign in a tough League Cup section comprising Rangers, Aberdeen and St Mirren. Eighteen-year-old Bobby Collins had been outstanding in Celtic’s public trial, a 1-1 draw between the club’s A and B teams played on Saturday, 6 August in front of 20,000 supporters, whilst Mike Haughney scored for the second string that evening.
With regular wingers Jock Weir and Johnny Paton unavailable – due to a stubbed toe and a failure to re-sign respectively – both Collins and Haughney were introduced on the flanks as the following Celtic side hosted cup-holders Rangers in the season-opener seven days later.
Willie Miller; Jimmy McGuire & Joe Baillie; Bobby Evans, Alec Boden & Pat McAuley; Bobby Collins, John McPhail, Leslie Johnston, Charlie Tully & Mike Haughney.
The majority of the all-ticket 70,000 crowd would enjoy their afternoon, despite the Ibrox side taking an early lead through a Willie Waddell penalty, awarded for a rash tackle by the aptly named Jimmy ‘Killer’ McGuire, who was perhaps a shade fortunate not to concede another. John McPhail levelled things from the spot on 22 minutes when Rangers centre-half Willie Woodburn was equally careless with a challenge on Bobby Collins, then added a second goal after Charlie Tully had headed on a Mike Haughney corner-kick on the half-hour.
When Willie Thornton made it 2-2 just after the hour mark, McGrory made a tactical change, moving Tully wide and bringing Haughney inside to lead the attack. Having set up Celtic’s first two goals, the Paisley-born forward duly capped a perfect debut by netting the winner with 20 minutes remaining, blasting the ball past Rangers goalkeeper Bobby Brown after McPhail’s shot had rebounded from the crossbar.
Collins had given Jock ‘Tiger’ Shaw a torrid afternoon, albeit to his credit the veteran Ibrox defender greeted the young Celtic winger with a warm, congratulatory handshake at the end. But for all that Collins, Haughney and McPhail and the ‘perpetual motion’ of Bobby Evans had contributed to this unexpected but highly welcome victory, there was another name on Celtic supporters’ lips. That was Pat McAuley, after the silky wing-half had produced an outstanding, virtuoso performance which teased then destroyed the opposition. This will forever be recalled as McAuley’s Game.
His manager Jimmy McGrory was upbeat.
“What pleased me most was that we had a vivid example of the spirit of Celtic, which I knew in my playing days. It matters a lot. I think the same eleven deserves to turn out at Aberdeen. They warmed the cockles of my heart by that display on Saturday.”
Whilst McGrory and the Celtic support were basking in the glory of that victory over Rangers, a few miles further east another two youngsters were taking the next steps in what would turn out to be the most illustrious of football careers.
Celtic’s line-up for the Division C clash with Albion Rovers reserves at Cliftonhill that same afternoon included a few familiar names, such as first-team full-backs Roy Milne and Jimmy Mallan and versatile forward Jock Weir, albeit Mallan – who had only re-signed for the club in midweek – was deployed at centre-forward and scored a hat-trick in the 3-1 win.
The ‘Newman’ in goal for Celtic was almost certainly Alex Devanny, a 19-year-old who was called up from Glasgow Perthshire that week having impressed in the public trial, with reserve keeper John Bonnar having still not agreed terms for the new season and now the subject of interest from Manchester City. Remarkably, Devanny had been excelling on the left wing for Dennistoun Juveniles just three months earlier.
Lesser-known Celts on that Coatbridge teamsheet were full-back Eddie Dowdalls, late of St Johnstone and a nephew of trainer Alec Dowdells, centre-half Chic Cairney (Cambuslang) and wing-half Alex Rollo (Ashfield), whilst partnering Bertie Peacock on Celtic’s left flank was a young Fifer by the name of Willie Fernie, signed by the club the previous October from Leslie Hearts then farmed out to another local side, Kinglassie Colliery.
All would play their part in the Celtic story, but Peacock and Fernie would be elevated to superstar status over the course of the decade to follow.
A short extract from Celtic in the Fifties; Volume One by Matt Corr, published by Celtic Star Books on Friday, 4 September 2026.
