3. LEIGH ROOSE
This remarkable goalkeeper, an amateur who had played for Wales against Scotland at Kilmarnock the week before, played one game for Celtic – and it was a very unfortunate one as Celtic, without Sunny Jim Young and Jimmy McMenemy and of course goalkeeper Davie Adams, went down 1-3 to Clyde at Shawfield in a Scottish Cup semi-final. Leigh distinguished himself by running after Jackie Chalmers when he had scored the third goal for Clyde and shaking him by the hand! This amiable gentleman then returned to Sunderland. Tragically he was killed on the Somme in October 1916.
4. THE BROTHERS MALEY
Willie Maley had three brothers, two of whom played a part in Scottish football. The elder brother Tom, of course, played in Celtic’s first game and at the end of his career became a manager. In 1904 the Maley brothers, as managers, won the Scottish and English Cups. Willie watched Jimmy Quinn score the hat-trick that won the Scottish Cup final on 16 April 1904, and the following week was at the Crystal Palace to see his brother Tom’s Manchester City beat Bolton Wanderers 1-0 in the English Cup final.
Tom was sacked from Manchester City in 1906 after an illegal payment scandal but later became manager of Bradford Park Avenue. One of the things he did was to introduce a new strip for Bradford – green and white horizontal stripes! He did a great deal for Celtic on the administrative side, and was widely believed to be the journalist of The Glasgow Observer who was known as “Man In The Know”.
On two occasions Willie Maley faced his younger brother Alec as manager in a Scottish Cup final. One was in 1912 when Alec was manager of Clyde, and the other was in 1923 when Alec had moved on to manage Hibs. On both occasions Willie and Celtic emerged triumphant. Alec was also reputed to be the man who rescued the Scottish Cup from the mob on the occasion of the Hampden Riot in 1909.
5. TOMMY DUFF THE GOALIE
Celtic had no League or Cup game on New Year’s Day 1892 and thus arranged a friendly against Dumbarton so that they could pioneer their goal nets. A few “fringe” player were given a game as well, including goalkeeper Tommy Duff who had played for a few other teams, notably Cowlairs.
He had suffered from rheumatism (a common complaint in Victorian Britain) and was on medication for it. He should not have taken alcohol while he was on such medication, but New Year being New Year, could not resist doing so.
The result was that he turned up for the game less than 100% focussed and gave a performance which was “mediocre in the extreme” in the brilliant meiosis of The Glasgow Observer, and the team lost 0-8 to the incredulous Sons of the Rock. It was of course no disgrace to lose a game to Dumbarton (current Scottish champions) but 8-0 was a bit much, especially when the real reason for Duff’s poor performance became obvious.
Some supporters thought that it was because he was an Orangeman that he had played so poorly, but the truth was a little more basic. At least the deployment of goal nets at Old Celtic Park prevented anyone from having to run after the ball on eight occasions (or actually eleven, because the referee, compassionate and kind-hearted, chalked off another three).
