Hugh O’Donnell
Hugh O’Donnell started on the left-wing for Celtic in the next match, a 7-0 defeat of Cowdenbeath at Parkhead, whilst Willie Dunn made his debut at centre-forward in the Glasgow Cup semi-final, when Celtic met Rangers again on Monday, 25 September 1933, sixteen days after Ibrox.
With a wealth of attacking options at Maley’s disposal, a combination of injuries and competition for places would signal the end of Jack’s spell at the club. He was freed at the end of that season, joining Airdrieonians on a permanent deal on 6 June 1934, two years to the day he had signed for his boyhood idols, Celtic.
We pick up his trail the following season back at Broomfield, where the Diamonds had just survived a second successive relegation dogfight, this time finishing just a solitary point ahead of Third Lanark. The signature of Jack Connor would see a much-improved performance in 1934/35, the Airdrie club climbing up the table to finish in a more respectable 14th place in the 20-club division. They would host Celtic on Saturday, 17 November 1934, goals from Jack’s old colleagues Frank O’Donnell and George Paterson, the latter from the spot, securing a 2-0 victory which moved Celtic up to fifth place. Connor had been denied by another old teammate, Joe Kennaway, as Airdrieonians battled to salvage a point. However, that elusive goal against his former club would have to wait a bit longer.
Jack would continue to score against pretty much everyone else, with Hearts regular victims. He had previously netted a double whilst on loan as the Gorgie club won 7-2 at Broomfield on Hogmanay 1932 and he would be on target on Saturday, 12 January 1935, as the Tynecastle men again hit Airdrie for seven, in an incredible 11-goal affair at the same venue. He would then grab another brace against Hearts as the Diamonds lost by the odd goal in five in the home Scottish Cup quarter-final on Saturday, 9 March 1935. Around 150 miles to the north, his beloved Celts were also exiting the cup, a late goal from Jimmy McGrory insufficient to prevent a 3-1 defeat at Pittodrie in front of over 40,000.
The following month, on Saturday, 13 April 1935, Jack Connor would be missing from the line-up as his Airdrieonians colleagues went down to a 2-0 defeat at Celtic Park, the hitman presumably injured as goals from Willie Buchan and Hugh O’Donnell saw the Bhoys continue their push for second place in the League. Rangers would that day clinch their eighth title in nine years by beating Aberdeen, only Motherwell in 1932 having halted that procession since Celtic’s last success in 1926.
Connor would face his old pal Jimmy McGrory again on Saturday 19 October 1935 at Celtic Park, Jack leading the line for Airdrieonians on the day young Irish keeper Jim Foley made his Celtic debut. McGrory’s double in the Hoops’ 4-0 win would see him beat Steve Bloomer’s British goalscoring record of 352 that afternoon.
It would later transpire that the record actually belonged to a Scotsman, Hugh Ferguson. We discussed Hugh in an earlier part of this series. He had become Motherwell’s all-time leading goalscorer before joining Cardiff City, where he scored the winner in the 1927 FA Cup Final victory over Arsenal which saw the trophy leave England for the first and only time. He then returned to Scotland with Dundee, where he scored his final goals to declare at 364. Tragically, Hugh Ferguson committed suicide after a training session at Dens Park on 8 January 1930. He was only 34.
So Jimmy McGrory would have to find another dozen goals to ‘reclaim’ the record. As he was notching his brace against Jack Connor’s Airdrie, there was another 4-0 victory taking place around 180 miles south of Glasgow, where the O’Donnell brothers, Frank and Hugh, the former teammates of the Garngad Bhoys, having both swapped Glasgow for Lancashire five months earlier, were also grabbing doubles as their Preston North End side hammered Manchester City at Deepdale. McGrory would not have too long to wait as the goals continued to flow.
On Saturday, 21 December, Celts played host to League leaders Aberdeen, with the great man just one behind Ferguson’s record. He had equalled that within seven minutes before the magic moment which will forever be associated with Jimmy McGrory, horizontal in the air as he heads his way into history from a Frank Murphy cross. And just for good measure, Jimmy completed his hat-trick, his fourth of the season, early in the second half, as Celtic took a massive stride towards their first title in a decade, by beating the Dons 5-3 in front of 40,000.
