In the purest footballing sense, Charlie Gallagher was one of Celtic’s best ever players. A brilliant passer of a ball, and with a brilliant wiggle of the hips to avoid a charge from a coarse defender, Charlie’s delicate frame was deceptive, for he was a tough competitor with a cannonball shot on occasion.
He had the misfortune to be around in the early 1960s when things did not go so well for the club, including the awful Scottish Cup final in 1961, but he emerged through it all to take the famous corner kick from which Billy McNeill propelled Celtic to glory.
Two years later he did the same against Vojvodina. Sadly he missed out on Lisbon itself, but 1968 was rightly called Gallagher’s Championship as the team came from behind with marvellous away wins at Dundee United, Hearts, St Johnstone and Aberdeen to lift the flag.
It was a shame that he was in the same team as so many other fine players, for it meant that he could not command a regular place.
Charlie won two caps with Eire, and after he left Celtic, he also played for Dumbarton in a team which came close to beating Celtic in a League Cup semi final. In later years he was a regular attender at Celtic Park, remaining the modest and lovable man that he had always been.
Charlie Gallagher? What a Player!
David Potter
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A fine player indeed, David. Would any Celt happen to know if there is any colour footage of the 1965 Scottish Cup Final.
Hail Hail.