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The late David Potter’s Celtic Player of the Day, No.58 – Peter Wilson

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It is not all that far from the Ayrshire village of Beith to Glasgow in terms of miles and distance, but in terms of culture it would as well being on another planet.

When this bucolic looking young man with the sticking out ears and splay foot style of walking came to Parkhead in summer 1923, he had “country bumpkin” written all over him, and he once famously got himself lost in Woolworths, dazzled by all the bright lights.

But in 1924 he established himself as Celtic’s right half and very soon the fans saw some marvellous passing ability. “Peter Wilson didn’t pass the ball, he stroked it and caressed it” and he won four Scottish Cup medals in 1925, 1927, 1931 and 1933 as well as being part of that wonderful team that won the Scottish League in 1926.

A word used about him was “cool”, and he needed to be, for this was a highly charged time in Scottish football and the team needed to have someone who could take a grip of the game.

He was tasked with the job of reading the lesson at John Thomson’s memorial service in Glasgow, but could not gain admittance to the Church because of the crowds.

He played 4 times for Scotland, the most famous being against England at Hampden in 1933 on the day that McGrory scored the goal which created the “Hampden roar”.

He later played for Hibs and became Manager of Dunfermline Athletic. He died in 1983.

David Potter

David Potter passed away peacefully on Sunday morning 30 July 2023. You can read the message we received from David’s wife Rosemary HERE.

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About Author

David was a distinguished Celtic author and historian and writer for The Celtic Star. He lived in Kirkcaldy and followed Celtic all my life, having seen them first at Dundee in March 1958. He was a retired teacher and his other interests were cricket, drama and the poetry of Robert Burns. David Potter passed away on 29 July 2023 after a short illness. He was posthumously awarded a Special Recognition award by Celtic FC at the club's Player of the Year awards in May 2024. David's widow Rosemary accepted the award to huge applause from the Celtic Supporters in the Hydro.

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1 Comment

  1. Mike. on

    So glad that you are continuing with Davids, “player of the day series”, I’m certain that I’m not the only one that thinks that. 1932-3 must have been a great season for Peter Wilson, the Celtic team of that year won the Scottish Cup for a record breaking 14th. time. I often wondered how the players and manager got over the loss of John Thomson and Peter Scarrf, it must have been a traumatic time for them, losing their team mates and friends, perhaps that’s the answer, they used their loss to drive themselves on, a not unfamiliar experience don’t you think? Bravo, for continuing his series.
    I never met David Potter, but I know that we both shared a love of Celtic’s wonderful history and a love of dogs, can just see him now walking, lead in hand, going past 34 Balfour Street where John Thomson was born, perhaps he strode on to the Kirkcaldy Museum to see his Scottish jersey, boots and medals, in his mind would be a picture of “The Lady Josephine Mine”, Bowhill Colliery, where John followed his father down the mine. David Potter was an inspiration, a person who brought Celtic’s history into todays world. That must be a brilliant legacy. RIP.
    “Gone but not forgotten”.