Charles Patrick Tully was a personality player of the type that Celtic supporters crave at certain points of their history, and they certainly needed one in the late 1940s and early 1950s, a dismal time for the club which took a long time to recover from the war.

He arrived from Belfast Celtic in 1948, a year in which the club had flirted with relegation. His beginning was spectacular with a defeat of Rangers and the winning of the Glasgow Cup in 1948, but the success was not really sustained until that famous day in 1951 when the team captured the Scottish Cup once again with the Irish left wing of Peacock and Tully playing a significant part.

It was his trickery that the crowd loved, his ability to dribble, to pass, and to get the better of a burly defender. Occasionally he could have done with being more direct or passing the ball sooner, for his tendency to show off annoyed his team mates.

Injury compelled him to miss the 1953 Coronation Cup final (he played in the earlier games) but he was heavily involved in the League and Cup double of 1954, and his last big game for the club was the 7-1 League Cup final in which he was outstanding.

He thoroughly deserved the adulation that he received, and remained a popular figure when he returned to Celtic Park. He died suddenly in 1971 at the age of 46.

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.