Didsbury Celtic South Manchester CSC…
The Station Bar became a Celtic pub in 2015 after it came under new ownership and became an Irish pub. Shortly afterwards, two of the founder members of the group, Eddie Bell and Frank White, approached the new owner to see if he would show the Celtic games. He agreed and given the number of Irish and Scottish Celts in the area, word quickly spread throughout South Manchester and beyond.
Two such Celts who quickly found out about South Manchester’s newest Celtic bar were Andy Mallon and Peter Goldie (whose dad, Peter Goldie, played for Celtic and is currently the longest living ex-Celt.) They quickly set about organising the group: creating a WhatsApp group, having a flag designed courtesy of Tam, organising merchandise, getting themselves onto Twitter.
Whilst not the biggest pub, the atmosphere in The Station on matchday is second to none, as its many visitors will testify. Once again, the bar found itself under new management; however, the Didsbury Celtic still calls it home (the takings after the big games must have convinced the new owners to let them stay,) and the bar manager Eddie, affectionately known as ‘The Good Eddie,’ is exceptionally helpful in ensuring all games are shown.
When Peter Goldie (senior) attended the pub for the first time for the ‘Rogic Cup Final’ in 2017, he was presented with a plate commemorating the fact that he was the first ex-Celtic player to watch a game in the pub.
Celebrated suitably in @stationdidsbury 🍀🍀🍀🏆 pic.twitter.com/pmMNhlsQDX
— SouthManchesterCelts (@didsburyceltic) December 27, 2022
Several of their group members travel up to Paradise for matches, mostly travelling on the bus with their friends at the Preston Emerald CSC. A few also travel to European away games whenever they can. Founder member Eddie’s favourite was definitely Cluj, but that was mostly due to it being 50p a pint.
A unique feature of the group is that prior to Cup Finals or Glasgow Derbies, they host rebel breakfasts where folk meet prior to the pub opening to get set for the day with square sausage, haggis, black pudding, and Morton’s rolls, all shipped down from Scotland.
There are currently over 100 members on their WhatsApp group, and they pride themselves on being an open, friendly, and welcoming group for any Celtic fan.
FOOTBALL WITHOUT FANS – THE HISTORY OF CELTIC SUPPORTERS CLUBS – RESEARCHED & COMPILED BY DAVID McINTYRE from Celticbars.com…
From Paisley to Papua New Guinea, The Gorbals to The Bronx, Celtic Supporters Clubs are renowned the world over. The only difference between the brake club pioneers of the late 1880s and the present-day CSCs is the mode of transport. The passion, dedication, hopes and dreams of the fans has never changed. The pride of belonging to a cause they believe in has made them the lifeblood of Celtic FC.
Delve into what our forefathers got up to, from the horse and carts, motorised charabancs, war years, the highs of Lisbon to the histories of over 400 CSCs. Every supporters club has a story to tell. This book brings them to life with some remarkable tales of heroism, prejudice, inventiveness, charity, mayhem and humour.
This book is by the fans, about the fans, for the fans and is out now.
David McIntyre’s book Football Without Fans – The History of Celtic Supporters Clubs is out now and available in print and kindle versions HERE. Watch the video in the Celtic World tweet below for some amazing facts on the Celtic support around the world.
𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐬 – Intro with video – Celtic’s worldwide fanbase!
🍀Must-have Xmas stocking filler! More chat on YT🍀
🍀A Celtic World – It really is! Come and join us🍀#celticfc #celticsupporters @celticbars pic.twitter.com/29GWKeyYwr— A Celtic World (@ACelticWorld) November 17, 2023
READ THIS…Photo Exclusive – A Celtic training session at Barrowfield in mid-1970s
