John Divers scores Celtic’s last goal before war

John Divers scores Celtic’s last goal before football becomes an early casualty of war…

Celtic family connections have been very much in vogue this weekend as Hoops-daft Luke McCowan made his first appearance for the club in yesterday’s comprehensive victory.

Luke McCowan during his debut match at Celtic Park on Sunday September 1, 2024. Photo Andrew Milligan

As part of my research for my forthcoming publication of the story of Celtic’s in the 1930’s, it has been my pleasure and privilege to speak with several family members from players of that era. Those include relatives of John Divers, Bobby Hogg, Frank Murphy and Peter Scarff. They all have fascinating tales to tell and are rightly hugely proud of their famous relations.

Barry Divers is the son of John, who played under Jimmy McGrory then Jock Stein, and the grandson of the player of the same name who starred in Willie Maley’s great sides of the late 1930s, then under Jimmy McStay during the second world war. So between them, Barry’s father and grandfather served under Celtic’s first four managers. Quite a record. And just for completeness, I should probably add that John senior’s maternal uncle was none other than Patsy Gallacher. Not a bad bloodline that is, Barry.

Barry mentioned to me earlier that it was on this day in 1939 that his grandad John Divers scored Celtic’s final goal before League football was suspended due to the outbreak of war, which had actually commenced 24 hours earlier.

Below is an extract from the new book which covers that momentous weekend.

I hope you enjoy it.

Further details on the book will follow shortly. Watch this space!

And if one your relatives played for Celtic in that incredible era with its triumphs and tragedies then this is a final call to get in touch and share your memories and anecdotes!

John Divers scores Celtic’s last goal before football becomes an early casualty of war…

Both Malcolm MacDonald and travelling reserve George Paterson were forced to withdraw through injury from the Scottish League squad which travelled to Belfast in midweek. The Scots would win by the odd goal in five in what would prove to be the last representative fixture for some time.

The match was played as plans to evacuate 250,000 ‘children, mothers and helpers’ from Scotland’s densely-populated areas commenced on the opening day of September, the official line being that this was purely precautionary, and that war was not necessarily inevitable. Those would prove to be empty words as Hitler’s attack on Poland, in the form of troop invasion on the ground and an aerial bombardment, began the same day. The reply from the Westminster government was clear, in that unless Germany withdrew immediately from such attacks, then Britain would use force to defend their Polish allies. With no such guarantees forthcoming, Britain and France were consequently at war with Germany.

Bizarre as it may seem now, given the circumstances in which football can occasionally be cancelled nowadays, the full Scottish League programme went ahead as scheduled on Saturday, 2 September 1939. Celtic welcomed east end neighbours Clyde, Willie Maley making four changes from the win at Cowdenbeath seven days earlier for what would prove to be an historic fixture.

With Jock Morrison absent, former Shawfield Juniors left-back John Kelly – rather confusingly – became the second player with the same name to make his Celtic debut in successive matches. Hugh O’Neill replaced Willie Lyon at centre-half, whilst George Paterson returned beside him and Matt Lynch moved up to outside-right in place of last week’s debutant Johnny Kelly. Malcolm MacDonald was back to partner Lynch on the right flank with Oliver Anderson missing out, the full Celtic line-up being as follows.

Joe Kennaway; Bobby Hogg & John Kelly; Chic Geatons, Hugh O’Neill & George Paterson;
Matt Lynch, Malcolm MacDonald, John Crum, John Divers & Frank Murphy.

Given the injury woes which stretched back as far as any supporter could recall, perhaps the last thing Celtic needed on a scorching afternoon in Glasgow was another fixture which left several of their stars limping on the touchline as the match progressed. John Crum, John Divers, Malcolm MacDonald and George Paterson all had a spell of this unwanted duty, but it would be Celts who took both points, the only goal of the game coming two minutes after the restart from John Divers, his low shot eluding Clyde goalkeeper Peter McArthur and full-back Jimmy Hickie on the line to find the corner of the net.

Celts would now form part of a quartet of clubs on six points from the five matches played – Hearts, Aberdeen and Partick Thistle being the others – that group now two behind Falkirk and three off early leaders Rangers.

It would not be known at that time, but the clean sheet Joe Kennaway kept against Clyde that afternoon would be his parting gift to Celtic. The Canadian who had arrived at Celtic Park in the most tragic of circumstances eight years earlier would not play for the club again.

Within 24 hours of these fixtures, the SFA advised its member clubs that the contracts of all players would be automatically cancelled. This followed on from a Government Order closing ‘all places of entertainment and outdoor sport.’

The SFA later clarified that registrations of professional players would remain effective in the meantime, but that ‘all contracts or agreements between clubs and players have been suspended as from 3 September 1939.’

That decision meant that the goal scored by John Divers against Clyde would be Celtic’s last official League goal until nationwide competitive football returned in August 1946, almost seven years later.

And by a curious co-incidence, Celtic’s first match was at home against Morton on Saturday, 10 August 1946, when the visiting inside-right was a certain John Divers, who had moved to Greenock in October 1945!

And to keep the family connection going, Celtic’s right-half that day was Willie Gallacher, the son of Patsy, and so a relative of John Divers! As an aside, Willie’s son Kevin scored for Dundee United against Celtic in the Scottish Cup final in our Centenary Double-winning season of 1987/88. Small world indeed.

John’s Morton side would win 2-1 that afternoon in Glasgow, Celtic opening the scoring through Joe Rae on the half-hour before the visitors struck twice in the second half to consign Jimmy McGrory’s Hoops to defeat..