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‘OOR WULLIE’ – Willie Wallace…Lisbon Lion and so much more (Part 4)

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In his autobiography, ‘Heart of a Lion’, Willie tells of how he was summoned to a breakfast meeting with Jock Stein at Seamill, then driven to Celtic Park with hardly a word exchanged, an incredible way for someone who had given so much to the cause to leave the club. After picking up Crystal Palace representatives at the airport, en route to the stadium, he would learn that John Hughes would also be leaving as part of the same transfer. Yogi had been in dispute with the club at that time, so perhaps that was less of a surprise. It would be Palace manager Bert Head who would make arrangements for Willie to call his wife, Olive, to let her know about the potentially life-changing discussion taking place around him. Quite bizarre.

In any case, 10 minutes after negotiations commenced, he had agreed to become Willie Wallace of Crystal Palace, ending five trophy-laden years at Celtic Park. Yogi would come also.

They would join a mini-Scots colony at Selhurst Park, known jokingly as ‘The White Heather Club’, with others such as Gerry Queen, John McCormick, Jim Scott, Tony Taylor and Sam Goodwin. Other familiar names at the club were long-serving keeper John Jackson, plus former Chelsea record-goalscorer, Bobby Tambling, who had netted for the English League in Willie’s last appearance at that level.

The bhoys would later come up against their old friend Tommy Gemmell, who had left Celtic in November 1971 and was now plying his trade with struggling Nottingham Forest, Willie’s header winning that particular match in January 1972 at the City Ground and Forest relegated at the season’s end. A few weeks earlier, Yogi had scored a ‘goal of the season’ contender, in a 5-1 win over Sheffield United at Selhurst Park.

Willie would play in Croydon for 12 months, scoring four goals in 39 League games at the club, before heading back home to join Dumbarton on 12 October 1972, following the replacement of Bert Head by Malcolm Allison in the Palace dugout.

His first game for the Sons against his old Celtic teammates would prove to be a painful experience, Celts winning 6-1 at Boghead on Saturday, 2 December 1972, teenage wing-half Pat McCluskey the unlikely hat-trick hero. Willie did, at least, have the consolation of scoring the last goal of the game, for a Dumbarton side who included another ex-Celt, John Cushley, the McAdam brothers and former Rangers, Dundee United and Scotland winger, Davie Wilson, the man involved in the incident where Jock Stein had once fined Willie for not punching him hard enough! Only in Scottish football!

Wallace fared little better in the return League fixture, played at Celtic Park on Wednesday, 18 April 1973. Dixie Deans scored a hat-trick, as Celts homed in on eight-in-a-row with a 5-0 victory. Deans had been sent off whilst playing for Motherwell on the same ground on the day Willie had made his Celtic debut, back in December 1966, and had then been signed by Jock Stein immediately after Wallace had been sold to Crystal Palace, in a deal reminiscent of those which had seen Joe McBride snapped up from Fir Park then Willie himself bought from Hearts. In the eyes of many, Dixie Deans had been a direct replacement for Willie Wallace.

The next meeting of the two clubs would see Celtic score twice without reply at Boghead on Saturday, 24 November 1973, however, the Sons would share six goals at Parkhead when the teams clashed on Saturday, 30 March 1974, a late equaliser from Dixie Deans salvaging a point for the 9-in-a-row chasing Celts, after both McAdam brothers had scored in the first half.

The final season of the old League set-up in Scotland would see Celtic travel to Dumbarton on Saturday, 5 October 1974, the Hoops on the back of a disappointing European exit on the outskirts of Athens, to Olympiakos, Billy McNeill’s last match at that level. Willie’s old friend Jimmy Johnstone, enjoying his own final throes of a fabulous Parkhead career, opened the scoring within three minutes with his erstwhile successor, Deans, adding a second before half-time. Wallace would then score his final goal against Celtic, from the penalty spot with 20 minutes remaining, before the new King, Kenny Dalglish, sealed a 3-1 win for Celts late on.

There would be two more clashes between the clubs before Willie left Boghead.

On Tuesday, 11 February 1975, Celts continued to throw away points in the quest for ‘The 10’ by losing a two-goal lead at home to a Dumbarton side featuring three former Celts, Donald Watt, John Cushley and Wallace, the equaliser coming from a future Bhoy, Tom McAdam.

And McAdam would be on target again in Willie’s final fling against his old club, set up by the Lisbon Lion to head an equaliser for the Sons of the Rock in the eighth minute of their Scottish Cup quarter-final tie at Boghead on Saturday, 8 March 1975. Ronnie Glavin had opened the scoring for the holders, three minutes earlier, and Paul Wilson would seal a place in the last four on the hour mark. Celts would go on to lift the trophy again in May, as Billy McNeill said goodbye after the most wonderful career in green-and-white. He would be closely followed by Jimmy Johnstone, freed in June 1975, leaving Bobby Lennox as the last Lion standing.

As Cesar was taking his leave from Parkhead, his old colleague Willie Wallace was bidding farewell to Scotland, the family making the life-changing decision to head for Australia, where Willie signed for Sydney-based outfit, APIA Leichhardt, a club formed by the Italian-Australian community. He would enjoy a successful spell there before returning to Scotland in March 1977, where a player-coach role at Highland League club Ross County would bring the curtain down on his on-field career.

Willie then hooked up again with fellow Lion Tommy Gemmell, as the big full-back became the new manager of Dundee in June of that year, Wallace a key part of his coaching team. They would be joined by a third member of that exclusive club, as Jimmy Johnstone had a last throw of the dice as a player, whilst a young Gordon Strachan learned his trade at Dens Park.

The Wallace family would later head back to the sunshine of Australia once again, as Willie took up a coaching role at his old APIA club, setting up in business and for life back in Sydney, where he has remained ever since, barring the regular trips back to Scotland to keep in touch.

There was a lovely moment when Celtic captain Scott Brown went up those famous Hampden steps in May 2017, to receive the Scottish Cup, after an Australian Bhoy, Tom Rogic, had made the dream of that Invincible Treble a reality in the dying seconds of the 2016/17 cup final.

There to greet him, almost 50 years to the day when the European Cup had been won against all the odds, were Lisbon Lions John Clark and Willie Wallace, the latter home to celebrate that Golden Anniversary with his lifelong friends at the Hydro on the previous Thursday, then to watch the latest batch of Celts make their own piece of football history.

Willie incidentally later criticised Rodgers and received dogs abuse from some Celtic supporters

The INVINCIBLES meet the IMMORTALS.

I like that.

Happy 80th birthday, Willie Wallace.

A Lisbon Lion…and so very much more.

Matt Corr

You can catch up with the earlier instalments on this series on The Celtic Star on our homepage or via the various links below.

AN INTRODUCTON…

PART 1…

PART 2…

PART 3…

AND AN EXTRA BONUS PIECE…

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About Author

Having retired from his day job Matt Corr can usually be found working as a Tour Guide at Celtic Park, or if there is a Marathon on anywhere in the world from as far away as Tokyo or New York, Matt will be running for the Celtic Foundation. On a European away-day, he's there writing his Diary for The Celtic Star and he's currently completing his first Celtic book with another two planned.

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