That Davie McLean became a soldier of fortune may have a lot to do with Willie Maley. In truth as a centre forward he was not as good as his good friend Jimmy Quinn, but he might still have been kept as cover or for other positions.
He was only 16 when he scored his first goal for Celtic. He was with Celtic for two years between 1907 to 1909 during which time he won a Glasgow Cup medal and played a glorious part in the winning of the 1909 Scottish League, but he had no good relationship with Maley and then went on to play for Preston North End, Sheffield Wednesday, Third Lanark, Rangers, Bradford, Dundee and Forfar Athletic.
Incredibly he scored for Dundee in the Patsy Gallacher Cup final of 1925, almost 16 years after he left Celtic!
He was well known for his powerful shot – he once badly injured the back of Joe Dodds when Dodds got in the way of a free kick – but he also had the grit and determination to do well and he did not fully retire from the game until 1932 when he was 42.
In later years, he made his peace with Maley, and retained his love for Celtic, going frequently to see them in big games along with his brother George and his great friend Jimmy McMenemy. He died in December 1967, having watched TV on the night of 25th May of that year!
David Potter
