The Tommy Callaghan Story. Part 2: The real East Ender brothers and a rather special manager…
Having spent the first six years of their married life in Canada, Willie and Ellen Callaghan returned to Scotland in 1935 with their infant son Edward, the Valuation Roll of 1940 showing them living at Empire House in Cowdenbeath’s High Street. Also at that address is Mrs Ann Flannigan, presumably Ellen’s mum. Willie and Ellen would be blessed with the arrival of three sons and a daughter following their move to Cowdenbeath, John in 1935, Ann in 1937, William in February 1943 and finally Thomas in December of the following year.
The two youngest Callaghan siblings would emulate their maternal uncles by enjoying careers in professional football. Willie showed promise as a schoolboy centre-forward and was on Dunfermline Athletic’s radar before his 16th birthday, the Pars farming him out to local junior outfit Crossgates Primrose, as was the custom at the time. He turned professional in 1960 as Dunfermline made their most important appointment ever, Celtic’s exciting young reserve coach Jock Stein taking the reins at East End Park on Sunday 13 March of that year.
When Stein took over, the Pars were sitting in the relegation slot, second from bottom of the First Division table with just 17 points and only six games remaining. Under Stein’s leadership, remarkably they won all six of those matches to finish well clear of the drop in 13th place, as Hearts pipped Kilmarnock to win what is their last League title to date. Jock would then top that achievement 12 months later, as he led the club to its first-ever national honour, the Scottish Cup, following a 2-0 win in the replayed Hampden final over, of all teams, Celtic.
Whilst Willie would not feature in that historic Scottish Cup run, he would become the established right-back at the club the following year, appearing against Celtic at Parkhead on Boxing Day 1962, with previous incumbent Cammie Fraser sold by Jock to Aston Villa, the transfer fee paying for a new main stand at East End Park! Willie would also be joined at Dunfermline in September of that year by his younger brother Tommy.
Like his elder sibling, Tommy had enjoyed his football from childhood, progressing through the ranks with the school teams of St Bride’s and St Columba’s and the 46th Fife Scouts to Cowdenbeath Royals, a nursery team for the senior outfit. Tommy then cut his teeth in junior football with Lochore Welfare, where he came to the attention of Dunfermline boss Jock Stein, the former Celtic skipper convincing ‘Tid’ that his future lay with the Pars rather than Central Park.
On Saturday, 27 April 1963, the Callaghan brothers lined up together at East End Park to face Jimmy McGrory’s Celtic, no doubt a proud moment for dad Willie Callaghan senior, as the teams fought out a 1-1 draw. It’s unclear how much Tommy remembers about the game though, as he was taken to West Fife hospital with concussion following a clash with Billy McNeill.
The fortunes of the two men would be reversed on the opening day of February 1964, as Dunfermline Athletic beat Celtic 1-0 at East End Park with the now Parkhead skipper McNeill having the misfortune to deflect the ball past John Fallon for the winning goal. By the end of that month though, Jock Stein had announced that he would be leaving East End Park at the end of the season to seek a new challenge, and on 17 March it was confirmed that present coach and former full-back Willie Cunningham would be promoted to the top job from May.
Jock Stein’s final match as Dunfermline’s manager was the Scottish Cup semi-final clash with Rangers at Hampden on Saturday, 28 March 1964, Jimmy McGrory’s Celtic having lost 2-0 at Ibrox in the quarter-final. The Callaghan brothers were included in the party of 14 players who spent a few days in Dunblane Hydro as preparation for the game, and both were named in the team for Hampden.
It would end in disappointment for the Fifers as a Davie Wilson goal on the stroke of half-time settled the outcome in front of 67,000 spectators. Tommy was the most prominent attacking threat for the Pars, four times threatening the Rangers goal with fine efforts, the last of which produced a “miracle block” from Ibrox defender Bobby Shearer to deny Dunfermline a deserved replay. The following day, Jock Stein was interviewed by the Hibernian board of directors, seeking a successor to Walter Galbraith, who had resigned the manager’s post at Easter Road the previous month amidst rumours that Stein was being lined up to replace him.
He was duly confirmed as Hibernian’s new manager on Monday, 31 March 1964, Jock saying his farewells to the Pars players just a few hours before Willie Cunningham’s tenure began with a 5-1 thrashing of Airdrieonians at East End Park. In his media conference, Stein made reference to the fact that he had previously been offered the role at Hibernian.
“I look on my new job as a challenge. I was keen to face that challenge when I was first offered the job when Hugh Shaw resigned as Hibs manager [in 1962]. But because of my contract at Dunfermline, I could not accept then. Now I have my chance. And I am happy about the fact that Hibs have still three League games remaining.
That plus the fact that we are in the Summer Cup will give me an opportunity to study the players on the staff. I make no promises or forecasts. I will do my utmost for my new club, just as I did for Dunfermline, and I am certain that I will have the backing of all at Easter Road.”
With the loss of their inspirational manager, the man who had brought the Callaghan brothers to East End Park, one could be forgiven for thinking that the Pars’ best days were now behind them. Far from it. A fifth-place League finish would allow entry into European competition for the new season, and that last-four defeat at Hampden would provide hope that perhaps next season Dunfermline Athletic could go one better. The best was yet to come.
Hail Hail,
Matt Corr
Follow Matt on Twitter @Boola_vogue
