Amidst the joy of last week’s victory over theRangers there was some sad news for the Celtic family, as we heard of the passing of former Celtic defender David Cattanach after a short illness at the age of 75.
Born in Falkirk on 27 June 1946, Davie came to prominence with Woodburn Athletic, a local juvenile side who provided several players to the senior game around the same time, West Bromwich Albion’s long-serving defender Ray Wilson and Dundee United striker Ian Mitchell being two cases in point.
Davie and Ian, together with future Falkirk cup-winning manager Alex Totten, were part of a strong Stirlingshire contingent who made up the Scotland Schoolboys team which faced their English counterparts at Roker Park, Sunderland on Saturday, 22 April 1961, seven days after the senior side were humiliated 9-3 at Wembley and the same afternoon that Jock Stein led Dunfermline Athletic onto Hampden for the Scottish Cup final against his old Celtic prodigies.
Davie made his senior debut with Second Division Stirling Albion at the tender age of 16 years, making 12 League appearances in season 1962/63 for the Annfield club. He obviously made a good impression, the 17-year-old midfielder being duly signed by Celtic manager Jimmy McGrory on 19 August 1963. The first mention of Davie as a Celtic player is his appearance in a Combined Reserve League fixture with Raith Rovers at Starks Park on Saturday, 14 September 1963, which the hosts won 1-0. John Cushley, Frank McCarron and goalkeeper Dick Madden also featured in that Celtic line-up, with Davie at inside-right.
Davie would witness at first hand the transition of Celtic from the consistently inconsistent days of the early 1960s to the greatest club side in Europe, following the arrival of Jock Stein as manager in March 1965. He made his first-team debut in a home League match with St Mirren on Saturday, 9 April 1966, two months short of his 20th birthday, replacing Bobby Murdoch at right-half in front of 23,000 spectators as the all-green clad Celts prepared for their midweek European Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final with Liverpool by winning 5-0.
Bertie Auld scored Celtic’s 100th League goal of the season that afternoon and Davie shaped up well, almost scoring a debut goal with a fine shot which was saved by Saints keeper Jim Thorburn. He thus played his part in Celtic’s first League title triumph in 12 long years, with The Evening Times commenting on his first appearance.
“Quietly, and without any pre-match publicity, another youngster came into the Celtic team – right-half David Cattanach, the former Stirling Albion player. Cattanach gave a workmanlike display and showed once more the wealth of reserve team power on call at Celtic Park.”
The Hoops line-up that afternoon was as follows:
Ronnie Simpson; Ian Young & Tommy Gemmell; Davie Cattanach, Billy McNeill & John Clark;
Jimmy Johnstone, Joe McBride, Stevie Chalmers, Charlie Gallagher & Bertie Auld.
Davie’s second appearance in the first team came along on Tuesday, 7 February 1967 and was a bit unique as Jock Stein tried an experimental 3-4-3 formation for the challenge match with Yugoslavs Dinamo Zagreb at Celtic Park. This was arranged ahead of the European Cup quarter-final with Yugoslav champions Vojvodina Novi Sad the following month. Davie played on the right of a three-man defensive line with Billy McNeill and John Clark, the Hoops going down to a late Zambata goal despite performing well on the night before 46,000 spectators.
Both of Davie’s competitive appearances in that all-conquering season of 66/67 came in the Scottish Cup. On Saturday, 18 February 1967, he partnered Tommy Gemmell at full-back as Celts hammered Highland League outfit Elgin City 7-0. Celts were led out of the tunnel that afternoon by Charlie Gallagher, a nice touch by Jock Stein ahead of the midfielder’s first international cap for Ireland in Turkey in midweek.
Davie was again at right-back in the next round, lining up with the 10 men who would be christened Lisbon Lions just a couple of months later as Celtic beat Queen’s Park 5-3 in the home quarter-final on Saturday, 11 March 1967. This match is remembered as the one where James Bond actor Sean Connery was photographed with the team before the kick-off.
The following season of 1967/68 would be Davie’s most successful at Celtic, with nine first-team appearances and his only goal for the club. He made his League Cup debut from the bench in the 6-2 victory over Ayr United in the quarter-final first leg at Celtic Park on Wednesday, 13 September 1967. Davie then retained his place at right-back in the starting line-up for the biggest match of his career to date, the League fixture at Ibrox three days later before 88,000 spectators, once again with the other 10 Lisbon Lions. Davie would get a first taste of defeat that afternoon as an Orjan Persson goal early in the second half saw the two points remain in Govan.
He would be back on the bench seven days later as Jim Craig returned at right- back, Davie replacing the injured Pat McMahon with 10-man Celts trailing to an Alex MacDonald goal in the League clash with St Johnstone at Celtic Park on Saturday, 23 September 1967. Jimmy Johnstone had been sent off for retaliation before the interval, but a late Bobby Murdoch strike rescued a point as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
The following midweek, Davie would start at right-half as Celts duly confirmed their place in the League Cup semi-final by beating Ayr United 2-0 at Somerset Park. A young Lou Macari came on for Bertie Auld in the second half to make his first-team debut that evening.
A spell in the reserves then ensued before Davie returned to the right-back role for the New Year’s Day fixture at Shawfield on the opening day of 1968, Celts edging a five-goal thriller against a Clyde side which featured Harry Hood. Just 24 hours later, he retained his starting place for the return match with Rangers at Celtic Park, the dominant Hoops having to settle for a share of the spoils in a 2-2 draw after a late Kai Johansen equaliser.
With the wintry weather putting paid to Celtic’s next two League matches, Davie remained in the team for the vital clash with Hibernian at Easter Road on Saturday, 20 January 1968, Celts staying hot on the heels of Rangers after a 2-0 victory.
Seven days later, his perfect Scottish Cup record disappeared together with Celtic’s hopes of retaining the famous old trophy. Jock Stein’s old Dunfermline Athletic side including Tommy Callaghan won 2-0 at Celtic Park on their way to winning the cup for the second time that decade.
Davie would return to the first-team squad on Saturday, 30 March 1968, listed on the bench at Tannadice for the League clash with Dundee United. Replacing Charlie Gallagher with 20 minutes remaining, he would mark the occasion by scoring his first and only goal for his boyhood club in the last minute from a Jim Craig cross, Celtic’s fifth in an emphatic 5-0 victory. His old schoolboy football pal Ian Mitchell was in the beaten United side that afternoon.
And a further 12 months would pass before Davie took his place on the bench for the final League match of the 1969/70 season, on Saturday, 18 April 1970. This would involve a trip to Love Street, as Jock Stein’s men celebrated their progress to a second European Cup final in midweek by winning 3-2 in my own first visit there, a result that consigned St Mirren to Second Division football. Davie replaced injured captain Bobby Murdoch late on whilst Vic Davidson celebrated his own Celtic debut with a goal.
Monday, 10 August 1970 would be a red-letter day for Davie Cattanach and some of his fellow Quality Street gangmates as a young Celtic side beat a full-strength Rangers 3-1 to win the Glasgow Cup at Hampden before 58,000 spectators. This was Davie’s first cup final as a senior player at Celtic, his first winner’s medal and a first success over Rangers at the third attempt.
His next appearance was again in the number six shorts, albeit this time in the slightly warmer setting of Broomfield, as a Harry Hood-inspired Celts beat Airdrieonians 3-1 in a League match on Saturday, 17 October 1970. Davie would feature twice more that month, the evening of Wednesday 28th seeing Celts recover from a two-goal deficit with just 20 minutes remaining to beat Hearts 3-2 in a home League fixture just four days after their five-year grip on the League Cup had been ended by a teenage Derek Johnstone at Hampden. And three days later it was back to Lanarkshire, this time to face Motherwell as Harry Hood starred in the Fir Park mud with a hat-trick in the 5-0 win over the Steelmen.
Davie’s final League match for the Hoops took place the following Saturday, 7 November 1970, this time Cowdenbeath the visitors to Celtic Park as Jock Stein’s men maintained the pressure on Aberdeen at the top of the table with a 3-0 defeat of the Fifers. His 21st and final competitive appearance for Celtic took place on Thursday, 6 May 1971, five days after the Lions last stand against Clyde at Celtic Park, an emotional day for all concerned. The Bully Wee were again the opposition but this time it was Glasgow Cup business at Shawfield and sadly Clyde won 2-1 on an evening which also marked the end of the Celtic road for Lisbon Lions John Clark and Stevie Chalmers. That Celtic line-up makes interesting reading, with Danny McGrain wearing the number seven shorts and Davie at inside-right.
Tom Lally; Pat McCluskey & Jimmy Quinn; Bobby Murdoch, Tommy Gemmell & John Clark;
Danny McGrain, Davie Cattanach, Kenny Dalglish, Stevie Chalmers & Vic Davidson.Substitute: Ward White.
As an aside, that same eleven had completed a clean sweep of the reserve trophies by winning the Second XI Cup at Brockville just 24 hours earlier. Falkirk’s goal in the 2-1 defeat was scored by future Scotland manager Andy Roxburgh.
Davie would be back on reserve team duty as season 1971/72 commenced. His last match for Celtic was against Cowdenbeath, coincidentally also the opponents for his final League outing in the Hoops back in November 1970. This was a friendly match played at Central Park on Wednesday, 12 January 1972 which the Second Division leaders won 2-1. Paul Wilson scored Celtic’s goal, beating future Hibernian keeper Jim McArthur just before the break. This was the line-up for Davie’s last stand as a Celt.
Gordon Marshall senior; Danny McGrain & Jimmy Quinn; Bobby Murdoch, Jim Davidson & Davie Cattanach; Jimmy Johnstone, Vic Davidson, Paul Wilson, Pat McCluskey & Newman.
Substitutes: Ray Franchetti, Tommy O’Hara, Brian McLaughlin & Steve Hancock.
Following this match, Falkirk manager Willie Cunningham expressed an interest in bringing both Davie and Gordon Marshall to Brockville. Whilst the veteran goalkeeper would remain in Glasgow before heading to Arbroath – Falkirk moving instead for Dundee stopper Ally Donaldson – 25-year-old Davie signed for his hometown team on Thursday, 20 January 1972 for a fee of £3,000, thus ending a near nine-year association with Celtic.
Bairns manager Willie Cunningham was delighted to get his man.
“Cattanach will be a useful addition to our strength. He is the type of player who never knows when he is beaten.”
Davie made his Falkirk debut 48 hours later at Shawfield, lining up beside another old schoolboy teammate Denis Setterington and a certain Alex Ferguson. He got off to the perfect start by setting up an opener for Jim Shirra within four minutes, however, Clyde fought back to win 3-1 with Dom Sullivan the star of the show.
Davie would face his old Celtic mates within a couple of months, as the Hoops visited Brockville on League business on Saturday, 25 March 1972. This game is most remembered for the fractured skull suffered by Danny McGrain in a clash with Doug Somner, a late Vic Davidson goal securing the points for the champions. He would return to Celtic Park in Falkirk colours almost exactly a year later, the Bairns beaten 4-0 by a Hoops side chasing eight-in-a-row on Saturday, 31 March 1973.
Cattanach would play a total of 33 League games for his hometown club before taking up a position as coach at local rivals Stirling Albion in 1974. In tandem with his football career, he was one of that rare breed of men who manage to carve out a successful life in business when their playing days were over, teaming up with former Celtic colleague Jim Brogan to launch a number of ventures in the licensed trade. In recent years, he was best known as the owner of the hugely popular wedding venue The Three Kings in Shieldhill, on the outskirts of Falkirk.
Whilst millions of us can only dream of pulling on the famous hooped jersey, Davie Cattanach lived that dream…and then some.
- A schoolboy international who represented his country in a victory over the Auld Enemy on English soil.
- A senior footballer at 16 and a Celtic player one year later.
- Part of the greatest squad in the history of Celtic Football Club, playing through an era where the Hoops were the finest side on the planet.
- Wearing those Hoops with pride in all three domestic competitions and the European Cup.
- Experiencing the nervous tension of 80,000-plus crowds in the fierce Glasgow derby fixtures then winning a cup final against Rangers at Hampden in his beloved green and white jersey.
Yes, the Quality Street Bhoy Davie Cattanach certainly lived his dream…and ours.
May he rest in peace.
Matt Corr
