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.