BROTHER WALFRID'S CELTIC LEGACY 

In his latest article, exclusively for Keep The Faith, celebrated Celtic author and historian, Tom Campbell, explains how he, in effect, shook hands with Celtic's founding father – Brother Walfrid – and how the Celtic lineage is forever and ever. 

Catching up with the past ...

A couple of weeks ago at Celtic Park I shook hands with Brother Walfrid – in a manner of speaking.  

I was invited along to the book launch for ‘Celtic Minded' (reviewed recently in Keep-the-Faith) and was chatting amiably to the editor/author Joe Bradley, and he introduced me to Andy Walker and his wife. Andy, I was pleased to see, turned out to be a pleasant, young man: well-mannered, well-spoken and intelligent. When I got home to Edinburgh , I decided to look up his last season for Celtic, 1995/96. Usually a prolific scorer, Andy scored only four times that season and I remember clearly the last one - the winning goal at Tynecastle that kept Celtic's challenge for the league on course with a 2-1 win.  

Brother Walfrid? I'll get there eventually.  

No doubt Andy Walker was congratulated by Paul McStay as captain that night, and Paul had been a key figure in Celtic teams since his debut back in 1982 against Queen of the South in the Scottish Cup. Paul's manager was Billy McNeill and nobody can doubt the fact that Caesar had lots of occasions to congratulate Paul in his Celtic career, especially during the triumphant Centenary Season of 1887/88, when Celtic accomplished a memorable Double.  

Brother Walfrid? I WILL get there, I promise you.  

Billy McNeill's first manager at Celtic Park was Jimmy McGrory and, although he was not a track-suit manager, he must have had opportunities to congratulate Billy, perhaps for breaking into the Scottish international team or perhaps consoling him for his part in holding England to a 9-3 win at Wembley back in 1961. No doubt Jimmy McGrory was on hand to personally congratulate Billy on heading the winning goal against Dunfermline Athletic in 1965, a goal that was reminiscent of so many of McGrory's own.  

Brother Walfrid? Be patient, I'm getting there.  

Watching Celtic beat Dunfermline Athletic must have reminded Jimmy McGrory of famous Celtic victories in Scottish Cup Finals. McGrory's first such triumph was back in 1925, when Celtic beat Dundee by 2-1 and Celtic's equaliser that day was one of the most memorable goals in Celtic's history, when Patsy Gallacher, a shrimp of an inside forward, dribbled through a crowded penalty area and, completely blocked a couple of yards from the goal-line, simply(!) somersaulted into the back of the net with the ball clamped between his feet. Congratulations would have been in order then - and perhaps repeated when young McGrory threw himself - like Henrik Larsson in the European Nations' Championship - to head the winning goal a few minutes from the end.  

Brother Walfrid? I assure you I'm getting there.    

Patsy Gallacher, reckoned by some as the greatest player in Celtic's history, broke into the side back in 1911 in a league match against St. Mirren, won 3-1 by Celtic at Celtic Park. Many of the regular Celtic players felt that the frail, under-sized, pale-faced youngster would never be able to cope with the hard, physical Scottish game, but Patsy became a legend for his courage and his skill. One of the doubters in the Celtic side was the great Jimmy Quinn who - allegedly - pointed out to his manager: ‘Gaffer, if you put that wee thing out on the park, you'll be done for manslaughter, so you will.' Quinn was to change his mind about the youngster in short order, certainly by September 20 th 1913 when Celtic travelled to Cappielow to take on Morton, in what was always considered a grudge match. That day Celtic won by 4-0, Patsy scoring twice and Jimmy Quinn - considered by some as ‘the greatest centre-forward that ever kicked a ba'' scoring the other two - the last goals he ever scored for Celtic. They must have congratulated each other that day.  

Brother Walfrid? Don't bother asking, I'll get there in my own time.

It's strange to think that Jimmy Quinn, destined to become one of Celtic's brightest stars, was doubtful about his abilities, so much so that, when Celtic's manager Willie Maley tried to sign him on from his junior club, Quinn simply refused the offer: ‘I'm not good enough to be a senior player,' he insisted. Fortunately, the manager was not a man to give up and persuaded him to join Celtic on a trial basis and his faith in Jimmy Quinn must have been justified when the young man from Croy, playing in his first Scottish Cup Final in 1904, led Celtic to a comeback win over Rangers by 3-2. Quinn terrorised the Ibrox defenders and scored a hat-trick – perhaps the most celebrated in Celtic's history.  

Brother Walfrid? Don't ask me about Brother Walfrid!  

Willie Maley, living with his family in Cathcart, was studying to be an accountant, training as an athlete - he would later win the 100 yards at the Scottish Amateur Athletic Championships - and playing a little football, when there was a knock on the door at Argyle Place one November night in 1887. Three men stood there, asking for his brother Tom, a schoolteacher who played for Third Lanark and sometimes Hibernian. Tom was out, courting his future wife but the three were invited in and enjoyed a pleasant visit with the Maleys. They had been leading lights in the attempt to form a new football club in Glasgow and were looking for players. Just before they left, one of them, obviously impressed with young Willie's physique and attitude, suggested that he come along to the next meeting of the new club along with Tom. That man was Brother Walfrid, who unknowingly had started a relationship between Willie Maley and Celtic Football Club - as player, match-secretary, secretary-manager - that would last till 1940.  

Just think! I shook hands with Andy Walker, and he shook hands with Paul McStay, and he shook hands with Billy McNeill, and he shook hands with Jimmy McGrory, and he shook hands with Patsy Gallacher, and he shook hands with Jimmy Quinn, and he shook hands with Willie Maley, and his hand was shaken by Brother Walfrid ... Yes, I shook hands with Brother Walfrid!