Denis achieves League and Cup glory at Celtic, fulfilling a Bhoy’s ambition
The homage to the late Denis Connaghan covered his arrival at Celtic Park in the fall of 1971, when he was welcomed back to play football with his old schoolboy teammate, Harry Hood, as well as the events of ten years prior, when Denis won the Scottish Secondary Shield, the Scottish Cup of school football, while Harry, the star striker for Holyrood, was forced to watch from the sidelines because of his brief stint in junior football with St Roch’s.
As a Celtic, Harry would win the senior trophy three times, and Denis would go on to accomplish what has to be a record-tying triple of appearances in Hampden Cup finals at all football levels. Seven years later, at the same site, the large goalie ended his career on the losing side when Pollok defeated Arthurlie 1-0 in the Scottish Junior Cup final. The second of those matches ended in victory, with the Celts’ friend Harry joining him. But in the interval, a lot of water would pass under each of their bridges.
Harry would be playing First Division football with Clyde as an 18-year-old by the autumn of 1962 whilst Denis was provisionally signed by Jimmy McGrory’s Celtic in May 1963, then farmed out to Yoker Athletic for the season which followed. He did appear in the reserves. Denis recalled playing for the second-string at Celtic Park as the first team were blowing dreams of a European final and a three-goal first-leg advantage over MTK in Budapest on Wednesday, 29 April 1964.
Dundee would have lost by a score of 2-1, with Stephen Gnaulati, a footballer with an odd name, scoring Celtic’s goal. On Saturday, March 21, 1964, at Celtic Park, Denis undoubtedly participated in a 4-1 victory over Kilmarnock’s reserve squad, which also featured Willie O’Neill, Jim Brogan, and Charlie Gallagher. However, he was let go at the conclusion of the season and went back to Yoker. After moving to Renfrew Juniors from Holm Park, Yoker, he attracted the attention of many senior players before being signed by St Mirren on Friday, June 10, 1966.
Denis’ senior debut was a prime example of the amazing stories that football has a way of producing. The headline “Saints field new ‘keeper'” appeared in the Evening Times on Friday, November 4, 1966, as Connaghan got ready for a baptism of fire against champions Celtic the following day. This was not the first or last time his surname has been spelled wrong.
Denis Connachan, a Glasgow wages clerk who was a goalkeeper for Renfrew Juniors only a few months ago, will take on the hardest task in Scottish football tomorrow when he plays goal for St Mirren and has to keep out the Celtic sharpshooters at Celtic Park. Jim Thorburn loses his ever-present record and is replaced by Connachan.
Thorburn has given up 17 goals in his four games against Celtic this season. On April 5, Celtic defeated Saints 3-0 at Love Street, and four days later, at Celtic Park, Celtic triumphed 5-0. This season, on August 20 at Celtic Park, Celtic defeated St Mirren 8-2 in the League Cup. On September 3, at Paisley, Celtic prevailed 1-0 in the rematch.
Thorburn now leaves a revamped St Mirren team after losing six goals at Love Street to Rangers in midweek. Experienced Bobby Adamson and former Celt Kenny Aird, who plays outside right, are both out.
Bobby Lennox, who suffered a cold and missed Celtic’s match against Stirling Albion on Wednesday, and inside right Charlie Gallagher, who substituted for Lennox and strained his leg, are both healthy. However, Celtic will not reveal their starting lineup until just before kickoff.
As it happened, Billy McNeill, who had contracted the illness, and Willie Wallace, who had not yet signed a contract, were the only two players on that team that would go on to win the European Cup in Lisbon six months later. Willie O’Neill, Denis’s former reserve colleague, covered at full-back, Tommy Gemmell played at center-half, and Joe McBride, Scotland’s top goalscorer, led the attack. Though it was the first lost point for Stein’s team that season, the match would be a personal victory for Denis, the great goalkeeper, as Saints held the Hoops to a 1-1 draw. The only thing keeping the rookie clean sheet was a 30-yard thunderbolt from Gemmell; Bobby Murdoch, another future Celtic colleague, was later sent out for an off-the-ball altercation.
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