St Roch’s and A Celtic State of Mind have had a friendship for a number of years, with ACSOM raising funds during our inaugural Charity Weekender for the Candy’s mental health initiative ‘Roch Talk’.
St Roch’s followed this up by asking ACSOM to assemble a Celtic Select squad for the club’s centenary celebrations, which were delayed by three years due to the pandemic.
ACSOM accepted this request with pride, and the Celtic Select lineup has taken shape over the last few weeks. The game is now almost upon us, as a sold-out crowd will congregate this afternoon (15th October) for St Roch’s Centenary Match at James McGrory Park.
Scott Fox
The 36-year-old goalkeeper started his career at Celtic alongside the likes of Charlie Mulgrew, Paul Caddis and Simon Ferry.
He went on to make 359 senior appearances for several Scottish clubs, including Partick Thistle, Ross County and, most recently, Cove Rangers.
In 2013, Gordon Strachan called Fox up for Scotland’s friendlies against USA and Norway.
Rudi Vata
54-year-old Vata was signed by Liam Brady in 1992 and went on to make 60 appearances under the Irishman, Lou Macari and Tommy Burns.
The Albanian international won the Scottish Cup in 1995 and is regarded as a Celtic cult hero.
Rudi’s 18-year-old son, Rocco, has followed in his father’s footsteps, already making 4 appearances for Celtic’s first team.
John ‘Yogi’ Hughes
The second Yogi Hughes to pull on the hoops, this Edinburgh-born centre-back was signed by Tommy Burns in 1995 to add some steel to the backline.
Yogi went on to make 46 appearances for Celtic, scoring twice. His most memorable moment came at Ibrox, when he scored the equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Rangers.
Following the end of his playing career, Yogi moved into management where he enjoyed Scottish Cup success with Inverness Caledonian Thistle in 2015.
Tosh McKinlay
On 3rd May 1986, Dundee left-back Tosh McKinlay made way for Albert Kidd at Dens Park in the last league game of the season against Hearts. Celtic were playing St Mirren at Love Street that afternoon, hoping for a 3-0 win and that Dundee would beat Hearts.
If that chain of events came to pass, then Celtic would win the league…
That memorable league win was not Tosh’s only contribution to Celtic, as he finally signed for his boyhood heroes eight years later, via Hearts of all teams.
Currently working for Celtic as a scout, McKinlay made 139 appearances for the club, winning the Scottish Cup in 1995 and the league in 1998.
David Elliot
Elliot came through the ranks at Celtic and broke through under Billy McNeill, going on to make six first-team appearances.
The left midfielder went on to play for Partick Thistle, St Mirren, Falkirk, Wigan Athletic and Hibs befor joining Strathclyde Police.
Keep an eye on Elliot down Celtic’s left, as he might surprise a few with his pace.
Neil Lennon
Lennon’s most recent foray into management came at Omonia Nicosia and he is eager to get back into the management, but a revival of his playing days could be on the cards if he puts in a good display against the Roch.
Chic Charnley
Charnley had a long playing career spanning 21 years with clubs including Partick Thistle and St Mirren.
On the opening day of the 1997/98 season, Henrik Larsson assisted Charnley as he scored the winner for Hibs against Wim Jansen’s men.
Chic never hid his admiration for Celtic, and he did appear in the hoops on one previous occasion – against Manchester United in Mark Hughes’ 1994 Testimonial.
Pat McGinlay
A goalscoring midfielder, Pat McGinlay was Celtic’s top scorer in the 1993/94 season.
Having been brought to the club from Hibs by Liam Brady, he was sold to the same side 15 months later by Tommy Burns.
Bobby Petta
The Dutchman featured 81 times for Celtic in the early 2000s, having been brought to the club from Ipswich during John Barnes’ short tenure.
Petta’s finest run of form undoubtedly came under Martin O’Neill and included vintage performances against Rangers (6-2) and Ajax (3-1). On the top of his game, Petta was called up for the Netherlands on three occasions but had to withdraw due to injury.
Joe Miller
The forward played 199 times for the Hoops, grabbing 32 goals between 1987 and 1993.
Wee Joe was an integral part of Celtic’s league and Scottish Cup double-winning side in the centenary season.
His most memorable moment was his winning goal in the 1989 Scottish Cup final against treble-chasing Rangers.
Paul Byrne
Irishman Byrne made his debut at 16 for Oxford United before earning a move to Arsenal in 1991.
Having returned home for a couple of seasons, Liam Brady signed him for a nominal fee in 1993.
His best form at Celtic came under Tommy Burns, under whom he scored twice against Rangers.
Scott McDonald
Skippy was the man for the big occasion during his playing days at Celtic.
He stepped up time and time again in derby matches, providing an assist for a famous Jan Venegoor of Hesselink late winner and also providing his own last-minute goal against AC Milan.
McDonald is currently the boss at Gold Coast Knights back in his homeland of Australia as he looks to build up a career in management.
Andy Payton
Payton was a prolific forward for Celtic, despite playing in a struggling side.
He scored 20 goals in 46 games during his time at Parkhead before enjoying fruitful spells at Barnsley, Huddersfield and Burnley.
Tommy Johnson
Johnson had scored goals at Notts County, Derby and Aston Villa before he became Tommy Burns’ final Celtic signing.
The Geordie went on to be part of Wim Jansen’s league-winning side, then scored in the 2000 League Cup final under Kenny Dalglish, and rounded off his Celtic career as a treble-winner under Martin O’Neill.
JAMES MCKENZIE // Follow James HERE
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.