please log in to view this image The Celtic Graves Society is proud to announce that there will be a ceremony to mark the final resting place of Neil McCallum, who has the distinction of scoring Celtic's first ever goal in the 5-2 win over Rangers on May 28th 1888. The ceremony will take place on January 14th at Bonhill Churchyard, Vale of Leven at 11am and attendees will include: Members of the McCallum family Jim Craig - CGS Patron Stevie Chalmers - Scorer of another important Celtic goal Paul Cuddihy - Editor of the Celtic View Terry Dick - Cetic Historian and Raconteur Further details will be posted in due course. All Celtic fans welcome to attend Playing Career LEAGUE APPEARANCES -20 Goals 9 SCOTTISH CUP APPEARANCES -13 Goals 8 Honours with Celtic Scottish Cup 1892 Neil McCallum from the Celtic wiki - http://www.thecelticwiki.com/page/McCallum, Neil Neil McCallum will go down in history as the man who scored Celticâs first ever goal. Tempted away from Renton to sign for the newly formed Celts McCallum opened the scoring on May 28th 1888 when Celtic defeated a Rangers side 5-2. Neil was a popular figure among the early Bhoys support who enjoyed seeing his trickery on the right wing. McCallum also possessed a vicious shot and he enjoyed nothing more than cutting in from out wide and unleashing an angled drive at the keeper. His skill was there despite having a rather flat footed running style apparently. He had a short spell with Blackburn (signing at a moment of madness) before returning under the amnesty of 1891. He was the subject of interest from Nottingham Forest but the Celtic members made it clear to the English clubâs representative that he would be lucky to leave Glasgow in one piece should he tempt the popular McCallum to the midlands (along with Sandy McMahon). McCallum did however eventually move south to Nottingham in August 1892 after 33 appearances and 17 goals for the Bhoys. Apart from scoring Celticâs first ever goal this history maker was also part of the first Celtic team to play in a Scottish Cup final (1889) and then win the trophy (1892). In February 1888 Neil McCallum played for Rangers in a friendly against Aston Villa at Parry Barr, Birmingham. he was one of five guests players that Rangers used that day. Woods & Campbell (Rhapsody In Green, 1990:12) believe that this makes Neil the first Roman Catholic to play for Rangers and also the first individual to play for Celtic and Rangers. McCallum was capped once for Scotland but it is for his efforts with Celtic that his place in football history is assured. He scored once in a 10-2 defeat of Ireland. After playing his heart remained at the club, and he was an odd-job man as of Aug 1905. Notably, he wore an Inverness cape under his clothing in his daily ware. This likely highlights his possible Highland connections, and possibly extends Celtic's reach to the Catholic community of not only Irish descent but of Highland descent also (must be noted that there were a number of Highland Catholic descent people living in the Bridgeton area of Glasgow). Fullname: Neil McCallum aka: "The Shadow" Born: 3 July 1868 Died: 5 Nov 1920 Birthplace: Bonhill Signed: 1888-90, 1891-92, 1905 (1 game) Left: 22 Feb 1890 (Blackburn Rovers); Aug 1892 (Notts Forest) Position: Outside-right Debut: Celtic 5-2 Rangers XI, 28 May 1888, Friendly Internationals: Scotland International Caps: 1 International Goals: 1
So he was an old-fashioned right-winger then - in the days when there were five forwards/strikers! Interesting little bit of history Reb - thanks for posting.
Why is that then Trev? You said something similar before and i don't get it. I'm not interested in a fight over it, i just think it is a wonderful thing that the memory of those involved on the formation of our club is preserved.
There is nothing wrong with it, it's lovey sentiment. I just don't think I have time available to get into these sort of things. Someone doing lots of research and putting these in a book for me to read is far more my thing that loads of ceremonies. Although I knew some people fill their entire life with a football club.
It's not a bad thing and is a nice sentiment but some people must have a massive empty hole in their life to get this involved with a club.
Both sets of fans have thsoe who are overly sentimental http://www.thisislincolnshire.co.uk...ootball-Club/story-11201358-detail/story.html I don't agree with it but some people will undoubtely be interested.
it's just weird. going from graveyard to graveyard to do what? raise a glass to a footballer who died 100 years ago? strange bunch
Quite frankly Trevor I think Rebelbhoy's article was aimed towards the Celtic fans that post here. It did not warrant any comment from the like of you. Sometimes the best comment to make is none.
Most of the graves the society look at are right alongside Celtic Park. As part of the match day experience, these things are as good as any club museum. It had genuinely never occurred to me that this might be considered strange. As the song says, "If you know your history", and this helps us do that.
Monacoger, as I posted to Trevor Santos, rebel bhoy is aiming these posts at the Celtic support. These posts do not require any comment from bears who are culturally different from Celtic fans. Celtic people as a rule remember their dead and their heroes, something that is foreign to bears except of course the Battle of the Boyne and all the wars they fought for England. Football wise, nothing to celebrate as their can't be much to celebrate about winning tarnished leagues.
This is part of our history and something many of us are proud of, and interested in, if some people dont believe in the ethos thats up to them but there is hardly the need for the usual Rangers scorn. As Pud`s link shows it is not just a one sided interest but some people just could not stop themselves from diving in, mouth first.
It isn't just the graves Gerard, it is who and what these men were and their role in the Celtic story. To some it is romanticised stories, to others it is a legitimate historical exercise. I fall somewhere in the middle of the 2, being a sucker for both.
I think the name has something to do with it. It could be called "Celtic Remembrance Society" or something and not seem as strange. Also it probably has something to do with the Catholic obsession with death. ****ers getting killed, martyred and resurrected. Catholics love a bit of that.
Monacoger. I was aiming my post at you, so what. I did not think that I had to have your permission to make a post regarding something to do with the history of Celtic. Venom its not so long ago since a Rangers supporting member of the wee six assembly was trying to gather funds to erect a memorial to Sam English. Just in case younger members don't recall Sam English was the Rangers forward involved in the incident that resulted in Young John Thompson been killed during a Celtic Rangers match. It shows that just sometimes Rangers fans like to remember some of their day.
You were implying that I shouldn't have posted on a Celtic thread, as it was aimed at Celtic posters and I countered that by saying that my post was directed at RebelBhoy. You see what I did there?
