Billy McPhail’s Celtic debut, 70 years ago today – This is his story | OneFootball

70 years ago today (11 August 1956), one Celtic player made his debut before departing two years later. Yet in that short time, he wrote himself into club folklore. To this day, songs continue to be sung about his time in green-and-white…

Billy McPhail, Celtic FC. Photo The Celtic Wiki

And even after his death, he continues to have an influence in modern day sporting discussions concerning the health and safety of footballers.

This is the story of Billy McPhail, scorer of arguably the most famous Celtic hat-trick of them all. William Simeon McPhail – more simply and better known as Billy – was born in the north of Glasgow on 2 February 1928. He loved football, especially playing with his older brother John, who also went on to star for Celtic.

After being educated at St Mungo’s Academy, Billy’s first footballing destination took him south of the River Clyde where he turned out for Queen’s Park, first doing so in 1944 when aged 16.

Billy McPhail, Celtic FC. Photo The Celtic Wiki

Playing at Hampden Park, McPhail showed huge promise and was clearly destined for bigger and better things. During this early stage of his career, he was given the nickname “Teazy Weazy,” a reflection of his agile movement and ability to evade defenders.

For most of his time at Queen’s Park, the wartime regional league system was still in place, although he did play one season in the national Scottish League, scoring twice in 12 games.

In 1947, McPhail made the short journey to Shawfield to sign for Clyde, a transfer that marked a significant step up in his career and one that gave him the taste of success.

At this point, Clyde would have been a better prospect for McPhail than Celtic. In season 1947-48, the Bully Wee finished sixth in the league whilst the Bhoys needed a final day victory to definitely avoid relegation!

Billy established himself as a prolific scorer, netting 90 goals in 137 league appearances. During the 1951–52 season, he finished as the top scorer in Division Two and his team won three cups: the Glasgow Cup, the Charity Cup and the Supplementary Cup.

Billy McPhail, Celtic FC. Photo The Celtic Wiki

In fact, McPhail achieved the unusual feat of scoring in all three cup finals! It was not to be the only cup final treble with which he would be associated.

Despite these positive experiences, his time at Shawfield was not without difficulty. Recurring injuries interrupted his progress, an issue that would remain constant throughout his career.

Anecdotally, this issue stands out when researching McPhail’s life. When investigating Billy’s time at Clyde, the very first search items returned on the British Newspaper Archive describe him being taken to hospital with a “badly swollen knee” and, on another occasion, cracking “an ankle bone.”

One game that he had to miss turned out to be bad news for Celtic as well as Billy. In 1955, McPhail’s Clyde teammates faced the Bhoys in the Scottish Cup Final, with the Shawfield men claiming the trophy following a replay.

Injury also prevented McPhail from receiving international honours. He was never capped for Scotland and, on the one occasion that he was called up, had to withdraw owing to an ailment.

He did, however, turn out for various other sides, including the Scottish B League XI and a Scotland XI, scoring goals in those appearances.

Billy McPhail, Celtic FC. Photo The Celtic Wiki

It was not just Clyde that McPhail represented. In an era of national service, he was called up to the army in 1948. During this time, he played for military teams as well.

Billy’s showings at Clyde made him hot property and various teams were interested in securing his signature. He was linked with Hearts and turned down a big money move to East Fife, at a time when the Methil men were one of Scotland’s most successful clubs.

McPhail himself put in a transfer request although was said to have told the Clyde directors that he did not want to go to England, despite interest from down south. Instead, like his previous transfer, he made a very short journey, one that included a family connection.

In May 1956, McPhail signed for Celtic for a fee of £2,500. The move was significant both professionally and personally because his elder brother, John McPhail, had previously captained the club. However, rather like ships passing in the night, the two men did not get to play together as John departed the club at the same time as his younger brother arrived.

Billy McPhail, Celtic FC. Photo The Celtic Wiki

John’s popularity with fans ensured that Billy would receive a warm welcome at Celtic Park, although there were concerns about his injury record and the impact this might have.

McPhail’s first season at Celtic proved highly significant. Although the Celts did not win the League or Scottish Cup, they did celebrate their first League Cup trophy. This competition would define Billy’s Celtic experiences.

It was in the League Cup that that he made his Celtic debut, doing so in a 2-1 victory for the Celts against Aberdeen in August 1956. Within a week, he had his first goal, coming in a victory over East Fife in this tournament.

Billy McPhail, Celtic FC. Photo The Celtic Wiki

Billy’s goals helped take the Celts to the League Cup Final, where they faced Partick Thistle. The first tie ended in a scoreless draw meaning a replay was needed. Celtic made no mistake this time and won 3-0. McPhail scored two of the goals.

His League Cup experiences gave him acclaim from the supporters. As well as his cup final double, Billy scored eight times across 11 matches, emphasising his importance.

However, the same old problems also reared their head. As much as McPhail had settled well into the team, he also missed large parts of the season owing to an ankle issue, which made it harder to build a proper partnership with his teammates.

Still, helping Celtic win the League Cup meant he could look back with satisfaction on his first season wearing green-and-white. The following season would prove even more momentous, again due to this same competition.

The crowning moment of Billy McPhail’s Celtic career came at Hampden Park on 19 October 1957. Playing against Rangers in the League Cup Final, the match has become a renowned part of the Celtic story.

In advance of the final, Rangers should have been paying attention to Teazy Weazy’s scoring streak. In the nine games played so far in the 1957-58 League Cup, he had scored ten goals. And just weeks before the final, the Celts played a friendly against Israeli side Hapoel Tel Aviv, with McPhail grabbing a hat-trick.

Having won the League Cup for the first time the previous season, Celtic wanted to retain their prize. But they went into the match as underdogs, with Rangers favourites to claim victory.

Hampden in the Sun

The final attracted over 82,000 spectators and took place under warm and sunny conditions, leading to its nickname, “Hampden in the Sun.” It was a truly magnificent occasion when the Celts set a British cup final record by hammering the Ibrox men by seven goals to one.

The whole Celtic team were celebrated – but especially Billy McPhail. His hat-trick was the standout performance of the match, and Celtic’s first national cup final treble for more than half a century.

Remarkably, Billy’s three goals were all headers. For different reasons, the issue of heading the ball became more significant in later years.

Billy McPhail, Celtic FC. Photo The Celtic Wiki

Scoring a final hat-trick against Rangers was something Billy may have partly learned from his older brother John. In the 1950 Charity Cup Final – also known as the ‘Danny Kaye Final’ owing to the presence of the American actor – Celtic beat Rangers 3-2.

Some people credited John with scoring all three of the Celts’ goals, but although the first two goals came from his shots, they were put down as own-goals following deflections from different Rangers players.

There were no further trophies for Billy or Celtic in this season. The club finished third in the title race and were knocked out the Scottish Cup by McPhail’s old team, Clyde.

Yet again, injury was also an issue for McPhail. He missed big chunks of the season, including all Scottish Cup games, because of continual knee and ankle problems. And this matter would ultimately bring an end to his time at Celtic Park.

At the start of season 1958-59, Billy was playing in a trial match. These matches took place each year during pre-season and were a chance for Celtic to look at new players.

Unfortunately, during this game, McPhail damaged the lateral cartilage of his right leg. This issue had previously forced him to have an operation and combined with ongoing ankle pain, meant that he could no longer play football.

By the end of August 1958, Celtic had agreed to cancel the player’s registration and he had played his last game.

Despite only wearing green-and-white for two seasons, McPhail’s impact on the club was significant. He played 57 times, scoring in two-thirds of these matches. In particular, his goals in the 1956 and 1957 League Cup Finals allowed Celtic to win both these games.

Billy McPhail, Celtic FC. Photo The Celtic Wiki

After retiral, he largely disappeared from public view, although he did have a short spell as a commentator for STV. However, the main subject which again brought him to wider attention related to his time in football.

Football-related injuries had blighted much of Billy McPhail’s playing time, and they ended up influencing his retirement too.

He had been celebrated for his ability to header the ball, not least for his three final goals against Rangers in October 1957. However, in older age, Billy developed a neurodegenerative condition, which he attributed to repeated heading of the ball during his playing career.

The link between heading footballs and neurological problems such as Alzheimer’s disease has been well documented. Some studies suggest that footballers can be five times more likely than non-players to develop the condition, although modern balls that weigh less may help reduce these effects.

In the late-1990s, McPhail began a legal challenge against the government. He hoped to get compensation for the brain damage that he had suffered, which he classed as an industrial injury from heading balls.

Billy McPhail, Celtic FC. Photo The Celtic Wiki

The player himself said, “I’m in a hopeless way because my brain has been half-flattened.” Although he eventually lost this legal case, it did help raise awareness of the matter and numerous other players have publicised this matter since then, often citing McPhail’s actions as an inspiration for this.

These brain injuries hindered the rest of Billy’s life. And then on 4 April 2003, when aged 75, he died. A later coroner’s report attributed this to the effects of heading the ball, despite the fact that Billy had lost his legal case.

Billy McPhail’s time in the hoops lasted for only two years and ended decades ago. Yet even now, fans will still celebrate his contribution, particularly those three goals when Hampden was drenched in sunlight.

One song commemorating this moment includes the lines: “All my days I will sing in praise, of the Celtic team that played that day.” As long as supporters continue to remember that remarkable final, Billy McPhail will have a treasured place in the Celtic story.

Matthew Marr

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