“I’d read of those heroes…” Fifties’ Player of the Day No.3 – Bobby Collins | OneFootball

“I’d read of those heroes…” Fifties’ Player of the Day No.3 – Bobby Collins…

Bobby Collins, Celtic FC. Image @Highland_Paddy (Celtic In The Fifties)

As baptisms of fire go, they don’t come much more challenging than that of pocket dynamo Bobby Collins in senior football…

Bobby Collins, Celtic FC. Image @Celticcurio (Celtic in the Fifties)

Plucked from Pollok Juniors under the noses of Everton in August 1948, Collins made his debut 12 months later on the right wing as Celtic opened the new season with a home League Cup tie against holders Rangers on Saturday, 13 August 1949.

Known as the ‘Wee Barra,’ the 18-year-old had impressed manager Jimmy McGrory with an outstanding performance in the public trial seven days earlier. It was a successful introduction to the big time for Bobby and fellow debutant Mike Haughney before 70,000 spectators, Collins giving veteran Ibrox defender Jock ‘Tiger’ Shaw a torrid afternoon and Haughney grabbing the winner after Hoops skipper John McPhail had scored twice in Celtic’s 3-2 victory.

The Celtic team on that landmark afternoon read as follows…

Willie Miller; Jimmy ‘Killer’ McGuire & Joe Baillie;?Bobby Evans, Alec Boden & Pat McAuley;?Bobby Collins, John McPhail, Leslie Johnston, Charlie Tully & Mike Haughney.

The first team photo of Bobby as a Celt (Celtic In The Fifties)

Bobby did not have long to wait for his first Celtic goal. That arrived in midweek as Celts continued their perfect start by edging a nine-goal thriller at Pittodrie.

And he added his first winner’s medal at the end of that debut campaign. Collins partnered a young Willie Fernie on the right flank as a John McPhail hat-trick saw Celts once again defeat Rangers by the odd goal in five, this time at Hampden in the Glasgow Charity Cup final of Saturday, 6 May 1950, in front of 81,000 supporters and Hollywood superstar Danny Kaye.

Celtic’s Glasgow Charity Cup-winning side of May 1950, Bobby Collins wins his first medal as a Celt. (Celtic In The Fifties)

Collins’ second season saw him combine brilliantly with McPhail at club and country level as McGrory’s men won a first major trophy in the post-war era, the ‘Little and Large’ double act scoring 20 and 30 goals respectively for Celtic.

Bobby Collins follows Charlie Tully and Pat McAuley down the Parkhead tunnel with John McPhail following. (Celtic In The Fifties).

They also formed the right-wing partnership as Bobby made his international debut in Scotland’s 3-1 win over Wales at Ninian Park, Cardiff on Saturday, 21 October 1950, the first of 31 caps he would gain over an incredible 15-year period.

And the duo shared all of Celtic’s goals in the 6-2 home League win over East Fife on Saturday, 16 December 1950, Bobby’s first hat-trick. McPhail would then grab the glory with the winner as Celtic beat Motherwell 1-0 to lift the Scottish Cup before 132,000 supporters at Hampden on Saturday, 21 April 1951.

Bobby Collins with Charlie Tully and the Scottish Cup on Celtic’s tour of the USA and Canada in 1951 (Celtic In The Fifties)

Celts continued on their winning ways on their return from the historic tour of the USA and Canada that summer, Bobby’s late headed equaliser in the 4-4 draw with Clyde at Firhill in the quarter-final of the St Mungo Cup on Thursday, 19 July 1951 ensuring the Hoops retained interest in a competition they would eventually go on to win, beating Aberdeen in the final.

Complications following a broken arm sustained during a pre-season friendly in Dublin kept Bobby on the sidelines until December of the 1952/53 campaign, but he was back to set up debutant Neil Mochan for the goal which clinched another Glasgow Charity Cup against Queen’s Park at Hampden on Saturday, 9 May 1953, before netting Celtic’s winning goal himself in the victory over English champions Arsenal in the opening round of the Coronation Cup at the same venue 48 hours later.

Collins featured in all three games as Celts added yet another prestigious trophy to their collection by defeating Manchester United and Hibernian.

Bobby Collins keeps his eye on the ball at Celtic Park (Photo The Celtic Wiki)

The following season produced more special memories and honours for Bobby, as well as major disappointment.

On Saturday, 26 September 1953, he scored perhaps the most unique hat-trick ever in Scottish football, netting three times from the penalty spot in a 3-0 League win over Aberdeen at Celtic Park, with each award conceded by Dons’ skipper Jimmy Mitchell.

But a leg injury sustained in a vital League match at Tynecastle in early February then saw his appearances restricted as Celts clinched an historic double that April. Collins’ 25 appearances were more than enough to earn a first and only Scottish League Championship medal, but sadly he missed out on the title-clinching match at Easter Road and all of the Scottish Cup ties, as well as Scotland’s inaugural World Cup adventure in Switzerland that summer.

Bobby Collins of Celtic FC in action against Rangers (Photo Celtic Wiki)

The next two seasons brought further disappointment, Celtic losing successive Scottish Cup finals to Clyde and Hearts. Bobby was infamously dropped from the team for the replay defeat by Clyde in April 1955, chairman Bob Kelly apparently unhappy at a robust challenge he made on South African goalkeeper Ken Hewkins in the first match.

Celtic line-up for a match against Falkirk at Celtic Park in August 1955 (Photo The Celtic Wiki)

Another injury, this time against Airdrieonians in late March 1956, saw Collins miss the end of that campaign including a 3-1 Scottish Cup final loss to Hearts, but Bobby did add another medal to his collection. He scored Celtic’s goal in the 1-1 draw with Rangers at Hampden in the Glasgow Cup final on Monday, 26 September 1955, then twice in the 5-3 replay win at the same venue on Boxing Day.

Bobby Collins and Joe Baillie hit the heights at a Celtic Park training session (Celtic In The Fifties)

The cup campaigns of 1956/57 involved mixed emotions. Bobby scored the third and clinching goal as Celts finally lifted the League Cup for the first time with a 3-0 replay win over Partick Thistle at Hampden on Wednesday, 31 October 1956. But having eliminated Rangers from the Scottish Cup at Ibrox in the sixth-round in February 1957, Celts lost the semi-final replay 3-1 to Kilmarnock the following month.

Billy McPhail and Bobby Collins celebrate with the League Cup on 19 October 1957 after Celtic’s 7-1 win in the final over Rangers. Photo The Celtic Wiki

The League Cup was responsible for an unforgettable day in Bobby’s career later that year. On Saturday, 19 October 1957, he was at inside-right as Celtic retained their trophy with an incredible 7-1 win over Rangers at Hampden in the Sun.

A few months earlier, on Sunday, 19 May 1957, Bobby netted the first of his 10 international goals in a 2-1 World Cup qualifying win over Switzerland in Basel. He later became the first Celtic player to score in a finals tournament when he grabbed Scotland’s second in the 3-2 defeat by Paraguay in Norrkoping on 11 June 1958. Ironically, he would soon be on the move.

Having scored Celtic’s opener in the 2-2 League draw with Rangers at Parkhead on Saturday, 6 September 1958, Bobby handed in a transfer request 48 hours later. In midweek, he lined up for the final time in the Hoops as the following team took the field at Celtic Park for the first leg of the League Cup quarter-final against Second Division hopefuls Cowdenbeath.

Dick Beattie; Dunky MacKay & Neil Mochan;?Willie Fernie, Billy McNeill & Bertie Peacock;?Eric Smith, Charlie Tully, Mike Jackson, Bobby Collins & Bertie Auld.

Billy McNeill played just his fifth senior match that evening in Celtic’s 2-0 win, and whilst one magnificent Parkhead career took another fledgling step, Bobby ended his own near 350-game innings with his last goal for the club, the opener after half-an-hour. Another future Lion, Bertie Auld, added a second after the break. Two days later, Friday, 12 September 1958, Bobby Collins signed for Everton for a fee reported to be £25,000.

19.08.1961.Bobby Collins (Everton) English First Division 1961/1962, One, 1. Everton v Liverpool Goodison Park Herren Mannschaft England Einzelbild Aktion Personen. Photo IMAGO

Having rejected Everton a decade earlier, Bobby would spend the best part of four seasons at Goodison, but he then enjoyed an Indian summer after his move to Don Revie’s Leeds United in March 1962.

Installed as captain of the side, he led them to promotion from the Second Division in the spring of 1964, and 12 months later, the by now 34-year-old Collins was England’s Player of the Year as Leeds went within goal average and an extra-time Wembley winner of securing the League and FA Cup double. That form also brought Bobby a sensational international recall after a six-year absence.

Don Revie (left) and Bill Shankly, managers of Leeds United and Liverpool lead their teams out onto the famous Wembley turf before the start of the 1965 FA Cup Final. Leeds players following behind include captain Bobby Collins and goalkeeper Gareth Sprake. Liverpool players behind Shankly are captain Ron Yeats, goalkeeper Tommy Lawrence, Gerry Byrne, Ian Callaghan, Willie Stevenson and Peter Thompson. 3rd May 1965. Photo IMAGO United Archives

Collins’ top-flight career was effectively ended on 6 October 1965 in Turin’s Stadio Comunale, when an horrific challenge by Torino defender Fabrizio Poletti left him with a broken thigh during a goalless draw in an Inter-Cities Fairs Cup tie.

He made a few further appearances for Leeds before dropping a Division in February 1967 to join Bury, where he suffered relegation before leading them to promotion in spring 1968. Bobby’s playing career concluded with two productive seasons at Morton then short spells at clubs in Australia, England and Ireland, but he remained in the game at a managerial level with Yorkshire outfits Huddersfield Town, Hull City and Barnsley and was still coaching youth players at Elland Road in the late 1990s.

18.01.2014 Glasgow, Scotland. Celtic players during the minutes silence for the Celtic player Bobby Collins who died during the week before the Scottish Premier League game between Celtic and Motherwell from Celtic Park. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

18.01.2014. Celtic players and Motherwell players during the minutes silence for the Celtic player Bobby Collins who died during the week before the Scottish Premier League game between Celtic and Motherwell from Celtic Park. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

Bobby Collins passed away in Leeds on 13 January 2014, aged 82.

Matt Corr

Follow Matt on X/Twitter @Boola_vogue

Read all about Bobby’s early career in Celtic in the Fifties: Volumes One & Two, by Matt Corr.

Published by Celtic Star Books. Signed copies available now from celticstarbooks.com/shop

HAVE YOUR SAY – Join the Celtic conversation in our comments section below…

Celtic in the Fifties by Matt Corr, in two volumes, both published on 4th September 2026 by Celtic Star Books. Click on image to order.

Quick Tip – Add Celticshorts.com as your ‘Preferred Source’ on Google News for quick access to the Celtic content you value the most. It takes just a few seconds and you’ll notice the difference straight away! – Click HERE….Hail Hail!