Celtic Player of the Day – The Little Ant, Bertie Peacock

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The Celtic Star

·12 juin 2025

Celtic Player of the Day – The Little Ant, Bertie Peacock

It was on board ship en route to the tour of the USA in 1957 that Bertie Peacock was called into a cabin to be told that he was being appointed captain of Celtic. Those who noticed or bothered about such things told us that he was the first Northern Ireland Protestant to be appointed to that post.

Bertie Peacock

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Did that bother Bertie? Did that bother Celtic supporters? Well, a few months later, Bertie collected the Scottish League Cup after having led Celtic to a 7-1 beating of Rangers, so, no, I don’t really think it did bother Bertie – or the supporters!

He had joined Celtic in 1949 and soon established himself as an excellent left sided player, equally at home at inside left or left half. He played in all the great moments that Celtic had in the 1950s, an excellent passer of the ball with a great “dynamo” in him, a tough tackler in spite of his small stature, and a cheerful character to have around with a boyish grin which belied his mature judgement.

Grierson of Rangers left and Bertie Peacock of Celtic, jump to head the ball during the match at Ibrox Park, which ended in a 1-1 draw. A riot broke out at half-time and thousands of spectators invaded the pitch. Ambulance men treated casualties and the police made nine arrests. 21st September 1953 Photo TopFoto via Imago

He was also a great encourager of the young and quite a few Lisbon Lions tell how helpful and supportive he was.

In 1961 he was no longer an automatic first team choice, but incredibly, he was allowed to go to Italy to play in an International friendly at the same time as the Scottish Cup final against Dunfermline. It is hard not to believe that that was the wrong decision of the Celtic management.

World Cup 1958 Malmö 15 06 1958 The Team from Northern Ireland with Harry Gregg Willie Cunningham Alf McMichael Thick Keith Danny Blanchflower Bertie Peacock Billy Bingham Wilbur Cush Jimmy McIlroy Peter McParland Tommy Casey

When he left Celtic, he went back to his beloved Coleraine to help them win the Irish League. He played 31 times for Northern Ireland including the 1958 World Cup. He died in 2004.

David Potter

Bertie Peacock: Celtic’s Great Captain Of The 1950s – Article by Liam Kelly…

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Bertie Peacock earned 31 caps for Northern Ireland, and whilst managing the statelet in 1964, he gave an international debut to George Best against Wales. A statue of Peacock was unveiled in Coleraine by former NI and Spurs goalkeeper Pat Jennings, who also gained his first Northern Ireland cap under Peacock in that same match. The bronze statue, designed by artist Ross Wilson, depicts Peacock, who died in July 2004 at the age of 75, wearing his international kit. Jennings said that taking part in the ceremony was one of the biggest honours of his career.

After Bertie Peacocks playing and managerial careers ended, he was instrumental in starting the annual Milk Cup tournament in Coleraine. The tournament has since developed into one of the leading youth football competitions in the world, which Celtic have participated in. Tournament Chairman, Victor Leonard, said that having the statue in place was a fitting way to kick-off the 25th anniversary of the competition.

Bertie Peacock was born in Coleraine in September 1928. He worked as a plumber whilst playing football with Glentoran, before signing for Celtic in May 1949. His debut came against Aberdeen in the League Cup that August; a disappointing 3-1 home defeat.

Initially, Bertie played as an inside left and formed a great partnership with Charlie Tully. The latter once said to Bertie “If you’re the Irish coffee, I’m the cream.” However, he was moved to left half at the 1953/54 season and it was in this position that Peacock made his name.

Incredibly, when Peacock first came to Celtic, he had a small frame, and to bulk him up, Bob Kelly told him to drink a bottle of Guinness every lunch time. What he lacked in stature, he made up for in work rate. This industrious style cured him the nickname of “The Little Ant”. In addition to his effort, Peacock also had excellent control and passing. His unassuming demeanour and unmatchable labour made him a great choice to captain the club. Therefore, it came as little surprise when he had the honour of succeeding Jock Stein in the role.

As a skipper, Peacock came into his own. He reached out to young players coming through such as Billy McNeill and Pat Crerand and even used to coach pupils at the London Road Primary School.

In total, Bertie played 453 times for Celtic and scored 50 goals. He won the League and Cup double in 1954 and captained the club to the 7-1 League Cup Final victory over Rangers in 1957. He departed Celtic in 1961, having suffered a terrible knee injury against Hibs in the Scottish Cup that season. He left Parkhead with a league title, two Scottish Cups and two League Cups to his name.

After seeking new pastures, Peacock was named Northern Ireland Manager and became Player Manager at his native Coleraine FC, where he guided the club to their first ever Irish Cup in 1965 and first Irish League title in 1974.

Retiring from the game as a Celtic, Northern Ireland and Coleraine legend, Peacock took up a position as a Coleraine Director and was appointed Team Assessor for Northern Ireland’s successful 1982 World Cup campaign. Away from the game he ran a local public house, owning the establishment until 1990, when he sold it and devoted his time to the game of golf. Ironically, Bertie’s pub, actually named Bertie’s Bar, became home to a local Rangers Supporters Club when he departed.

Bertie Peacock had been honoured with an MBE award in 1986 for his services to football but was given lasting recognition after his death with the statue unveiled in his hometown in 2007.

Liam Kelly

Celtic in the Thirties, Volumes One & Two by Matt Corr – out now on Celtic Star Books.