| Matches: 1889 | 1890 | 1887-1900 | Forum |
Celtic Games 1890 – St. George’s
Trivia
- Friendly match played at Cape Hill, Birmingham.
Review
The Celtic crossed over the Border to England, but were badly beaten by Birmingham St George’s. The Parkhead Club were not fully represented.
Teams
St George:-
Hadley, Siddons, Lamsdale, Castle, Richards, Thorpe, Davis, Bailey, Devey, Harrison, Shaw.
Goals:- Shaw 30, Unknown, Richards, Devey, Shaw.
Celtic:-
Burns, Reynolds, McKeown, W Maley, Kelly, McLaren, Dunbar, Madden, Coleman, Murray, Gallagher.
Goals:- Maley, Murray.
Articles
- Match Report (See Below)
- Official Site
Pictures
- Match Pictures
From newspaper reports from the time
The Scotsman – Monday, 24th February 1890, page 5
St. George’s v Celtic – The wide publicity given to this match ensured an enormous attendance at the Cape Hill ground, Birmingham. The Scotsmen were greeted warmly. Some surprise was felt when it leaked out that neither Groves, Gallagher, McLaughlin, nor Dowds were included in the team. St George’s started, and after capital passing between Devey, Harrison, and Shaw, the latter centred with good judgment and only a timely intervention of Reynolds checked the attack. The Celtic responded, and a mistake by Richards let Maley run very close to goal. He lost control of the ball, however, and it rolled harmlessly over the line. Again St George’s were pressed, Dunbar and Murray shooting direct. Hadley, though, saved. When the majority of the spectators had abandoned all hope, McKeown very luckily checked Harrison and Shaw as they were dashing towards goal. Following an offside goal the home team forced the play, and the encounter became extremely exciting. A couple of fouls in front of the Celtic goal produced nothing, and the visitors put St George’s defence upon its mettle. Back went the ball, Shaw, with a swift shot beat the goalkeeper, after half an hour’s play. Direct from the kick-off the home forwards passing to one another got into goal, and from a scrimmage a second point was added. At this stage the St George’s were playing grandly, and ere half-time came round a third goal had been put on by Richards. The second portion was more even, although none the less spirited or exciting. The Celtic were somewhat unlucky, and robbed of a goal by a mean action on the part of Richards, who fouled the ball as it was going through goal. St George’s got away, and Devey obtained the fourth goal. Just afterwards Maley went for goal, and with a well-judged shot scored. In response Shaw added number five, and a minute later Murray put on the Celtic’s second point. From this the visitors tried their hardest, and kept the St George penned in. Do what they could, though, they could not get through the home defence, and ultimately the game ended :- St George’s, five goals; Celtic, two goals.