Connachan, James – The Celtic Wiki

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Fullname: James Connachan
aka: Jamie Connachan, James Connaghan, Jamie Connaghan
Born: 11 August 1876*
Died: 4 Apr 1960*
Birthplace: Glasgow
Signed: February 1897
Left: 15 October 1898 (free)
Position: Forward
Debut (Glasgow League): Celtic 3-1 Third Lanark, Glasgow League, 27 Feb 1897
Debut (Scottish League): St Mirren 2-0 Celtic, League, 13 Mar 1897
Internationals: n/a
*Birthdate corrected from our sources, but date of passing to be confirmed see: http://celticgraves.com/topic/9612529/1/?x=50

Biog

James Connachan was a quick footed forward who made just a solitary Scottish league appearance for Celtic.

He had signed for the Bhoys in February 1897 after spells with Glasgow Perthshire and Duntocher Hibernian.

He actually started with Celtic in the Glasgow League in Feb 1897, making his debut in a 3-1 win over Third Lanark in this competition. It was a time of major development at Celtic: the cycle track was being planned for the World Championships, Celtic were to become a private limited company and plans were afoot to bring up talent from down south.

His only Scottish league appearance for the first team came in a 2-0 defeat at St Mirren on 13th March 1897. It was to be a very close league race that season (1896/97), Celtic finishing 4th in the league with Hearts winning the title, with only 4pts between the top four in the league. As Celtic lost their last two league matches that season, it shows that Celtic had lost a good chance to retain the league.

Regardless, James Connachan played in further games for Celtic in the local Glasgow League, playing three times: 3-1 & 1-0 wins over Third Lanark, and also a 2-0 defeat to Queen’s Park.

Extremely fast, he was “a demon in spikes” with a “go-ahead style” much like George ‘Dod‘ Allan who deprived him of his place in the first team, and George Allan was a phenomenal striker for Celtic (and Liverpool).

Sadly, the players brought in from down south nudged him out the first team, and as Celtic went on to regain the league title the next season (1897/98), then in retrospect there is little case to argue with the decision made.

The wage bill had to be cut, and James Connachan was to join a wholesale cull of reserves on 15th October 1898.

On his release by Celtic in October 1898, he went on to play for various clubs in Scotland and England, as well as a spell in Canada for Britannia FC. Notably, he played for Newton Heath which was an early name for Manchester Utd.

Research points to that he returned to live in Canada after football. We believe he passed away in 1960 [TBC].

Playing Career

APPEARANCES	LEAGUE	SCOTTISH CUP	LEAGUE CUP	EUROPE	TOTAL
1897-98	1	–	–	–	1
Goals:	0	–	–	–	0

Honours with Celtic

none

Pictures

Player Pics

From CGS Froum

Biog by Leicester of CGS Forum
Connachan, James
b. Duntocher, Dunbartonshire, 11th August 1876
Career: Duntocher Hibs; Glasgow Perthshire; Feb 1897 Celtic; Oct 1898 Airdrieonians; Oct 1898 Newton Heath; Feb 1899 Glossop North End; May 1900 FOSSE; Aug 1901 Nottingham Forest; Oct 1901 Morton; Aug 1902 Renton; 1906 Britannia (Winnipeg, Canada); Dec 1907 Dumbarton Harp.
Fosse debut v Stockport County (H) 1.9.1900 (scored once)
A roving forward tried everywhere in the front line by Fosse except at outside-left, Jamie was hardly prolific, but at least contrived to score against each of his previous English clubs during his single season at Leicester (when he boarded at 137 Filbert Street). Originally noted for his speed, he was described as ‘a demon in spikes’ while with Celtic, for whom he nonetheless made but a single Scottish League start. He certainly didn’t let the grass grow under his feet on leaving them: staying for only four days and one game at Airdrie before moving on to Manchester! Jamie then shared in both Glossop’s 1899 promotion and the disastrous top-flight campaign that relegated them back a year later. Following his Fosse release, he also left Forest in haste after failing to find a first-team selection. His brief playing spell in Winnipeg was followed (in late 1908) by a permanent emigration to the same city, and by the time of the 1911 census in Canada he was working there as a packer in an abattoir. We apologise for a misattributed birth and death date in earlier drafts (the former still current on Wikipedia and all Manchester United history sites); but we’re now certain via Canadian and Scottish documentation that we’ve identified the man (whose birth was actually registered under the Connaghan variant) correctly.