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Fullname: William Donnelly
aka: Willie Donnelly
Born: 1872
Died: 1 Aug 1948 [TBC]
Birthplace: Magherafelt, Co Derry
Signed: August 1900
Left: August 1901
Debut: Celtic 5-1 Third Lanark, League, 24 Sep 1900
Position: Goalkeeper
Internationals: n/a
Biog
County Derry-born keeper William Donnelly was raised in Glasgow’s Garngad district and signed for the Bhoys in August 1900.
A former Hibernian and Liverpool player, he joined the Bhoys from Clyde where he had earned a reputation as an expert stopper of penalty kicks. Said to have saved 19 penalties out of 21 taken against whilst in goals for Clyde, that surely must make him the most successful goalkeeper ever for any club on penalties.
Described by a reporter in the Nottingham Evening News that he & Dan McArthur are “goalkeepers of the ‘midget’ order.” Apparently shorter than 5ft 5in which by modern standards is unthinkable for a first team goalkeeper.
He was brought to Parkhead as cover for Dan McArthur and made his competitive debut in a 5-1 defeat of Third Lanark on September 29 at Celtic Park.
He had a short run of games, and Celtic only lost one of the matches (a 2-1 league defeat to Rangers). He conceded six goals in his three league performances that didn’t help his case, but in his last two matches (both in the Scottish Cup), he kept clean sheets. At the other end of the pitch, Celtic scored an incredible 17 goals in his five matches. So his opposition counterparts weren’t having a good time against Celtic.
Willie Donnelly played a total of just five league & Scottish Cup games for the Bhoys before returning across the sea to sign for Belfast Celtic in August 1901. Dan McArthur was too great a goalkeeper for him to displace.
An interesting note is that Willie Donnelly got to play for Hibernian, Celtic, Belfast Celtic and Liverpool, which some would interpret as Willie Donnelly having managed to have played for four of the greatest Irish-linked football club sides around in the early days (interpreting Liverpool as an Irish-linked city).
He went on to work in the steelworks in the Blochairn works in the 1920s, and passed away in 1948.
Playing Career
| APPEARANCES | LEAGUE | SCOTTISH CUP | LEAGUE CUP | EUROPE | TOTAL |
| 1900-01 | 3 | 2 | N/A | N/A | 5 |
| Shut-Outs: | 0 | 2 | – | – | 2 |
Honours with Celtic
none
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Notes
- To be checked: Liverpool FC site says died in December 1934, so need to check the above. https://www.lfchistory.net/Players/Player/Profile/606
Articles
Willie Donnelly for Celtic
Willie Donnelly, the ex-Liverpool and Clyde custodian, is this season in the service of the great Glasgow Celtic organisation, and has already given satisfaction when tried by his new masters. It is rather, remarkable that both he and Dan McArthur, the Celt’s recognised first team performer, are goalkeepers of the “midget” order. McArthur stands only 5ft. 5in., whilst Donnelly is even more diminutive.
(Nottingham Evening Post, 15-09-1900)