Gallagher, Hugh

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Note: Some articles have spelt his name as “Gallacher” (Scottish spelling) others as “Gallagher” (Irish Spelling).

Personal

Fullname: Hugh Morgan Gallagher
aka: Hugh Gallacher, Hugh Gallagher, Paddy
Born: 11 May 1870
Died: […] (*see notes below, oft-quoted date of 1941 is disputed)
Birthplace: Girvan (Ayrshire) or Calton (Glasgow) (*see notes below)
Signed: May 1889
Left: 20 Sep 1890 (to Preston NE)
Position: Outside-Left, Centre-Forward
Debut: Celtic 5-2 Cambuslang, League, 30 Aug 1890
Internationals: N/A
International Caps: N/A

Biog

Hugh Gallagher had a brief spell at Celtic, but played in some important pivotal achievements in the early days of the club.

Signed from Maybole in May 1889, Hugh Gallagher was hard-working forward. He may have been a member of the first Celtic side to win a trophy when the Bhoys lifted the North Eastern Cup with victory over Cowlairs that same month, although some Celtic historians believe that ‘Gallagher’ was actually Pat Gallagher. This match was a 6-1 victory in front of 8000 fans and got the ball rolling for Celtic.

At that time for the then new club, he played in a number of games for Celtic in competitive friendlies and exhibition games, as was the norm in those early days before the national league had begun and was established. He scored a handful of goals, enough to generate interest in him.

In addition to the above honours, he played in Celtic’s first ever league match, a 4-1 defeat by Renton, which was to be annulled as Renton were expelled only a few months later from the league and all their matches voided. Curious start for the new competition.

Hugh Gallagher made just one official league appearance for the Bhoys when he finally made his league debut in a 5-2 league victory at home to Cambuslang in August 1890. It was to be his only full official league match for the club.

Soon after, he left Celtic in Sep 1890 for Preston North End, and he was to enjoy a successful career in English football with Preston and then Sheffield Utd & Leicester Fosse. So the new league competition set up by the clubs in Scotland to help retain star players had actually at its start now seen the quickfire loss of one down to England.

Interestingly, as it was the days when chewing was in fashion, Hugh Gallagher reputedly used to go through several wads of chewing tobacco during a game. Thankfully it’s changed days now.

Later in his career he was said to have put on a bit of weight, and was jeered for it from the terraces by being called ‘Fatty‘.

Anyhow, after Leicester Fosse he moved on to wrap up his football career with Nelson & New Brompton.

Playing Career

Honours with Celtic

None

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Articles

1)
Source: http://www.celticgraves.com/topic/9669245/1/?x=50#new
Gallacher, Hugh
b. Calton, Glasgow, 11th May 1870
Career: Maybole; May 1889 Celtic; Sept 1890 Preston North End; Jan 1893 Sheffield United; Aug 1894 FOSSE; cs 1896 Rossendale United; Nelson; July 1897 New Brompton.
Fosse debut v Rotherham Town (H) 8.9.1894 (scored once)

A fine outside-left with a fairly colourful career, Hugh played and scored in Celtic’s first-ever Scottish League game (lost 1-4 in August 1890), only to find appearance, goal and game struck from the records when opponents Renton were removed from the League a couple of months later.

One further outing as a Celt, however, was enough to convince Preston to buy him. North End were just losing their ‘Invincibles’ tag, but Hugh top-scored as they took second place in 1891, was ever-present as they finished runners-up again in 1892, and was halfway through another near-miss assault on the title when switching to Bramall Lane to assist the Blades promotion-wards. He played in the first Sheffield derby at League level, scored against Fosse in a September 1893 friendly, and became known at that time for the eccentricity of chewing his way through an ounce of ‘twist’ tobacco per game.

With Fosse he regularly patrolled the left flank over the first two seasons in the Second Division, but found his days numbered when Billy Dorrell returned from Aston Villa and he began to experience weight problems. Jeered as ‘Fatty’ at Nottingham, he prompted the local paper to note that ‘during the last month or so he has put on flesh to a remarkable extent’.

Three further seasons of decent standard football in the Lancashire and Southern Leagues nonetheless followed, and at New Brompton Hugh briefly renewed his partnership with fellow ex-Fossil David Skea.

Hugh’s illegitimate birth was registered both in Glasgow and in Galston, Ayrshire, where his mother was in domestic service: the purported death date of 20th May 1941, quoted in most references, is for another individual entirely.
LFFC Apps: FL 47; FAC 7. Goals: FL 11; FAC 4.

2) As mentioned, Hugh did play 1 other League match for Celtic and it was against Cambuslang on 30th August 1890 but he also featured in some other matches including the following:

16.08.1889 v Victoria United – Friendly (2 goals)
19.10.1889 v St Bernard’s – Friendly
22.02.1890 v Mitchell St George’s – Friendly
22.03.1890 v Vale of Leven – Friendly (1 goal)
29.03.1890 v Third Lanark – Friendly (2 goals)
04.04.1890 v Bolton – Friendly
08.04.1890 v Distillery – Friendly
12.04.1890 v Notts County – Friendly
19.04.1890 v Third Lanark – Glasgow Merchants’ Charity Cup