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Personal
Fullname: Patrick William Groves
aka: Willie Groves, William Groves
Born: 26 August 1868
Died: 13 Feb 1908
Birthplace: Hutchesontown, Glasgow
Signed: August 1888; 29 November 1896
Left: 25 Oct 1890 (to West Bromwich Albion); 1898 (to Rushden)
Position: Centre-Forward
Debut: Celtic 5-1 Shettleston, Scottish Cup, 1 Sep 1888
Internationals: Scotland
International Caps: 3 (2 with Celtic)
Intentional Goals: 4 (3 with Celtic) goals
N.B.: Thanks to work done by researchers, the birth date & birthplace has been corrected to 26 Aug 1868 (Hutchensontown) from 9 Nov 1869 (Leith) as was previously stated in various sources.
Biog
Willie Grove was born in Glasgow in humble settings, his father was Louis Groves (a hatter) and his mother Esther Swan. This belied the impact he was to have on the game especially for Celtic. Centre-forward Willie Groves was to be among the very first to don the Celtic shirt and was certainly one of the earliest idols of the support.
The ambitious Bhoys lured the young talented Leith-born player away from Hibernian in August 1888 having seen the talented attacker play with the Edinburgh side in their Scottish Cup triumph in 1887 and more recently in the opening of Celtic Park. Notably as stated by future Celtic chairman John McLaughlin in an interview, “when an Edinburgh paper hinted that Groves had improved his position by going West, a threat of legal proceedings produced a prompt and ample apology“.
An exceptionally quick player with a rocket shot, Willie was also a mazy dribbler and his twisting runs with the ball would have the fans in raptures. He didn’t have the big bould build of the standard burly, bruising centre-forward of the day, but was described as ‘dainty and rather timid’. His scoring success shows the last description was timid compared to the truth.
After several outings for the Bhoys his competitive debut came in the club’s first Scottish Cup tie – a 5-1 victory over Shettleston on September 1st 1888 at the original Parkhead. He played for Celtic in the Glasgow Exhibition Cup final (the club’s first ever final), which Celtic lost 2-0 to Cowlairs, then regarded as a shock result as Celtic entered this hyped up as supposedly to be “invincible”. A real comedown and lesson learnt, although the tag like was PR hype to help sell tickets for the event. In any case, it was a minor set-back for the then new club.
He helped push Celtic to the Scottish Cup final in 1889-90 with an incredible nine goals in the run (possibly more as records were imperfect), only to sadly lose the final to Queen’s Park in the final. However, in 1890 three days after his 22nd birthday he played his part to help the First XI in Celtic’s first ever Scottish league match in a 5-0 win against Hearts scoring twice.
A fortnight later his status as a Celtic hero was sealed in a fresh Scottish Cup campaign. The opposition this time was Rangers, the first time the clubs would be competing against each other for major honours and the birth of the famous Glasgow rivalry is evident from a Scottish Sport report in September 1890:
“When Groves scored the goal, T. Maley (brother of Willie), who was umpiring, waved his flag in jubilation. The Rangers players stared in blank amazement, the Celtic players shook hands effusively, the stands rose bareheaded to a man cheering vociferously, the crowds lining the railing did much the same thing, and the noise that little manoeuvre of Groves evoked could have been heard at Ibrox Park; it rose and swelled to one ground-note of triumph that bore in its tone the delighted response of 10,000 thankful hearts.”
A wonderful hero for Celtic but he didn’t stay at the club for too much longer. He was tempted south to England’s professional league by West Brom in October 1890 and would help the Midlanders lift the FA Cup. Celtic had actually set him up with a pub at 29 Taylor St, but the lure of the English money was too much.
When Willie Groves actually signed forms for Everton on 18 July 1889 (witness being the one and only Dan Doyle (“Give me Dan’s terms and I’ll sign“)), he then repented and got Tom Maley to break his honeymoon and plead for him at the SFA. He could not play for WBA until he served a month’s suspension. WBA were to transfer him to Everton in 1893 but Aston Villa made him the game’s first £100 transfer with a £50 fine on top to get him.
Spells at Aston Villa (where he won the league) and Hibernian followed before he returned to Celtic in November 1896 when he played twice more for the Bhoys. By then Willie Groves was past his best – having suffered from TB and other illnesses. He was never forgotten by his colleagues at Celtic, and when he was very ill by around September 1899, Willie Maley opened a subscription list on his behalf.
He went on to play for Rushden Town in the Midland League which ended up with him lying in a Northampton hospital which signalled the end of his playing days.
Willie Groves and his family later moved to Edinburgh, and he began working as a labourer for Edinburgh Corporation. However, life was hard and ill health caused him to apply for ‘poor relief’ in 1903. He died prematurely in utter penury in 1908, aged just 39.
In an obituary on Willie Groves in the Glasgow Observor, it described him wonderfully as follows:
“…tall, sinewy and graceful on the ball, his work was beautifully close, artful and deceptive. He was a picturesque figure, a sort of Romeo in the sport with his raven locks and classic-cut features. His career in all its varied spheres is one of the most romantic, and his personality will long remain as one of the most unique in British football.”
The great Willie Groves played 18 times for Celtic in the league & Scottish Cup scoring 16 goals, a phenomenal record.
He had also made a name for himself at the international level too, with three caps for Scotland, scoring four goals in those matches, including a hat-trick v Ireland in 1889.
Willie Groves was referred to in the ‘Bould, Bould Celts‘ poem written about the Celtic team of 1888.
There’s one that wants a watching they call him Willie Groves
He’s wonderful to look at as round the field he roves
Oh! he beats my comprehension: admiration I have felt
He’s a dasher, he’s a smasher, he’s a bould, bould Celt.
He is buried in Newington Cemetery, Edinburgh.
Notes
- Thanks to work done by researchers, the birth date & birthplace has been corrected to 20 Aug 1868 (Hutchensontown) from 9 Nov 1869 (Leith) as was previously stated in various sources.
Playing Career
| APPEARANCES | LEAGUE | SCOTTISH CUP | LEAGUE CUP | EUROPE | TOTAL |
| 1888-90 & 1896 | 4 | 14 | N/A | N/A | 18 |
| Goals: | 3 | 13 | – | – | 16 |
Honours with Celtic
Scottish Cup
Pictures
Links
Notes
- Date of Birth amended to 26 Aug 1968 taking date from assistant Inspector’s Report
Articles
The final resting place of Celtic’s first star striker has been discovered
By Richard Purden on April 24, 2014
Source: http://www.irishpost.co.uk/sport/the-final-resting-place-of-celtics-first-star-striker-has-been-discovered
WILLIE Groves was an essential member of Celtic’s first competitive side, scoring 16 times in 18 games during two spells at the club. He was undoubtedly the first Celtic hero.
Controversy never seemed to be far away from Groves. He was accused of taking bungs while at Hibs before the game turned professional.
In 1887 he won the Scottish Cup with the Leith club, one of only two in their history. Groves was the first player to be signed for £100 (from West Brom to Aston Villa) and was one of the most charismatic and versatile players of his day. He also played a major role in helping West Brom win the FA Cup in 1892 and helping Aston Villa securing the league in 1894.
Andy Groves, 42, explains what led him to solve the mystery of his final resting place. “He was an exceptional talent who was aware of his own worth but alas his life ended in poverty and illness. The graveyard where he is buried is in some disarray and the location of his burial has been something of an enigma.
I read on the Celtic Graves forum that he was buried in Newington Cemetery, Edinburgh. They had tried to find the grave but unfortunately didn’t locate it. With the help of a genealogist I was able to clear up some confusion over his date of birth.
“I also found his headstone but according to the forum he’s in an unmarked plot which I’ve also found. It’s a sad sight and in need of maintenance. This is a player who played such an important role in the history of Celtic, Hibs and also in English football.
“I know that Celtic Graves do a lot of good work in this area, perhaps with some support from Celtic and possibly Hibs it can be rectified.”
The son of Irish parents and christened Patrick William Groves, he was born in Hutchesontown, Glasgow on August 20, 1868. The centre-forward played in many Celtic firsts. There was an outstanding scoring consistency in the club’s inaugural Scottish Cup (1888-89) run which would allow the 20-year-old to find the net on no less than 10 occasions during that competition.
It was no embarrassment that the fledging team were runners-up in the final to Third Lanark. In 1890 three days after his 22nd birthday the well-built player took the field for the ‘Bould Bhoys’ in their first Scottish league match against Hearts, confidently scoring twice in a 5-0 rout.
A fortnight later his status as a Celtic hero was sealed in a fresh Scottish Cup campaign. The opposition this time was Rangers, the first time the clubs would be competing against each other for meaningful honours and the birth of the famous Glasgow rivalry is evident from a Scottish Sport report in September 1890.
“When Groves scored the goal, T. Maley (brother of Willie), who was umpiring, waved his flag in jubilation. The Rangers players stared in blank amazement, the Celtic players shook hands effusively, the stands rose bareheaded to a man cheering vociferously, the crowds lining the railing did much the same thing, and the noise that little manoeuvre of Groves evoked could have been heard at Ibrox Park; it rose and swelled to one ground-note of triumph that bore in its tone the delighted response of 10,000 thankful hearts.”
The Scottish international’s signing from West Brom to Aston Villa continues to keep Groves in the headlines, the most recent example was when Gareth Bale singed for Real Madrid. Whenever a new record breaking transfer hits the media circuit you’ll find mention of Willie Groves because he was the game’s earliest entertainer with a jaw-dropping price on his head.
As the first £100 player part of the fee was a fine from the English FA after Villa, in modern parlance, tapped up the player, who had been a target for Everton twice. The subject even found its way onto University Challenge in 2010.
A vibrant character who was loved by the fans, in terms of Celtic he was perhaps the Frank McAvennie of his day. ‘Darlin’ Willie Groves’ was how Hibs fans referred to the player and it remains a point of aggravation that they lost their star to Celtic (twice).
He returned to Easter Road and played in the 1896 Scottish Cup final, losing out to Hearts. It remains the only final to be played outside of Glasgow.
Poignantly Groves would finish his days playing for Celtic in 1896. He retired from the game after developing Tuberculosis and died in Edinburgh on February 13, 1898 [NOTE: Error in the article it should be 1908!]aged only 39.
I’ll leave the last words to an obituary published in the Glasgow Observer which described him as “tall, sinewy and graceful on the ball, his work was beautifully close, artful and deceptive. He was a picturesque figure, a sort of Romeo in the sport with his raven locks and classic-cut features. His career in all its varied spheres is one of the most romantic, and his personality will long remain as one of the most unique in British football.”
Richard Purden is the author of We Are Celtic Supporters and Faithful Through and Through
Poor Relief Application for Willie Groves
Groves was born in the Gorbals and played for @HibernianFC, @CelticFC, @WBA and @AVFCOfficial. Ill health caused him to apply for relief in 1903. (via Glasgow City Archives @GC_Archives)
