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Full name: Mark McNally
Born: 10 March 1971
Birthplace: Motherwell, Scotland
Signed: 15 May 1987
Left: 7 December 1995
Position: Defender
Debut: Celtic 3-1 Motherwell, League, 6 Nov 1990
Internationals: Scotland
International Caps 0
International Goals 0
Biog 
A no frills centre-half Mark McNally was a product of Celtic Boys Club who signed professional terms with the Hoops in May 1987 after he had played for Celtic Boys Club from U13 level onwards.
After establishing himself at the club he won his first team debut against Motherwell in November 1990 in a 2-1 win. He had a good first season in the senior side gaining experience as well as confidence and the trust of his fellow professionals playing predominantly as a central defender and right-back. He was also selected for Scotland U-21 this season and awarded a new contract with improved terms to June 1993. Things looked up for young Mark McNally.
Season 1991/92 was his probably best season with the club under the management of Liam Brady and he picked up three Man of the Match awards, one of which was for an outstanding display in the game v Rangers in Nov 91 where he did an exceptional job of marking Mark Hateley out of much of the game. Unfortunately, he tore a thigh muscle against Hearts in January 1992 which kept him out of first team contention pretty much for the rest of the season.
He fought his way back from the injury but the following season saw him back in the Premier Reserves before having to fight again his way back into the team. A knee injury kept him out through October and November but he returned for a solid run till another knee injury against Airdrie in April required a cartilage operation. Once again he missed the end of the season, and it was frustrating for him and Celtic who were in dire straits (it was the ‘Barren Days’ of ‘Sack The Board’).
He started 1993/94 brightly under Brady but was not fancied by Lou Macari after Brady’s departure. Again he fought his way back into the team to be a first pick at centre-back. He was part of the mass-player resignation to the old Board that failed to materialise but he did start negotiating on a new contract at Celtic as the season drew to a close. However, with the Celtic Takeover and Lou Macari’s sacking he had to wait and deal with newly appointed Tommy Burns.
It was no easy time, the first team was a shambles and off-field was taking all focus off of on-field. No investment, a poor squad and low morale, it was a desperate environment to be in. Young players like Mark McNally suffered from it. The defence was too often disorganised and poorly functioning, despite the squad having various good defensive players over the time.
Newly installed manager Tommy Burns wasn’t convinced of Mark McNally, and in any case wanted a spring clean out of players. Although, a one year deal was offered, Mark McNally went through the season signing month-to-month deals. He had a difficult start to the 1994/95 season with no more than average performances and by October, still on month-to-month deals, he was linked with a move to Bolton.
By March 1995 he was tasting life in the Reserves again but he won a reprieve for the important upcoming Scottish Cup Final, as Brian O’Neil was out and Tony Mowbray suspended. He went on to pick up his only winners medal whilst at the club in what was a nervous match in what was to be his final appearance for Celtic. He’d finally helped the side win the Scottish Cup and a major piece of silverware, defeating Airdrie 1-0 at Hampden in 1995 (and a cleansheet to boot). It was the least that Mark McNally deserved.
At the start of 1995/96 he was still unable to find any common ground with the Club and started the season with the Reserves once more. He went to Manchester City on loan for a month in late October and on his return was sold for £50k to Southend, after interest from Partick and Falkirk fell through.
A fine gentleman to meet and talk to who was always approachable but it was unfortunate that apart from a few short spells he never really came up to be the player that was required at the time. His distribution could be too often poor and this weakness was more then often exposed on those occasions when he was asked to fill in at right back (for which he wasn’t suited). He was however a fully committed and whole hearted player who never gave anything but his all for the Hoops, and was unfairly maligned by critics amongst the support. Fans like an easy target and he was unfairly targeted too often especially in those frustrating and barren days. All the supporters were in the doldrums, and any mistake by players would be jumped upon.
We hoped him all the best. An honest player with limitations who played during a very difficult time for the club, but did give some very fine performances along the way for which we will remember him very fondly for. He may not have been a classic defender but he gave his all.
Post-Celtic Career
Mark McNally spent two seasons with Southend United making over fifty league appearances for the club before being transferred to Stoke City for £120,000 in 1997, being released from there at the end of the 1997/98 season.
He returned to Scotland to join Dundee United making his debut for the club against Kilmarnock on August 1, 1998. In January 2000, Mark McNally was placed on loan to Ayr United until the end of the season. He was released to enable him to sign up for Partick Thistle.
Despite being the Jags fans player of the season he was released again and had a brief period with Clydebank before joining former Partick Thistle team-mate Allan Moore at Stirling Albion. At the ‘Binoshe’, he found a valued home as a veteran, and in 2005 Mark McNally was appointed as Assistant Manager whilst maintaining his player registration.
McNally left Stirling Albion at the end of the 2007-08 season to join the Scottish Football Association as part of their youth coaching initiative. He later moved to Morton as assistant manager from 2010 to 2013.
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Quotes
“I was a big Celtic fan as a kid and it was a dream to be able to play for my boyhood heroes — no one can take it away from me. Yes, it would have been nice to have played when there was a bit more stability but it wasn’t to be and I’m just grateful for what was.”
Mark McNally (2001)
Playing Career
| Club | From | To | Fee | League | Scottish/ FA Cup |
League cup | Other | ||||
| Stirling | 24/07/2002 | 31/05/2008 | Free | 130 (0) | 0 | 9 (0) | 0 | 4 (0) | 0 | 10 (0) | 0 |
| Clydebank | 01/07/2001 | 24/07/2002 | Free | 18 (1) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 |
| Partick | 07/10/2000 | 01/07/2001 | Signed | 22 (0) | 1 | 2 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 |
| Ayr | 12/02/2000 | 08/05/2000 | Loan | 5 (3) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 |
| Dundee Utd | 10/07/1998 | 20/12/1999 | Free | 4 (1) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 |
| Stoke | 27/03/1997 | 10/07/1998 | £ 120000 | 6 (1) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 |
| Southend | 08/12/1995 | 27/03/1997 | £ 50000 | 53 (2) | 2 | 2 (0) | 0 | 2 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 |
| Celtic | 15/05/1987 | 07/12/1995 | Youth | 112 (10) | 3 | 10 (0) | 0 | 11 (2) | 1 | 6 (1) | 0 |
| Totals | £170,000 | 350 (18) | 6 | 23 (0) | 0 | 18 (2) | 1 | 17 (1) | 0 | ||
| goals / game | 0.01 | 0 | 0.05 | 0 | |||||||
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
Honours with Celtic
Scottish Cup
Pictures
Articles
INTERVIEW: The day Mark McNally’s father turned double agent to avoid ban on Celtic fans
By Danny Stewart
October 11, 2020, 12:15 pm
© SNS Group
John Collins scored against Rangers with no Celtic fans there to witness it
John Collins scored against Rangers with no Celtic fans there to witness it
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When John Collins’ Predator boot swerved the ball high into the Rangers net at Ibrox on April 30, 1994, Mark McNally believed he had just witnessed history being made.
A goal that was unique because no other Celtic player would ever again score in an Old Firm derby at which they had no supporters.
Ranger’s chairman, David Murray, exasperated by the Hoops’ unwillingness to pay for seats damaged on their previous visit had denied them their standard 7,500 allocation.
When, just over a quarter-of-a-century on, the current side run out at Celtic Park on Saturday to face their rivals behind closed doors, the Hoops Academy coach hopes to see his expectation proved wrong.
“I guess football is always throwing up new experiences, but that ’94 derby was one that has really stuck in my memory,” said McNally, looking back on the 1-1 draw.
“In recent years the clubs have been cutting back on the visitors’ allocations but that was on a completely different scale.
“As players we didn’t bother with the back and forth about why it was happening. We were more concerned with what it was going to mean for us on the day.
“In this case we were going to have to go to play in front of 46,000 fans at Ibrox – all of whom would be against us!
“Listen, we were used to that being the case with three of the stands. But having that fourth one full of our own supporters (as we did then) made a huge difference.
“That was what all the build-up to the game focused on too, so it kind of reinforced what you were going into.
“Celtic never play games with no fans there to support them. It just doesn’t happen. Well, before Covid came along it didn’t.
“The closest you might get was a European tie that was really hard to get to, somewhere in the old Eastern bloc.
“Even then you would still expect to see a couple of hundred of our fans dotted around the ground.”
The Hoops shirts might not have been visible but, as McNally recalls, there were some “undercover agents” active on the day.
“Glasgow being the football-mad city that it is, some were always going to find a way to be there,” he went on.
“It would no doubt have been the same had we banned their fans.
“I think the one everybody probably remembers best is the plane that went over the stadium trailing a ‘Hail Hail. The Celts are here’ banner.
“We were on the pitch warming up and the sight of it certainly gave the lads a smile.
“I actually had my own personal fan in the ground – my dad Peter was there.
“One of his best pals, Billy, was a Rangers season-ticket holder who sorted him out so he could come and see me play.
“It was a really kind thing to do. But as you can imagine I was really scared about what might happen to him.
“You are not talking about a situation where, as usual, there might be thousands of you together.
“If you were going, you were going to be surrounded by Rangers fans who were not going to be delighted that some Celtic fans had snuck in.
“So you had this weird situation where I am preparing for a derby, a huge, huge, game and occasion, worrying if my dad is going to be OK.
“I spoke to him and said: ‘Look, whatever happens in the game you are just going to have to be silent. If you cheer a goal, you could end up in real bother’.”
Collins’ stunning free-kick was to test the resolve of McNally senior and the rest of the estimated 150 “away” fans who were at the game.
“It was a beauty. John got the new Predator boots from Adidas a couple of days before the game.
“They were a big thing at the time as they were supposed to help players put extra swerve on the ball.
“John was very pleased with them and he was telling us all that he would score in the derby with them – which, of course, he did.
“It was strange because the ground went almost completely silent which actually made the few celebrations you could hear all the louder.
“I think a good few – from both sides – got huckled by the police at that point.
“As for us, we had no end to run to so we just all piled on top of John.”
At that point, it looked as if the fan-ban experiment was going to end in an embarrassing defeat for Murray and his team.
Rangers, then well on course to completing 9-in-a-row, were not finished yet.
“They had a great team back then. You are talking about the likes of Richard Gough, Trevor Steven, Ally McCoist and Mark Hateley,” said McNally.
“Those were just the starters. That day Walter Smith was able to bring Duncan Ferguson and Alexei Mikhailichenko off the substitutes’ bench.
“Mikhailichenko actually got their equaliser – with a wee bit of help from myself!
“He cut in to shoot, I part-blocked it but the deflection made the ball spin up and over our keeper, Pat Bonner.
“It was a shame because it would have been brilliant if we could have hung on for the victory.
“We were a young side. I was in my early 20s and the likes of Simon Donnelly, Brian McLaughlin and Barry Smith would still have been in their late teens.
“For all that, we played really well.
“We had a lot of skill in the side. There was John’s goal and I remember Simon Donnelly having a great game and, with Peter Grant, Tony Mowbray and Pat McGinlay, they were all great competitors.
“In the circumstances, the draw felt like a good result. I guess it still does now.”
© SNS Group
Mark trying to keep a close eye on Mark Hateley at Ibrox in 1994
What it definitely was, McNally acknowledges, was an experience to remember.
“As I said, looking back it was definitely different from any of the run-of-the-mill games, so I guess it was a good one to have been involved in.
“My dad is in his 70s now and can still have a laugh about the time he was smuggled into Ibrox.
“John’s goal featured in the Predator adverts for ages after and it doesn’t look any the worse when you re-watch it today.”
McNally’s hope for Saturday’s Celtic Park renewal is that it too will provide highlights clips that can be savoured for decades to come.
“The closed-door aspect to this game makes it exceptional in terms of the fixture,” he said.
“However, when you put it into context of where we are right now with Covid, in football and in life, this is just how it has to be.
“Everyone would prefer the fans to be there, that is a given but it is just not possible.
“As it is, we are still getting games on and providing entertainment for supporters which is great.
“You’d like to think that we will soon be able to look back at this an exception.
“Depending on where their allegiances lie, fans will have very different opinions how they will want it to turn out. But I think that is something we can all agree upon.”