Sullivan, Dom

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Personal

Fullname: Dominic Sullivan
aka: Dom Sullivan, Dom the bomb
Born : 1 April 1951
Birthplace: Garngad
Signed: 26 October 1979
Left: 28 June 1983 (free)
Position: Right midfield
First game : Rangers home 1-0 27 October 1979
Last game : Saint Mirren home 1-1 26 March 1983
First goal : Partick Thistle home 5-1 15 December 1979
Last goal : Morton away 3-0 5 March 1983
Internationals: Scotland
International Caps: Under 23 level (none for senior side)

Biog

Midfielder Dom Sullivan was an unsung hero of the Celtic side which won back to back league championships in 1981 and 1982.

Signed from Aberdeen in October 1979 for a sizeable fee of £80,000, Sullivan had to go to the Aberdeen chairman Dick Donald to sign for Celtic as the then Aberdeen manager Alex Ferguson had refused to allow him to go to Parkhead and tried to push him into a move to Dundee United instead. It is said that Celtic manager Billy McNeill had wanted either Sullivan or fellow Aberdeen team mate Gordon Strachan (later manager of Celtic).

Dom Sullivan’s debut was against Rangers at Parkhead in 1-0 win on October 27th and with his first touch he sold Alex MacDonald a wonderful dummy, much to the delight of the Celtic crowd.

Unfortunately Dom Sullivan’s first season was blighted with injury but he was fit from August 1980 and played a major part in the 1981 title win. He was not a noted goalscorer but scored three magnificent goals that season; a rasping 30 yarder against Stirling Albion at Parkhead (August 30th 1980), finishing off a glorious three man move against Hearts at Tynecastle (January 31st 1981) and a magnificent 30 yard thunderbolt against Partick’s Alan Rough at Celtic Park (March 18th 1981).

Dom Sullivan established a magnificent understanding on Celtic’s right hand side with Danny McGrain and Davie Provan and they carried it forward to the 1981/82 season. Celtic won the championship yet again but unfortunately Dom Sullivan did not play in the final game as Celtic clinched the title against St. Mirren because of injury.

He was in truth a limited player. Not gifted like some of the other players around him, he still did his best. As is still the case for similar players, he had more than his fair share of critics. Some argue that his best moments were few and far between and some bemoaned when he was in the side. Still, he managed to play in a successful period for Celtic and so some credit is due.

Dom Sullivan was a very good passer of a ball and a player who made great off the ball runs to the benefit of his team mates. He was not a noted tackler and received unfair criticism on occasions from an element of the Celtic support because of this.

By the summer of 1982 the prodigious Paul McStay had broken into the first team and in 1982/83, Dom Sullivan’s appearances became more sporadic and when Davie Hay took over in 1983, Dom Sullivan was given a free transfer.

Dom Sullivan made a noteworthy and admirable contribution to the Celtic cause and by the time he was released by the club in June 1983 he had played 113 games and scored 15 goals.

After football, later in life he owned & ran the Railway Inn pub in Denny.

Playing Career

Honours with Celtic

Scottish Premier Division

• 1980-81, 1981-82

Pictures

• Player Pics

Interview

• CU Podcast

From ‘Talking With Celtic’ by Eugene MacBride:

‘Dom, you got a great start at Parkhead: a 1-0 win over Rangers the day after you signed. How sweet a memory is that for you?
From the kick-off, the ball was pushed back to me and wee Alex MacDonald, that I’d had quite a few encounters with at Aberdeen – a wee terrier of a player – a wee hardy bit – he came in right away to sort me out. It was just instinct that I drew the ball back, took it round him and he slid past me. A cheer went up and I stuck the ball out to Davie Provan and that was it. You were home! But if I’d got caught there, if I’d got banged there, if he’d taken the ball off me – it was a fantastic start because the first touch was very important.

Was it easy fitting in at Celtic?
I was made welcome right away. There was a good crowd of us there, a great atmosphere and great guidance from McGrain. He was a very strong captain and a very well-respected man. He made guys wear the uniform. You know? I used to call him my third eye. That’s a term I used to use in coaching. If you’re behind me, you’re my third eye. I need to worry a lot less about what’s in front of me. So Danny would shout, “Right! Left! Back! Sit in! Forward!” – you know? He made you feel secure. You could go forward and maybe make mistakes. You got stick from time to time but the guy that didn’t buy the ticket never won the raffle. There’s too much in football nowadays about not giving it away. McNeill always gave me the freedom to create. He would say it’s easy to pull down a wall, it takes a craftsman to build it.

You were back in the big team when Ayr United put Celtic out of the Drybrough Cup. The man in the number nine shorts was Nicholas. How did you feel about Charlie?
The Kid? He was special, there was no doubt about that. We used to play this game, we called it the Mad Mentals, the Mad Mental Game, 25-a-side, you know? It improved your touch, you had to have good control, you had to do something quick with the ball or else you got crowded off it, bounced off it. It was instead of the traditional 11-a-side or five-a-side. Billy would play, wee John Clark would play, they would play on either side so as to lend their experience! Twenty-two-a-side or 25-a-side. It was difficult playing in these big matches but this kid stood out all the time. He scored some spectacular goals and he would glide past people on this crowded pitch. It was obvious then he was a very special player. He was a great player and he scored some special goals. And it’s funny, playing with players of his calibre, I always found brilliant – easy, for want of a better word. To play with guys like that, you just sort of clicked, all the moves just sort of gelled. Joe Harper was in that sort of league as well. And Tommy Burns. There were certain ones, you just sort of knew for sure what kind of pass they wanted or what kind of ball they were going to give to you.’

27 October 1979 Celtic 1-0 Rangers Just twenty four hours before this fixture took place, Celtic announced the signing of Dominic Sullivan from Aberdeen for £80,000. Celtic manager, Billy McNeill, had previously managed Dom during his period at Aberdeen and was said to have been chasing the stylish midfielder for some time and few players can have boasted a tougher baptism of fire than when Dom was thrown into the pressure pot of the big Glasgow derby just a day after signing.

Rangers came to Celtic Park in confident mood after a 1-1 draw in Valencia in their first leg European Cup Winners Cup tie. This was a tremendous result and on the night Rangers had subdued the brilliant Argentinian striker, Mario Kempes and the classy West German midfielder, Rainer Bonhof.

Celtic, for their part had struggled to a 3-2 in over Irish champions, Dundalk, at Parkhead in the European Cup. McNeill was livid over this mediocre performance and threw down the gauntlet to his team to make amends by winning the big game against Rangers. Celtic kicked off with George McCluskey passing to Sullivan immediately from centre to give the new man his first touch as a Celt. Alex MacDonald, a fine Rangers player but one with a rough edge, launched himself forward to tackle Sullivan. The bold Dom coolly dragged the ball back, to leave MacDonald floundering on the turf, and sent a glorious pass to Davie Provan on the right flank.

This was impressive stuff and the Celtic fans roared their appreciation as Dom’s Celtic career was now off and running. Rangers played in a European style, happy to give Celtic the majority of possession, soak up any pressure and hit on the counter attack. Celtic had the best players on view in Danny McGrain and Tommy Burns but couldn’t break down the Rangers defensive barrier during the first half In the second period Dom Sullivan almost made it a dream debut when his powerful shot just cleared the crossbar.

With twenty minutes left Johannes Edvaldsson replaced the ineffective George McCluskey and Celtic’s luck was about to change. Shuggie, as he was affectionately known to Celtic fans, began to trouble the Rangers defence with his powerful presence and ability in the air. Immediately after the substitution Celtic almost scored when Edvaldsson won a header and Tom McAdam just failed to touch the ball in at the back post.

In 76 minutes Celtic forced a corner on their right flank and Davie Provan swung over a glorious, hanging cross for Celtic players to attack. Rangers defenders were so focused on Edvaldsson that Roddy MacDonald was left totally unmarked and he was allowed time and space to rise and score with a typical, powerful header as Rangers defender, Sandy Jardine, tried in vain to clear on the goal line.

Rangers threw everything at Celtic in the closing stages and pushed their captain, Derek Johnstone, up into attack but the Celts hung on for a deserved victory. After the match the media focused on the cultured midfield combination of Dom Sullivan and Tommy Burns, both of whom had been most impressive on the day.

Not many Celtic players can claim to have made their debut against Rangers. And even less of them can claim to have made it in a winning team. This was a day that Dom Sullivan would never forget.

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UNSUNG HERO – DOM SULLIVAN

UNSUNG HERO – DOM SULLIVAN

Posted by St Anthony | Jul 28, 2017 | Season 2017-2018 | 0 |
UNSUNG HERO – DOM SULLIVAN

Dom Sullivan was a highly coveted player during his time at Clyde in the early 1970’s, when the ‘Bully Wee’ were a Scottish top division side and Sullivan was their prized asset. Several English sides were rumoured to be pursuing his signature, especially Leeds United, then under the management of the great Don Revie.

However, no big move down south ever came Dom’s way but in 1976 Clyde sold him to Aberdeen for £50,000 in a bid to stave off their financial problems at that time. He was an immediate hit at Pittodrie and helped Aberdeen lift the League Cup in 1976 when they spectacularly beat Rangers 5-1 in the semi and then Celtic 2-1 in the final.

Sullivan gave good service to Aberdeen but by October 1979 Alex Ferguson had taken over at Pittodrie and, after a fall out between the two, Dom joined his boyhood idols Celtic for an £80,000 fee. There had been speculation for years that Celtic were interested in Dom, going back to his days at Shawfield, but he eventually got the move he desired. He made a memorable debut when Celtic beat Rangers 1-0 on 27th October 1979, courtesy of a Roddy MacDonald header, but struggled with injuries for the rest of the season and had the huge disappointment of missing the 1980 Scottish Cup final win at Hampden against Rangers.

The 1980-81 and 1981-82 seasons were to be Dom’s best period at the club. The midfield trio of Dom, Murdo MacLeod and Tommy Burns turned in tremendously consistent performances over that period which saw Celtic rated as the most entertaining team in Scotland. The league championship was won on both occasions which was deserved reward for a Celtic side who were the best in the country, and highest goal scorers, at a time when Scottish football was held in very high regard.

Dom linked well on the right flank with Danny McGrain and Davie Provan, with all three combining to great effect, so much so that Tommy Burns was said to have complained that too much of Celtic’s play was concentrated on the right flank with that trio’s involvement. McGrain and Provan were high profile international players but Dom was content to keep a lower profile whilst still making his own important contribution to Celtic’s consecutive title successes.

Sullivan’s main assets were his passing ability and unselfish running off the ball, which greatly benefited his team mates but often went unnoticed by Celtic fans and football writers. He wasn’t a notable goal scorer but he is remembered for scoring several memorable goals. In August 1980 he lashed in a vital long range equaliser against Stirling Albion in the League Cup; in January 1981 he finished off a marvellous three man move against Hearts at Tynecastle; and in March 1982 he scored a fine volley in a Celtic’s impressive 5-2 victory at Love Street against St Mirren.

Dom wasn’t noted for his tackling but he didn’t have to be physical in team which included Danny McGrain, Roy Aitken and Murdo MacLeod. He was very much a creative player and this Celtic team is fondly remembered for upholding the great Celtic tradition of attacking, entertaining football that the club is famed for. He also had an excellent temperament and gave an experienced lead on the field of play to the younger players around him such as Mark Reid, Charlie Nicholas and Danny Crainie.

By the beginning of the 1982-83 season the brilliantly talented Paul McStay broke through into the first team, in the number 8 shorts, at Dom’s expense. This meant that he was used sparingly in his last season before moving on in the summer of 1983.

Dom Sullivan was only at Parkhead for four seasons but played a major part in a terrific Celtic side which is still fondly remembered by the supporters of the period, who had the pleasure of watching them play.

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