Mahood Jackie Image 2 Belfast Celtic 1930

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Banbridge, County Down born outside left Jackie Mahood spent much of his career playing at the same clubs as his older brother, Stanley Mahood, but it was Jackie only who would go on to earn international recognition. Mahood made his Irish League breakthrough with Glentoran as an amateur, despite living in the Linfield area of Belfast. His Glens career included just a few incidents of note – his only goal in 22 appearances was in a 2-0 win over Queen’s Island in October 1922, and a month later he had to be carried off the field after being deliberately kicked by Distillery’s Goodall.

If his signing at The Oval nonplussed the neighbourhood, Mahood’s transfer to Belfast Celtic in 1924, after a spell with Bangor in 1923-24, led to a lifetime of abuse. The left winger never regretted the move and in near a decade at Celtic Park wreaked havoc on Irish League defences, and played in four consecutive title winning sides from 1925-26 to 1928-29. He also played in two Irish Cup Finals, a 3-2 win over Linfield in 1926 and he scored against Ballymena three years later only to finish on the losing side. On three occasions he finished as Celtic’s top scorer.

Known as “The Mighty Atom of Irish Football” and only five foot five, Mahood had some great successes at representative level. He managed six goals in eight inter-league appearances, though he finished on the winning side just once, his first cap coming in a 3-7 defeat by The Scottish League  at The Solitude in November 1925, the last in a 2-7 defeat to The Football League at Goodison Park in September 1929. For Ireland, after playing twice at amateur level in 1924-25, he won nine full international caps, scoring twice. Making his debut in a 4-0 defeat to Scotland at Ibrox Park in February 1926, he scored in a 2-0 win over England in 1927 and also played in two wins over Scotland and in the famous 7-0 win over Wales in which Joe Bambrick scored a double hat-trick in February 1930, after which he wasn’t recalled for three and a half years.

It was after his July 1933 move to Ballymena (where he was joined by Stanley) after eight seasons at Celtic Park that Mahood won his ninth and final cap, in a 2-1 win over Scotland in September 1933. A month later he suffered an horrific leg break in a match against Belfast Celtic and retired at the end of the season having scored once in 11 appearances for Ballymena.