McAtee Andy Image 1 Glasgow Celtic 1913

Description

Cumbernauld, Lanarkshire born outside right Andy McAtee began his career with Mossend Hibernian and joined Scottish League Glasgow Celtic in September 1910, making his Scottish League debut in a 1-1 draw at Partick Thistle the same month. In his first season, Celtic won the Scottish Cup in a replayed 2-0 Final win over Hamilton Academical at Ibrox Park. He won another Scottish Cup winner’s medal in 1912 having set up the three goals in the semi final win over Hearts, and in the Final made a prodigious run from deep in his own half followed by a great cross to John Brown that led to the second goal in a 2-0 win over Clyde.

He made his Scottish international debut the next season when he played in a 0-0 draw against Wales at The Racecourse Ground, Wrexham in March 1913, but it would prove his only international cap. He also played 7 times for The Scottish League, first selected in November 1912 when he scored in a 3-1 win over The Irish League at The Solitude, Belfast, his only goal, being picked five more times before the First World War and once after, when he played in a 4-0 defeat to The Football League at Celtic Park in March 1920.

He had by now teamed up with Patsy Gallagher to become an incredible partnership on the right wing. Together they helped propel Celtic to their first Scottish League title for five years in 1913-14, a season they also won the Scottish Cup for a double, beating Hibernian 4-1 in a replay.

His career was then interrupted by the First World War, although League football continued in Scotland. From a coal mining background, McAtee was employed in that reserved occupation for much of the period of conflict, with players of the time who did not join the Armed Forces playing football at weekends on top of a full time work shift. After winning three wartime League titles he was conscripted in 1917 and served in Italy. On returning to Scotland McAtee resumed his successful football career with Celtic, participating in two further Scottish League title-winning seasons in 1918-19 and 1921-22 for a total of six. McAtee scored at Morton on the last day of the 1922 season to earn Celtic a draw and the title.He also featured in a further Scottish Cup victory in 1923, twelve years after his first in 1911, and won four Glasgow Cups, scoring the winning goal against Clyde in the 1921 Final.

McAtee played 439 League & Cup matches for Celtic and scored 72 goals, and after 14 years with The Hoops McAtee was eventually released by the club in 1924 and the next year he moved to the US to play in the nascent American Soccer League, where he played for New Bedford under another Celtic great, Charlie Shaw, retiring in 1926. A memorial service in his honour was held at his grave at the Kilsyth Cemetery in 2015, attended by Celtic representatives Jim Craig and Tom Boyd.

His nephew, Anthony McAtee, played 4 matches for Celtic during the Second World War.