Travers Paddy Image 2 Glasgow Celtic 1911

Description

Renfrew born inside left Paddy Travers began his football career with Renfrew Victoria in 1899 and Thornliebank in 1900 before being signed by Second Division Barnsley in 1901, for whom he made his Football League debut at West Bromwich Albion that December. His first season yielded 4 goals in 13 appearances but he returned to Thornliebank in the summer of 1902 for a further season, before re-joining Barnsley in 1903, making 8 further League appearances in 1903-04 for The Tykes before, once again, a brief return to Thornliebank.

In November 1904 he joined Southern League New Brompton (now Gillingham), and played there for nearly three seasons before joining his first senior Scottish League club, Renton, in January 1907, moving to Clyde in November 1908. His first spell with Aberdeen came after he signed for them in May 1910, and he scored 12 goals in 38 appearances during their 1910-11 campaign. In August 1911 he joined Glasgow Celtic making his debut in a 3-2 home Scottish League win over Clyde on 2nd September. He scored 3 goals in 4 Scottish Cup ties ending with Celtic winning the 1912 Scottish Cup Final, however Travers missed out on the Final due to injury. After 6 goals in 22 appearances for The Bhoys he returned to Aberdeen in June 1912.

He stayed two further seasons with Aberdeen scoring 12 goals in 66 appearances, before joining Dumbarton in June 1914. By 1915 he had moved into the half back line, playing at left half, and he proceeded to score 10 goals in 92 appearances over the next three seasons for The Sons, He then joined Clydebank for a season in August 1917. He spent the remainder of his playing career in the Dumbarton area, joining Vale of Leven in 1919 and Dumbarton Harp in March 1920, leaving them in May 1920.

From then until the end of 1920 Travers was coaching in Norway at the start of a lengthy and highly successful managerial and coaching career, re-joining Dumbarton as player-coach in December 1920 and becoming player manager in April 1921. He also played 20 more times for Dumbarton, making his final appearance in February 1922 in a 1-0 defeat at Queen’s Park before hanging up his boots. He returned to Aberdeen as their trainer in July 1922 before being appointed manager in August 1924, developing Aberdeen into one of the better Scottish clubs of the 1930’s.

In 1937 he took Aberdeen to their first Scottish Cup Final, where they were beaten 2-1 by Celtic at Hampden Park. In November 1937 he became the manager of Clyde, and won The Scottish Cup with them in 1939 for the first time in their history as they beat Motherwell 4-0 in the Final at Hampden Park. He was also a beaten finalist in 1949 when Rangers prevailed, before winning The Scottish Cup for the second time with Clyde in 1955, when they beat his former club Celtic in a replay. He also won the Scottish Second Division Championship with them in 1952 before retiring in July 1956, already aged 73.

NB Although this image was published in 1912 after his move from Celtic to Aberdeen, he is clearly wearing a Celtic shirt and it was most likely taken in 1911.