I remember my dad taking me on the Govan All Saints Celtic supporters bus to play The hi-hi Third Lanark at Cathkin Park my dad worked worked in Dick Welch’s pub for 25year on the Govan road between Orkney street( police station)and Neptune Street at that time late 50s it was nicknamed the (Irish Channel)
for the of Tim’s that lived in that area ,later became what was known as the (Wine Ally )
Anyway my two grannies and grandads one stayed in Kintra Street the other stayed in Neptune Street my da working in the pub in they days would take me some time my other brothers to the game on the supporters bus we lived in Eaglesham Street right in amongst it Plantation,Kinning Park at that time I must have been about 8or9 years old attended Our Lady and St Margaret’s in Stanley Street on the way on the supporters bus dropped my da and me and this big big huge man at the Paisley Road West at Dumbreck Road (by the way can not mind what the result was ) as we get to Copland road the big man says did you enjoy the game unbeknown to me and my da as we arrive back home my mum asks enjoy the match son aye was great i said my da says to mum we meet big Frank on the bus get of at the same bit I did not know the big man was Frank Haffey he actually lived just of the Copland road we were a right poor team that era my da and mum knew Frank s mum and dad remember I
could not wait tell my pals at school my da knows the Celtic goalkeeper plus that era the shipyards were always bust plenty of work turns out the old boy knew everyone because he worked in the pub all they years knew all sort of people money lenders, hard men
my mum used to say your da knows everybody in Govan cause working in the pub and the yards at th time.i remember he told me Jimmy Mallon ex Celtic player showed him the ropes because when he retired from football he want to get and own a pub ,Dick Welsh the owner of the pub knew some one at Celtic Park and put Jimmy in touch with Dick ,then a few years later my dad took me to Love Street remember the score that game St Mirren 2 Celtic 1 we scored first think John Divers or Bobby Carroll then Tommy Bryceland scored twice after the game we went to the St Mirren bar that Jimmy Mallon owned think we got home about 8 o clock that night my maw was not to pleased with my da that night another person who the old boy knew wellAlec Ferguson da he used to go in Welsh’s although Alec played for Gers my da told he used to run one of the manyCeltic supporters bus in Govan in that era, as Michael Caine says a lot of people don’t know that memories ah happy days