Ahead of Celtic’s friendly against Sligo Rovers tonight at The Showgrounds, we take a look back at Sligo-native Sean Fallon and his impact on Celtic FC. The phrase ‘Celtic legend’ is one that easily applies to Sean Fallon. For 28 years, he served the club faithfully as a player and then as an integral part of the management team, playing an instrumental role in the incredible successes of the 1960s and ’70s alongside his former team-mate, Jock Stein. His contribution to the club was immense and as we remember this great Celtic man, the Celtic View takes a look at some of his many career highlights. And there’s also a chance to see a previous interview that Lisbon Lion, Jim Craig, did with the Irishman. CELTIC DEBUT Ever since he was told the Celtic story by the son of Jimmy McMenemy in Sligo as a boy, Sean Fallon had a dream – that dream was wear the green and white of Celtic. He freely admitted that he was never the most gifted of footballers but what he lacked in natural talent he made up for in drive, commitment and desire. His impressive display in a match for the Irish League against the League of Ireland persuaded Celtic to bring him to Glasgow. On April, 15, 1950, he fulfilled that lifelong ambition by making his Hoops debut in a 2-2 draw away to Clyde. This was a proud moment in Sean Fallon’s life. There would be many more highlights to follow. FIRST TROPHY Sean had already achieved one dream by wearing the green and white Hoops but within his first year with the club he also won his first winner’s medal. In the post-war years, Celtic had struggled to challenge for silverware and in 1948 they had actually came perilously close to relegation, preserving their top-flight status through a last-day win over Dundee. But three years later, helped by Sean’s never-say-die spirit, they had the chance to get their hands on a trophy again in the 1951 Scottish Cup final. The Irishman starred at right-back at Hampden as Celtic finally gave their long-suffering fans something to celebrate with a 1-0 victory over Motherwell. A Celtic player and in possession of a Scottish Cup winner’s medal, Sean had accomplished another of his lifelong goals. SCOTTISH CUP FINAL GOAL Sean Fallon made 254 appearances and scored 14 goals for Celtic during his illustrious eight-year playing career. For the most, the Irishman operated in a defensive role, but Sean would have played anywhere for the club he loved – and he often did, always offering the same commitment and determination. In the 1953-54 double-winning season, that type of fighting spirit saw the now Celtic captain break a collarbone in a game against Hearts in October – incredibly, he came back on the field to play the remainder of the match in a sling! However, by the time of the Scottish Cup final against Aberdeen, Celtic’s ‘Iron Man’ had returned to full fitness and he was tasked with spearheading the Hoops attack against the Dons. With the scores tied at 1-1, the Sligo Bhoy emerged as the hero by firing home the winner with 27 minutes remaining in front of 130,000 fans at Hampden. A PROUD IRISHMAN Although Sean Fallon was fiercely proud to play for his beloved Celtic he was also a proud Irishman and represented his country on eight occasions. In another example of his versatility, he starred five times for Ireland as a full-back and three times as a striker. In one of these instances, he was on target in an international match against France, Dalymount Park, Dublin in 1952, firing home in the 20th minute. HAMPDEN IN THE SUN Celtic weren’t even regarded as favourites for the 1957 League Cup final, so their 7-1 rout of their great rivals stunned Scottish football. It had taken the Hoops 11 attempts before they had lifted the trophy in the previous year, having struggled to even qualify from the group section during the initial years of the competition. Sean, who was now approaching the end of his playing career, started that game at full-back and will go down on folklore as one the 11 heroes who beat the Ibrox side in the Hampden sun. He would retire from the game the following year but Sean certainly went out for a bang, and 10 years later he would be assistant manager for another momentous moment in Celtic history. This time the venue would be LisbonTHE PERFECT DOUBLE ACT In 1958, injury finally got the better of Sean and forced him to call time on his playing days but it was far from the end of his association with Celtic, becoming an important member of the coaching staff. When Robert Kelly decided to bring Jock Stein to Paradise in 1965, the initial proposal was that Stein would act as Sean Fallon’s assistant. However, Stein would only return on condition that he would be number one with complete authority over all team matters. The Celtic chairman eventually relented and offered Stein the job, and the first thing that the new manager did was ask Sean, who was Jock Stein’s great friend in the Celtic dressing room during his playing days, to be his assistant. It was a potent partnership which transformed Celtic into the dominant force in Scotland and to European success 1967. Sean never aired any disappointment at this decision, stating once again that he was happy to serve ‘my club’ in any role he was asked. THE LIONS OF LISBON May 25, 1967 remains the greatest day in the history of Celtic Football Club as the team from the East End of Glasgow became the Kings of Europe. The 11 men who faced Inter Milan in the Estadio Nacional in Lisbon were all born within a 30-mile radius of Celtic Park, and they were about to create football history. Jock Stein, with Sean Fallon alongside him, had produced a team which, in Stein’s words, would win the European Cup by ‘playing football; pure, beautiful, inventive football’. It was the pinnacle of a glorious managerial partnership that would also see the club secure nine league titles in a row. TALENT SPOTTER Although Jock Stein oversaw the construction for the most successful-ever Celtic sides, his trusty second-in-command, Sean Fallon, was the man who put the pillars of these teams in place. During his near 20 years on the Celtic coaching staff, he was responsible for recruiting some of the greatest names to have graced Paradise, including several of the Lisbon Lions and many of the ‘Quality Street Gang’. He organised a vast scouting network which was able to unearth the brightest young talent around the country. Fallon’s powers of persuasion were legendary and even those weren’t fans of the club were enticed to choose to become a Bhoy. Among the players that the Irishman signed for Celtic were Tommy Gemmell, Lou Macari, Davie Hay, George Connelly, Danny McGrain and Pat Bonner. His contribution to Celtic’s success during this period was invaluable.FixturesSligo Rovers Vs. Celtic FC – Wed, Oct 9th 2024, 19:30
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