In October of 1925 the Fife Free Press reported on a 16 year - old Goalkeeper who was turning in incredible performances for the local side Wellesley Juniors. "Wellesley have unearthed a champion goalkeeper in Thomson from Bowhill. He is a youngster yet but should develop."
John Thomson stood five foot eight - and - a - half in his stocking feet and weighed in the region of ten and a half stone. His physical attributes belied the fact that here was someone with remarkable athletic ability. Born in Buckhaven on 28th January 1909 and brought up in the mining village of Cardenden in the Kingdom of Fife John was saved the trials of a life digging coal by his goalkeeping ability. By 1924 he was turning in fine performances for local sides Bowhill West End and Bowhill Rovers. His obvious raw talent brought him to the attention of Wellesley Juniors and a year later he was gaining vast experience in the rough and tumble of Scottish Junior football. In 1925 the then Celtic chief scout Steve Callaghan was dispatched to Fife to cast his eye over another young goalkeeper playing for Denbeath Juniors and by coincidence their opponents that day were Wellesley. Callaghan was taken immediately by the slight figure in the Wellesley goal and marvelled at his bravery and ability to handle crosses with the confidence and maturity of a veteran. In fact, Callaghan could not believe that Thomson was only 17 years old at the time as he was sure that he was watching a player of much older years. Time and again during that game Thomson would come as far as the edge of the area to collect the ball. Remember, this was in an era when goalkeepers for the most part stayed rooted to their goal line. Whatever it was that Callaghan saw in Thomson that day he was sure that this young man should be a Celtic player and he was determined to capture his signature before other teams move in. Initial approaches from Celtic to get Thomson to sign were rebutted and it would not be until the 1st of November 1926, during the miners' strike, that John finally put pen to paper and became a Celtic player. The signing took place in the open air in Gallowtown. Callaghan took John on a tram - car journey and as they sat side by side he finally persuaded John to sign. As they alighted from the tram John used a nearby roadside fuse box as a makeshift desk as he signed the contract that Callaghan had taken from his pocket. John was loaned out to Ayr United reserves in December of 1926 but by February of 1927 his talents could no longer be ignored and he made his debut for the Celtic first team on the12th of that month, aged 18, in a 2-1 away league win against Dundee.
John instantly made the goalkeeper position his own and by the end of his first month between the sticks the press were writing of him, "Time and time again Thomson saved brilliantly. His clutching of the ball was perfect and his anticipation wonderful. although still in his teens he is as clever as a veteran" Celtic were league champions in season 1925/26 but by the time Thomson made his debut Rangers were reinforcing their dominance of the era and were heading towards another championship success. The Scottish Cup of season 1926/27, though, saw Celtic, inspired by the play of Thomson in goal and McGrory at Centre reach the final were they would play East Fife. The Celtic side on the 16th of April 1927 lined up as: Thomson, W. McStay, Hilley, Wilson, J McStay, McFarlane, Connolly, Thomson McInally, McMenemy, McLean. East Fife opened the scoring after only seven minutes much to the disbelief of the vast majority of the 79,500 crowd however Celtic quickly equalized and went on to win by three goals to one, giving young John his first senior medal after only two months as the first choice goalkeeper. John was a hero in his home - town of Cardenden and his parents, initially not too enamoured over the idea of John becoming a professional footballer, were as pleased as punch that their young son had achieved so much so soon. John was the product of their strict upbringing and was a credit to their skill as parents. The Thomson's were a protestant family who worshipped in a sect called the Church of Christ and they had instilled in John true Christian values and beliefs which had a profound effect on the quiet teetotal youngster whose only vice seemed to be his fierce competitiveness when he took to the field of play. It was almost as if he had a change of personality when he donned his Goalkeepers jersey, gone was the almost shy unassuming young man and in its place was this tigerish single - minded individual determined to keep his goal intact no matter what the cost.
Season 1927 / 28 saw Celtic go head to head with Rangers in a titanic struggle for both the championship and the Scottish cup. Celtic had beaten Rangers 2-1 to win the Glasgow cup in front of a crowd of 90,000 and early league form suggested that they could recapture the league title. Just after the turn of the year on the 14th of January Thomson was in goal as the incredible McGrory put eight in the Dunfermline net as Celtic ran out 9-0 winners in a league game at Celtic Park. It looked then as if Celtic would go on to lift the title but Rangers managed to hold out and took the title by a slender margin. The Scottish cup also went to Ibrox as Rangers overcame a lacklustre Celtic side 4-0 in the final. So, a season initially full of promise finished disappointingly for Thomson and Celtic. The following two seasons would prove to be even more disappointing as Celtic's league challenge dwindled and all they had to show for their efforts over the two campaigns was a single Glasgow cup. And this was despite the undoubted brilliance of McGrory, who Celtic tried to sell to Arsenal, and Thomson. Things began to pick up in season 1930/31 and once again a good cup run saw the team reach the final. The Steelmen of Motherwell provided the opposition and the final would go to two games, the first ending in a 2-2 draw. Celtic emerged victorious in the second game by a score of 4-2 and it was a happy band of players who set off on a close - season tour of America with the cup taken along for ex - pats to enjoy. Once again Celtic fans had high hopes for the coming season. It looked as though the side that had won the cup would be well balanced enough to go on to better things. More importantly they hoped that the side could put up more of a fight against Rangers than they had done over the last three years.
The morning of the 5th of September 1931 was a typically wet for that time of year in Glasgow. Celtic were due at Ibrox for the first old firm game of the season and were in good form. Only two points had been dropped in the first seven league games and a win or draw at Ibrox looked a decent bet. The early morning rain had made conditions underfoot particularly tricky and from the kick off both sides had found it difficult to establish dominance. The first half finished without a goal being scored and in a tense atmosphere both side trooped out for the second half. In the fiftieth minute it Looked as though Rangers had made the breakthrough as Sam English was sent clean through on the Celtic goal with only Thomson between him an a certain goal. English got as far as the eighteen - yard line before Thomson, who had hesitated twice, made his move. The goalkeeper dived full - length at the feet of the on rushing English and his left temple made sickening contact with the Rangers forwards knee. Grainy black and white film footage clearly shows that the collision was a complete accident. Thomson dives and almost instantly is paralysed - his left arm slowly arcing above his prostrate body. The injured English hirples over to the dying Thomson and summons for immediate help as he notices blood seeping from the young keeper’s ear and mouth. A hush hung over the ground interrupted only by a few morons in the Rangers end who are promptly told to shut up by Davie Mieklejohn the Rangers captain on the day. Ambulance men were quickly in attendance and put John on a stretcher and headed for the dressing rooms. Once inside John was attended to by Dr Kivlichan, a former Celtic and Rangers player who was watching the match. He immediately recognized the severity of the injury and insisted on a transfer to the Victoria Infirmary. Watching the horrific events unfold from the main stand at Ibrox was John's brother Jim and John's fiancé Margaret Findlay. Interviewed many years later Jim Thomson spoke of the tragedy. " I knew at once it was serious from the way his hand fell slowly. I left my seat and went straight to the dressing room. I went into the ambulance with him and one ambulance man said to the other, "That's the end of him" I was angry. I knew it myself, but I didn't want it confirmed" John had suffered a compressed fracture to the skull. Today he might have been saved but Neurological surgery was in its infancy in 1931 and there was little the doctors could do to save him. He never regained consciousness and passed away at 9.25 PM shortly after his parents arrived following a frantic train journey from Fife. News soon spread about his death and the whole of Scotland fell into mourning. This brash young man who had captured the hearts of the nation with his bravery and athleticism had paid the ultimate price for his endeavours. Some sought to apportion blame for the tragedy and poor Sam English was to suffer many years of heckling before he eventually gave the game up in disgust. Jim Thomson and the rest of the family were convinced it was just a tragic accident. "Nobody in the family ever questioned that it was a complete accident. They were both going for the ball. I felt very, very sorry for Sam English" The behaviour of certain elements amongst the crowds at old - firm games was brought into question and at a memorial service for John on the Tuesday following the tragedy in the Trinity Congregational Church, Glasgow, the Rev McLelland spoke out on this matter. "There is one way in which his death might bring a great gain. Crowds who call themselves Celtic or Rangers supporters, whom both teams disown, who gather behind the goals of their respective favourites and cheer themselves hoarse when a member of the opposing team lies writhing in pain, if they can be brought to realize by this tragic accident the brutal cruelty of their action, John Thomson will not have given his young life in vain. Do they realise that their shameless jeering was the last sound that ever reached John Thomson's dying brain?” The following day, Wednesday the 9th of September, John Thomson was laid to rest at Bowhill cemetery. A crowd of some 30, 000 formed the funeral procession, some having walked the 55 miles from Glasgow. John Thomson died a hero and his memory lives on in the minds of countless generations of Celtic fans the whole world over. Others would say that his actions on that dreadful September day were reckless and that he contributed in some way to his own tragic end. Certainly, John showed little respect for his own safety when he took to the filed of play. Jim Thomson recalled speaking to John about being more careful after he suffered a serious injury in a similar incident before his death. "John had been injured a few times before because he always went straight for the ball, I had asked him the previous time he was injured if he wasn't going to stop going in like that. He said he would, but it was the ball he was after. He didn't see anyone else or anything else.”
Whatever the cause of the tragedy there can be no doubt that those who claim Thomson was the finest Goalkeeper ever to play for Celtic have every right to do so. Desmond White, the late Celtic Chairman, and himself a former goalkeeper, probably best summed up John's ability when he said. "He was certainly the best goalkeeper I ever seen. He was not a tall man, but he had the ability of a Ballet dancer to jump much higher than other people. There was a great deal of magic about what he was doing, and this came across to those who watched him." John has remained one of Celtic's favourite sons and tales of his daring have been passed down the generations from father to son. To this day Celtic supporters buses often make time for a brief visit to his graveside whenever Celtic are playing in that part of Scotland. Their loyalty is reflected in the simple inscription which adorns the stone above his last resting place. "They never die who live in the hearts they leave behind" For Celtic the death of John Thomson was a devastating blow and the cup winning side of 1931 soon broke up. A team - mate of John's Peter Scarff also died tragically young, from tuberculosis, soon after John and this seemed to knock the stuffing from the club. Any title aspirations soon evaporated as the side lost form and the season 1931/32 will always only be remembered for the terrible events on that sad September day. John Thomson is a Celtic legend and fully deserves to be so. In the modern day game of enormous transfer fees and primadonna players throwing tantrums over the most insignificant detail it is fitting that this honest young man from Fife is remembered with more affection than many will ever achieve. He laid his life down for Celtic Football Club with little or no regard for his own safety. No one could have asked for more.
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