John Divers (footballer, born 1940)
John Divers (8 March 1940 – 23 September 2014) was a Scottish footballer who played for Celtic and Partick Thistle.[3]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 8 March 1940 | ||
| Place of birth | Clydebank, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 23 September 2014 (aged 74) | ||
| Position(s) | inside forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Glentyan Thistle[1] | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1956–1966 | Celtic | 171 | (80) |
| 1956–1957 | → Renfrew[1] | ||
| 1966–1969 | Partick Thistle | 30 | (5) |
| Total | 201 | (85) | |
| International career | |||
| 1962–1963 | Scottish League XI[2] | 3 | (4) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Playing career
editClub
editBorn in Clydebank, Divers was the son of former Scottish international John Divers and grand-nephew of ex-Celtic player Patsy Gallacher.[1] He played 248 games for Celtic between November 1957 and September 1965.[4] Playing mostly as an inside left, he scored 110 goals for the club, which helped gain him a reputation as a skilful, clever and hard working player.[5][1]
He contributed to Celtic's nine consecutive league championships in a row by scoring the first goal of that period, away against Dundee United in 1965.[6] After joining Partick Thistle in the early part of the 1966–67 season, he later retired from the Senior game in 1969 to attend Strathclyde University.[5]
International
editDivers was part of a number of Scotland squads (including a 1962 match against Uruguay) but never got onto the field.[1] He played on three occasions for the Scottish League XI, scoring 4 goals.[2]
Later life
editDivers spent some of his later life in teaching, spending most of his career in St Patrick's High (where he'd also been a pupil), later Our Lady and St Patrick's High School in Dumbarton.[1] He died in September 2014.[6] His family connections mean he was related to fellow footballing descendants of Patsy Gallacher: sons Willie and Tommy, and grandsons Brian and Kevin.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "Obituary: John Divers, footballer and teacher". The Scotsman. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
- ^ a b "John Divers". Londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
- ^ John Divers profile neilbrown.newcastlefans.com. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
- ^ "Celtic player John Divers profile". Fitbastats. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
- ^ a b Heaney, Bill (14 October 2014). "Paying tribute to late Celtic star Johnny Divers". The Irish Voice. p. 5. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
- ^ a b Scottish football: Former Celtic striker John Divers has died aged 74, Sky Sports
- ^ "Tommy Gallacher obituary". The Scotsman. 6 October 2001. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
External links
edit- John Divers profile thecelticwiki.com
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