Alec McNair

Alec McNair made his Celtic debut in September 1904 at the age of 20. He played his last game for the Hoops in April 1925 at the age of 41 years and 113 days, making him the oldest player to represent Celtic.

That, in itself, is a remarkable achievement, and in an era when there was no European football and the League Cup was still four decades away from being set-up, his appearance tally of 641 is testament to his value to Celtic over many seasons.

He also played for 10 years of his Celtic career having to cope with personal tragedy. His wife had died in August 1915, leaving him to bring up their five children on his own. This he did while also working a 12-hour shirt in wartime work, forging metal for horseshoes at the Munitions Industry factory in his home town of Bo’ness. He did all that while still trying to keep fit and playing for Celtic every Saturday.

Willie Maley, who had played in Celtic’s first ever game on May 28, 1888, and who was effectively in charge of team matters for the first 50 years of the club’s existence, saw many great players represent the club, some of whom are celebrated in song to this day.

"Alec McNair would have distinguished himself in any position, even in goals" 
Willie Maley

Alec McNair is not one of those names, but like many of Celtic’s unsung heroes, his contribution was vital in delivering success to the club, most notably the six-in-a-row triumph of 1905-10 and the subsequent four-in-a-row between 1914-17.

PRELUDE TO PARADISE
Born in Bo’ness on Boxing Day, 1883, Alexander McNair was just a month shy of his fourth birthday when the meeting was held to start Celtic Football Club in St Mary’s Church Hall, Calton, Glasgow, on November 6, 1887. And the club was still in its relative infancy – just 16-years-old – when Alec McNair signed for Celtic. He had started his football career with Stenhouse Thistle, and then Stenhousemuir Hearts before he played in a trial match for Celtic in May 1903, helping the team beat Airdrie 6-0 at Broomfield. However, he put pen to paper and signed for Stenhousemuir, though that would only last just under a year before, on May 2, 1904, he joined Celtic, so beginning a remarkable association with the club.

DEBUT BHOY
Alec McNair’s first competitive game came at the start of 1905, when Celtic lost 3-2 at home to Airdrie in a league game. That would be one of only three defeats the Hoops suffered in the campaign that season as they clinched what would prove to be the first of six consecutive league titles. McNair would play another two games in that season, in the 4-1 victory over Rangers and the 6-2 win against Motherwell in the last two league matches of the season. Those victories saw Celtic and Rangers finish level on points, and a play-off match was played at Hampden on May 6, 1905 to decide the fate of the championship. Alec McNair played in that match, helping the Hoops to a 2-1 victory and their first title since 1898.

HIGHLIGHTS
Having secured the title in such dramatic fashion, Willie Maley’s side ensured there would be no further final-day dramatics, as they swept to the title in the next five seasons, with Alec McNair a central figure in the team, establishing himself at right-back. During that time, Celtic won the double in consecutive seasons, in 1907 and 1908, and were only denied a third successive double success when the Scottish Cup was withheld following crowd trouble at the end of the replay of the final against Rangers, which had finished 1-1.

Having won six titles in the first decade of the twentieth century, he was also part of the next great Celtic team that Maley created.

Alec McNair’s medal haul was staggering. Having won six titles in the first decade of the twentieth century, he was also part of the next great Celtic team that Maley created, winning four titles between 1914-17 and only denied a repeat of their six-in-a-row success due to Rangers winning a solitary championship in 1918 before Celtic regained the title.

Over and above that, there were six Scottish Cup triumphs, while his total medal haul stands at 36, if you include the eight Glasgow Cups and 10 Charity Cups that he won.

There were also some remarkable feats during this time. In the 1908/09 league win, Celtic played their last eight games in just 11 days, winning five of them, drawing two and losing just one. Alec McNair played in all of those matches.

And in season 1915/16, Celtic played and won two league matches on the same day. They beat Raith Rovers 6-0 at Celtic Park, with Patsy Gallacher the hat-trick hero that day, and then headed straight for Fir Park to face Motherwell. They ran out 3-1 winners in that second game. Not surprisingly, Alec McNair was in the team for both of those games.

McNair, was, and still, is the oldest player to represent Celtic.

BOWING OUT
It was on April 18, 1925 that Alec McNair took to the field for the last time in the green and white Hoops as Celtic drew 1-1 with Queen’s Park at Celtic Park. Paddy Connolly scoring the goal in the second-last game of the campaign. In doing so McNair, was, and still, is the oldest player to represent Celtic. He was 41 years and 113 days old when the game took place with him at right-back while Hugh Hilley took up the left-back berth. Hilly was just five-years-old when McNair made his Celtic debut 21 years earlier in 1905. It had been a remarkable career, playing at the highest level for so many years, and his status as Celtic’s oldest ever player is one that is unlikely ever to be challenged.

POST-CELTIC BLUES
Alec McNair retired from the playing side in April 1925, just a week after making his last appearance for Celtic, and then moved to Dens Park when he became manager of Dundee in June of that year. He was in that post for two years, during which time his Dundee side managed consecutive goal-less draws at Celtic Park, until he retired before starting up as a stockbroker in Falkirk and he later took up a post with the SFA as a referee inspector in 1949 before resigning in 1951. He passed away in Larbert on November 18 of that same year just a few weeks short of his 70th birthday.

641 CELTIC CAREER APPEARANCES
League: 584, Scottish Cup: 57

9 CELTIC CAREER GOALS
League: 9

18 CELTIC CAREER MAJOR HONOURS
League titles: 12, Scottish Cup: 6