Bobby Carroll

Robert Carroll (13 May 1938 – 11 May 2016) was a Scottish footballer who played for Celtic, St Mirren, Dundee United, Coleraine and Queen of the South. He was Celtic's first ever goalscorer in European competition.

For other people called Robert Carroll, see Robert Carroll (disambiguation).

Bobby Carroll
Personal information
Full name Robert Carroll
Date of birth (1938-05-13)13 May 1938
Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland
Date of death 11 May 2016(2016-05-11) (aged 77)
Position(s) Outside Right
Youth career
1957–1959 Irvine Meadow
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1957–1963 Celtic 61 (21)
1963–1965 St Mirren 55 (19)
1965–1967 Dundee United 2 (0)
1967 Coleraine
1968 Queen of the South 12 (6)
Total 130 (46)
National team
1962[1] SFL trial v SFA 1 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Carroll provisionally signed for Celtic on 22 September 1957 from junior club Irvine Meadow, however he was left with Irvine Meadow for season 1958–59, during which he scored 75 goals resulting in him being voted Junior Player of the Year in 1959. On 15 May 1959, Bobby received his trophy at the George Cinema in Bank Street from the Provost George Donaldson and won the Scottish Junior Cup on 16 May 1959. He was subsequently called into the Celtic first team as one of the so-called 'Kelly's Kids', after the then Celtic Chairman Bob Kelly, where he made jis debut in a 2-1 League Cup defeat at home against Partick Thistle on 12 August 1959.

On 26 September 1962, Carroll was part of the Celtic team that travelled to Mestalla Stadium for the first leg of an Inter-Cities Fairs Cup tie against Valencia (this competition being a predecessor of the current UEFA Europa League). Valencia were holders of the cup and won the tie 4-2, with Carroll scoring both of the Celtic goals, making him the first Celtic player to score a goal in European competition.[2][3][4]

Carroll signed for St Mirren in 1963 remaining there until 1965. In the league he made 55 appearances and scored 19 goals. He then joined Dundee United, scoring on his debut against Celtic against Celtic on 14 August 1965. After 6 appearances he soon dropped out of first team contention but spent two seasons at the club, playing over 50 times for the reserves. He was released in April 1967.[5] He joined Coleraine in Northern Ireland, then later in season 1967-68 also played for Queen of the South. In his 12 league appearances for Queens he scored 6 goals. He then left senior football by returning to Irvine Meadow.

Carroll died on 11 May 2016, two days before what would have been his 78th birthday.[6][7]

References
  1. Ronnie McDevitt (2016). Scotland in the 60s: The Definitive Account of the Scottish National Football Side During the 1960s. Pitch Publishing. ISBN 9781785312458.
  2. "Where are they now?". Celtic View, Vol. 48, Issue 13, pp. 44-47. 3 October 2012.
  3. "The man who bagged Celtic's first Euro Goal". East Kilbride News p76. 3 October 2012.
  4. "Top 10 European moments for Celtic FC". thomsonsport.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  5. Gracie, Steve (2009). The Rise of the Terrors: Dundee United FC, a Comprehensive History 1945-1979. Dundee: Arabest Publishing. p. 303. ISBN 9780955834110.
  6. "Death of former Celt, Bobby Carroll". Celtic FC. 11 May 2016.
  7. "Bobby Carroll, the scorer of Celtic's first European goal, dies aged 77". Sky Sports. 11 May 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
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