by Roy Kitson

Undoubtedly one of the most colourful personalities ever to have graced the Northern Ireland football scene was former Belfast and Glasgow Celtic star Charlie Tully, who was also manager of Bangor on two occasions in the 60's and early 70's - indeed it was under the inspirational guidance of Charlie Tully that Bangor won their first ever trophy as a senior club in 1970, after 43 years of trying. Charlie's sudden and untimely death on 27th July 1971, at the early age of 47, robbed Irish football of one of its great
characters.

Always looking to do or say the unexpected, Charlie was immensely proud of the fact that, a Catholic, he was born on the twelfth of July - in 1924. Small of stature, but always a larger than life character, Charlie was transferred to Glasgow Celtic in June1948 from Belfast Celtic, with whom he had won an Irish Cup medal in 1947 - scoring the only goal of the game against Glentoran - and an Irish League medal the following year.

Charlie played for Glasgow Celtic for the next decade. He made his name with a marvellous display against Rangers when Celtic defeated their deadly foes 3-1 at Celtic Park when his dribbling skills left defenders helpless in his wake. He became a cult hero and there was even green flavoured Tully ice cream sold in cafes.

With the Parkhead team he gained two Scottish Cup winners' medals, and he also played in the Scottish League winning side of 1953/54. In all, the "Irish bag o' tricks" played in four Scottish Cup finals, 1951 and 1954 (both won) and 1955 and 1956 (both lost). Incidentally, the late Bertie Peacock as Charlie's team-mate in all those finals ! Charlie played a total of 319 matches for Celtic, scoring 47 goals, and true to his contradictory nature he even spent a spell on loan to Rangers before he finally left "Paradise" to become player-manager with Cork Hibernians in 1959.

Charles Patrick Tully was known in Glasgow as the "Clown Prince" (though I suspect that Rangers' fans had other names for him !), and stories about his playing days with the Parkhead side abound. One of the most skilful ballplayers of his generation, and revelling in the freedom offered on the vast expanses of the left flank, he would torture the poor right back who had to attempt to curb him. He delighted in "taking the mickey" and was a real crowd-pleaser - though I am also sure that if he had been a more "orthodox" and less flamboyant winger he would have
won more than the ten Northern Ireland caps he did between 1948 and 1958, scoring three goals - but without his eccentricities, he certainly wouldn't have been Charlie Tully.

Perhaps two stories from his playing days can sum up Charlie's approach to the game of football. In one game against Falkirk in the Scottish Cup at Brockville in 1953, Charlie took a corner from the left wing which swung direct into the corner of the net: jubilation ! But the joy was short-lived for the referee, who had pointed to the centre-spot, noticed that the linesman had his flag raised to indicate that the ball had not been placed within the quadrant for the corner kick. The corner had to be taken again -and, lo and behold, Charlie placed the ball past a bemused keeper into the exact same spot !

And how he could infuriate opponents ! Another story of this marvellous man is of the time Celtic were awarded a throe-in on the left flank. A member of the opposing side handed Charlie the ball, and as the player turned away the Celtic winger threw the ball against his back, collected the rebound and ran on to lay on a goal...

One of Charlie's proudest moments was when he scored two goals against England at Windsor Park on 4th October 1952 in a 2-2 draw in front of a crowd of 60 000. Nat Lofthouse had scored for England in the first minute and Billy Elliott scored again in the last, but in between Charlie Tully scored twice for Northern Ireland, then incidentally officially known as "Ireland".

For the first goal he beat England goalkeeper Gil Merrick from 25 yards and then put the Irish into the lead with his specialist inswinging corner-kick after the Irish team had been reduced by injury to ten men. Those goals were greeted with rapturous applause by the record crowd - they were the first Northern Ireland goals in eighteen months !

This then was the man who, a partner in a Glasgow pools firm, and who delighted in coaching schoolboys at Parkhead on Sundays, took over as manager of Bangor on Wednesday 8th January 1964, with the Clandeboye Park side at one of its lowest ebbs - the previous season they had finished bottom of the Irish League level with Cliftonville on nine points, and when Charlie took over Bangor had not won a single home match that season, and had drawn two and lost six of their eight League games.

In one of his famous quips Charlie, who could be cuttingly direct, stated that even the seagulls were leaving Clandeboye Park when he arrived ! But Charlie, using his contacts in Glasgow, and bringing over players such as the redoubtable Willie Fernie to taste the Irish League, restored respectability to the club before he left after two years to take over as manager of Portadown .

And the flamboyant Charlie showed that he could not only "talk the talk" but also "walk the walk" when he returned to Clandeboye Park in January 1968, to the great delight of the supporters. On 22nd May 1970 he brought the seaside club their first ever trophy as a senior club, when after four games at Solitude, Bangor defeated North Down rivals Ards In the third replay of the County Antrim Shield by three goals to two. Typical of Charlie, when asked by one over-enthusiastic supporter whether that win would get Bangor into Europe, he replied: "It won't even get Bangor into County Antrim". That triumph was followed seven months later by the winning of the City Cup, but then, the following July, came the news of Charlie's death - and Irish football had to bid farewell to one of its greatest ever characters; Charlie Tully, a truly unique man.