Footballer Born: May 13, 1938; Died: March 11, 2016

BOBBY Carroll, who has died at the age of 77, was a professional footballer who played at senior level for Celtic, St. Mirren, Dundee United, Coleraine and Queen of the South. He also has the distinction of being the first Celtic player to score in a European competition.

Born in May 1938 in Glasgow, Carroll learned his trade as a railwayman whilst playing junior football with Irvine Meadow – ensuring a place in the Ayrshire club’s history by scoring the staggering total of 78 goals in one season and being a member of the first Meadow Park outfit to win the Scottish Junior Cup with a 2-1 win over Shettleston in 1959 before 65,211 spectators at Hampden, an attendance scarcely credible today.

He had signed provisional forms for Celtic manager Jimmy McGrory in September 1957 and was called up to the senior ranks following that Junior Cup Final success in May 1959 at the end of a season when he had been voted Junior Player of the Year and a week after celebrating his 21st birthday.

His debut for the Parkhead club was swift – in the opening home game of Season 1959-60, a League Cup-tie against Partick Thistle on 12th August before 25,000 spectators, with the visitors emerging victorious 2-1. Carroll scored his first goal at senior level the following Saturday, an early opener against Airdrieonians at Broomfield Park that again would end in defeat, 2-4.

He retained his place four days later in the opening League fixture of the new season, a 2-0 home win over Kilmarnock – but that first season at Celtic Park saw him make just 12 competitive appearances, netting twice.

Principally a winger although also featuring occasionally at centre-forward, Carroll benefitted through the coaching of Jock Stein, at that time in charge of the Reserves at Parkhead.

These were not, however, successful times in the East End of Glasgow – an early League Cup win at Ibrox against Old Firm rivals Rangers saw Carroll open the scoring in a 3-2 win, yet, even then, Celtic failed to qualify from the group stages. A failure to provide a sustained challenge for the League Championship title was a constant theme of successive seasons with Cup Final appearances not a regular occurrence. Carroll played in the Glasgow Cup Final of 1960-61, lost 0-2 to Partick Thistle and the Glasgow Merchants’ Charity Cup Final of the same season – a 1-1 draw against Clyde with the trophy shared by both clubs, in the last competition of its kind.

Celtic’s first foray into Europe saw them travel to Valencia in Spain in the old Inter Cities Fairs Cup. On 26 September 1962 in the First Leg Celtic suffered a 2-4 reversal in the Campo De Mestalla with their first goal put into his own net by Manolo Mestre – but it was Bobby Carroll who notched Celtic’s second, and thus secured his place in the history books as the first Celtic player to score in European competition.

In total Bobby Carroll had netted an impressive (for a winger) 27 goals in 78 competitive appearances for Celtic – but on 1 February 1963 he was transferred to St Mirren for a £7,000 fee.

The winger quickly became a popular figure in Paisley – on 5 December 1964 his treble in a 4-1 win against Partick Thistle at Love Street was the first by a Saints player for more than two years at home and another spectacular hat-trick against Hearts resulted in a 7-2 drubbing for the Tynecastle side.

Carroll joined Dundee United in Season 1965-66, but his spell on Tayside was brief, making just two League appearances, scoring once before moving on, crossing the Irish Sea to Northern Ireland to sign for Coleraine before returning to Scotland with Queen of the South.

At the end of his career, he returned to the Junior ranks with Irvine Meadow in 1968 before retiring from the playing side of the game. He joined Yoker Athletic as a coach in 1972, and worked as a scout for Carlisle United.

After retiring from the game he worked as a sales representative in hydraulics, living quietly in Calderwood.

A father of three, one son – Paul – followed in his father’s footsteps playing for Irvine Meadow.

Bobby Carroll is survived by his wife Ann.

ROBERT MCELROY