Celtic fans pay tribute to club hero Frank McGarvey

The former Hoops and St Mirren forward passed away on January 1 at the age of 66, after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in October 2022.

And after the final whistle blew on Monday’s derby, in which Celtic drew 2-2 with Rangers, some supporters made their way to Parkhead to offer a tribute to the club hero.

Ross Menzies and Anthony Keenan saw the scarves and flags tied to the barriers and decided it was “well worth” paying a visit.

Ross Menzies (left) and Anthony Keenan (Image: Photo by Colin Mearns)

Ross said: “I very briefly knew Frank’s son Sean a few years back and I’ve met Frank at a few functions and that, he was very friendly.”

While Ross was very young when McGarvey was playing for Celtic, he definitely made an impact on Anthony, who said: “I was born in 1975 so I remember watching him play.

"He was a great player.”  

Born in Glasgow, McGarvey made his senior debut at St Mirren, joined Liverpool on a brief spell and then spent five years with the Hoops. 

At the time he was signed in March 1980, he was the most expensive player in Scotland.

A particularly brilliant memory that sticks out for Anthony and so many fans of the same generation is McGarvey’s final-ever performance in a Hoops jersey.

It was the Scottish Cup final against Dundee United on May 18, 1985. McGarvey scored a late winner with six minutes left on the clock with a diving header that Anthony will never forget.

He recalls: “Roy Aitken put in a cross, and Frank McGarvey pure flung himself in the air for the header and the keeper had no chance of getting it, and I was like, what a goal.

“I watched the game that day and I was thinking to myself ‘it’s his last game, I hope he bows out with a win’ and he did.

"That’s the sort of player he was. He never gave up.”

Fans with a flag left at Celtic Park by another fan (Image: Photo by Colin Mearns)

One fan brought an Irish flag, on which they had written the score of that historic day as well as the words ‘RIP Frank McGarvey.’

They told the Glasgow Times: “That game is my best memory of Frank McGarvey because he scored the winning goal. The ball crossed into the box, and he jumped backwards to head the ball – it was a phenomenal goal.

“You talk to Celtic supporters, and they’ll always talk about that goal. He was a great player.”

Statue of Billy McNeill at Celtic Park (Image: Photo by Colin Mearns)

While they remarked on the tragedy of his passing at such a young age, supporters also remember how much of a genuinely nice person McGarvey was.

As he was a Hoops supporter himself, he is remembered as a Celtic man ‘through and through’, as the fans would say.

Ross added: “It’s so sad. 66 is basically the same age as my parents so that rattles home a wee bit. That could happen to anyone.

“He was just a really friendly, nice guy and it’s important when you have met someone and if they have made an impression on you, it’s good to come down and pay tribute.”