Bobby Collins

He was born on 16 February 1931, the eldest of Tom and Bella Collins’s six children. He signed a contract with Everton from Pollok at the age of 17, but after a contractual dispute with Celtic he eventually ended up joining Celtic instead of Everton; he was also working as an apprentice cobbler at the time. He made his debut at outside-right against Old Firm rivals Rangers on 13 August 1949, getting the better of Jock Shaw he helped Celtic to a 3–2 Scottish League Cup victory. Despite being just about 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) tall, Collins was a strong, hard-working midfield player who was in the Celtic team as a 17-year-old and stayed there for ten years, winning the Scottish Cup in 1951, and the Scottish cup double in 1954. He was also called up for international duty in 1950, and maintained a frequent presence in the Scotland squad in the later stages of the decade. Collins also represented the Scottish League XI 16 times, scoring 12 goals.