Position
Goalkeeper

Career
Games 201
Clean-sheets 61
Scotland Caps 2

Pictures
Player Pics






Info
Francis Haffey (b. Glasgow, 28th November 1938) was a football goalkeeper for Glasgow's Celtic F.C. and for the Scottish national team.

Haffey, remembered as one of Celtic's great and more eccentric keepers, played more than two hundred matches for his club.

Haffey is most often associated with Scotland's 9-3 loss to England at Wembley in 1961. It would be Haffey's final match for Scotland.

After breaking an ankle in the Glasgow Cup against Partick Thistle in November 1963, effectively ending his Celtic career, he left the following October to play for Swindon Town. Soon thereafter, Haffey moved to Australia, where after a shorter career as a footballer there he found his way into the entertainment business as a cabaret singer.

Haffey made 201 appearances for Celtic. He had 61 clean-sheets. He won two caps for Scotland.

Signing For Celtic

When I left school I went to play for a juvenile team in Kirkintilloch called Campsie Black Watch in 1955. The manager there was a chap called Gerald Marley. Incredibly, he is still their manager now. The guy must be about 150!

After about a season I was snapped up by Celtic as a goalkeeper aged 17 in 1956. I can remember my first ever game was for Celtic reserves against Rangers reserves at Ibrox. It was a trial match to see if I would be taken on. Billy McNeill was in the same position as I was.

About three minutes before half-time I was lobbed by the right winger Billy Duncan from 40 yards out on his own touchline. I thought that was the end of my Celtic career. But at half-time the manager, Jimmy McGrory, came into the dressing room with contracts for Billy McNeill and I to sign.

Somebody was on the treatment table and so Billy turned around and I signed mine on his back and then I turned around and Billy signed his on my back.

To begin with I was part-time while I completed my apprenticeship as an engineer.

Debut

I made my first team debut in a friendly match in Northern Ireland. The regular keeper, Dick Beattie, had torn tendons in his finger and I was flown out to Belfast to play. I stayed in the top side for six or seven years and played in 201 games.

I was good at taking crosses. Nowadays you won't see a goalkeeper moving more than three yards off their line. When the opposition scores then, nine times out of 10, they turn around and blame their defence. But Jock Stein stressed to me I had to come out between six and eight yards. So that is what I did.

Playing Rangers

I used to enjoy the Old Firm games. I see tackles and behaviour in the matches now that, if they had taken place in my day, would have resulted in police intervention. In all the Old Firm matches that I played I was never once the victim of a bad tackle and no player ever swore at me. I had it from Hearts and Hibs players but never anybody at Rangers.

I was great friends with Ralph Brand and George Niven. Jimmy Millar was a hard player but he was a gentleman. John Greig was a fantastic player. Jim Baxter was also a pal. In fact, I can remember once, after drawing an Old Firm game 1-1, Billy McNeill, Pat Crerand and Mick Jackson and I went to meet Jim Baxter in the George Hotel.

While we were waiting some Rangers supporters came in and when we told them who was joining us one of them said: ''That b*****d! We'll fix him up!'' The fan clearly felt Slim Jim had played badly that day. But he never had a bad game.

When he finally arrived there was a scuffle with the Celtic contingent protecting Jim as the Gers fans tried to get at him. But it was more of a push and a shove than a punch-up.

The biggest crowd I ever played in front of was in the Scottish Cup Final against Rangers in 1963. We drew the first game 1-1 on the Saturday and then lost the replay

3-0 on the Wednesday. The crowd at the first game was 129,000 and 120,00 at the replay.

I got some stick from Rangers fans after that [9-3 against England] when I played for Celtic in Old Firm games. They used to sing: ''Haffey! Nine! Haffey! Nine!'' I used to turn around and pretend to conduct them with a baton and help them to get the rhythm right. I didn't let it bother me.

England 9-3 Scotland

A few years ago when Scotland played England in the Euro 2000 play-off double header a Sky TV crew came out from Brisbane to interview me at the local soccer club. When they showed the interview Bobby Robson was one of the guests in the studio. He was playing that day and scored their first goal. He said that, in his opinion, I was only at fault for two of the goals.

Just a few days after the match Jock Stein got a hold of a film of it and sat with me at Celtic Park and went through it all. He also felt I was only to blame for two of them. If people like Jock Stein and Bobby Robson feel it was two then that is fair enough. I feel I was maybe at fault for three.

Leaving Celtic

I moved to Swindon Town in 1964. I fell out with the manager, Bert Head, down there and moved on. I emigrated to Australia in 1967 and joined a Hungarian team called St George Budapest. They were the top team in the country and I played for them for about four seasons. After that I joined a Jewish team called Hakoah in Sydney. I had a great time playing for them until I was about 35 and then I retired.

I worked as a sales rep and also used to appear on the club circuit singing and doing a stand-up comedy routine. I also appeared in the television series, Spy Force, over here with the famous Aussie actor, Chips Rafferty. I was an extra in something like 13 of the 17 episodes which were made.

Comment
Frank Haffey now lives on the gold coast in Australia amd is an occasional member on the big list on the topic, Frank was the musical conductor for the choir in the celtic end under the cantilever when he was hardly busy playing in the game.