Location Cork, Republic of Ireland Founded 1935 | Ground Turners Cross | |
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Full name Cork Celtic Football Club League League of Ireland Premier Division | ||
Fai cup final 1964 shamrock rovers v cork celtic
Cork Celtic F.C., originally Evergreen United F.C., was an Irish football club based in Cork. They played in the League of Ireland between 1951 and 1979 and played their home games at Turners Cross. In 1974 they were League of Ireland champions and the following season they reached the second round of the European Cup.
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Evergreen United
The club's foundation date is unknown, but its earliest appearance in the FAI Cup was in 1936-37. Evergreen finished as League runners-up in 1953 and 1959. In 1953 they also played in an all-Cork FAI Cup final against Cork Athletic, losing 2-1 in a replay after drawing the first game 2-2. During the 1956-57 season Evergreen’s Donal Leahy finished as joint top goalscorer in the league with 15 goals. In the following two seasons Leahy finished top goalscorer outright with 16 and 22 goals respectively. Irish international Tommy Moroney finished his playing career with Evergreen and, on October 4, 1953 in a World Cup qualifier against France, he won the last of his 12 caps while with the club. In 1959 the club changed its name to Cork Celtic.
Cork Celtic
As Celtic in the 1960s they enjoyed a local rivalry with Cork Hibernians. In 1974 with a team that included Alfie Hale and Bobby Tambling, Celtic won their only League of Ireland title under manager and former player Paul O'Donovan. Tambling, a former Chelsea player and England international had initially moved to Ireland to work as a Jehovah's Witness missionary. He scored 7 league goals in his first season as he helped Celtic win the title.
Best, Hurst and Seeler
In subsequent seasons Celtic attracted several other notable players. On the back of League success in 1974, Paul O'Donovan signed George Best and then Geoff Hurst. In December 1975 George Best had a brief spell with Celtic in between equally brief spells at Stockport County and Los Angeles Aztecs. He played only three league games, against Drogheda United, Bohemians and Shelbourne, but despite attracting big crowds he failed to score or impress. In 1976 Geoff Hurst spent a month with Celtic, scoring three goals during his brief stay. Uwe Seeler also played one game for Celtic during the 1977-78 season and scored twice in a 6–2 defeat to Shamrock Rovers.
Honours
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