Bobby Carroll
{{short description|Scottish footballer}}
{{For|other people called Robert Carroll|Robert Carroll (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2016}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Bobby Carroll
| image =
| fullname = Robert Carroll
| birth_date = {{birth date|1938|05|13|df=y}}
| birth_place= Glasgow, Scotland
| death_date = {{death date and age|2016|05|11|1938|05|13|df=y}}
| death_place=
| position = Outside Right
| youthyears1= 1957–1959
| youthclubs1= Irvine Meadow
| years1 = 1957–1963 | years2 = 1963–1965 | years3 = 1965–1967 | years4 = 1967 | years5 = 1968
| clubs1 = Celtic | clubs2 = St Mirren | clubs3 = Dundee United | clubs4 = Coleraine | clubs5 = Queen of the South
| caps1 = 61 | goals1 = 21 | caps2 = 55 | goals2 = 19 | caps3 = 2 | goals3 = 0 | caps4 = | goals4 = | caps5 = 12 | goals5 = 6 | totalcaps = 130 | totalgoals = 46
| nationalteam1 = SFL trial v SFA
| nationalcaps1 = 1
| nationalgoals1 = 1
}}Robert Carroll (13 May 1938 – 11 May 2016) was a Scottish footballer who played for Celtic, St Mirren, Dundee United, Coleraine and Queen of the South. He was Celtic's first ever goalscorer in European competition.
Playing career
Carroll provisionally signed for Celtic on 22 September 1957 from junior club Irvine Meadow, however he was left with Irvine Meadow for season 1958–59, during which he scored 75 goals resulting in him being voted Junior Player of the Year in 1959. On 15 May 1959, Bobby received his trophy at the George Cinema in Bank Street from the Provost George Donaldson and won the Scottish Junior Cup on 16 May 1959. He was subsequently called into the Celtic first team as one of the so-called 'Kelly's Kids', after the then Celtic Chairman Bob Kelly, where he made his debut in a 2-1 League Cup defeat at home against Partick Thistle on 12 August 1959.
On 26 September 1962, Carroll was part of the Celtic team that travelled to Mestalla Stadium for the first leg of an Inter-Cities Fairs Cup tie against Valencia (this competition being a predecessor of the current UEFA Europa League). Valencia were holders of the cup and won the tie 4–2, with Carroll scoring both of the Celtic goals, making him the first Celtic player to score a goal in European competition.{{cite news|work=Celtic View, Vol. 48, Issue 13, pp. 44-47|title= Where are they now?|date=3 October 2012}}{{cite news|work=East Kilbride News p76|title=The man who bagged Celtic's first Euro Goal|date=3 October 2012}}{{cite news|url=http://thomsonsport.com/article/top-10-european-moments-celtic-fc|title=Top 10 European moments for Celtic FC|work=thomsonsport.com|accessdate=24 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305062057/http://thomsonsport.com/article/top-10-european-moments-celtic-fc|archive-date=5 March 2016|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}
Carroll signed for St Mirren in 1963 remaining there until 1965. In the league he made 55 appearances and scored 19 goals. He then joined Dundee United, scoring on his debut against Celtic against Celtic on 14 August 1965. After 6 appearances he soon dropped out of first team contention but spent two seasons at the club, playing over 50 times for the reserves. He was released in April 1967.{{cite book|last1=Gracie|first1=Steve|title=The Rise of the Terrors: Dundee United FC, a Comprehensive History 1945-1979|date=2009|publisher=Arabest Publishing|location=Dundee|isbn=9780955834110|page=303}} He joined Coleraine in Northern Ireland, then later in season 1967-68 also played for Queen of the South. In his 12 league appearances for Queens he scored 6 goals. He then left senior football by returning to Irvine Meadow.
Carroll died on 11 May 2016, two days before what would have been his 78th birthday.{{cite web|url=http://www.celticfc.net/news/10492|title=Death of former Celt, Bobby Carroll |publisher=Celtic FC |date=11 May 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11787/10277583/bobby-carroll-the-scorer-of-celtics-first-european-goal-dies-aged-77 |title=Bobby Carroll, the scorer of Celtic's first European goal, dies aged 77|work=Sky Sports|date=11 May 2016|accessdate=11 May 2016}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.fitbastats.com/celtic/player.php?playerid=2644 Celtic statistics on fitbastats.com]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20160617074820/http://www.dufcarchive.co.uk/player.php?id=183 Dundee United bio on dufcarchive.co.uk]
- {{NeilBrownPlayers|player11/bobbycarroll.htm}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carroll, Bobby}}
Category:Footballers from Glasgow
Category:Scottish men's footballers
Category:St Mirren F.C. players
Category:Dundee United F.C. players
Category:Coleraine F.C. players
Category:Queen of the South F.C. players
Category:Scottish Football League players
Category:Place of death missing
Category:Irvine Meadow XI F.C. players
Category:Scottish Junior Football Association players
Category:Scottish Football League representative players