They played for Celtic – Dom Sullivan

When Dom Sullivan signed for Celtic from Aberdeen for a sizeable fee of £80,000 in October 1979, he was fulfilling a life long dream of playing for Celtic…

At 28 years of age, the right sided midfielder who hailed from the Gangard was an experienced footballer, having played nigh on 400 games combined for both Clyde and Aberdeen, and had been a part of the Dons side who won the 1977 League Cup.

Alex Ferguson didn’t want to sell Sullivan to Celtic 

Alex Ferguson was said to have wanted Dom to sign for Dundee United as opposed to Celtic. Indeed he had refused the players request to join his boyhood heroes, meaning Dom had to go to Dons chairman Dick Donald in a desperate bid to get the deal done.

Billy McNeill had been tracking Dom Sullivan for some time, and was also said to have been interested in Dom’s Pittodrie midfield teammate Gordon Strachan.

 First act as a Celtic player was selling Alex McDonald a dummy

However it was Dom who signed on the dotted line. He was thrown in at the deep end as he made his debut in an Old Firm clash at Celtic Park and endeared himself to the Celtic supporters straight away. Dom’s first act as a Celtic player was selling Rangers midfielder Alex McDonald a dummy, in a game that the Hoops recorded a 1-0 victory.

Despite a positive start to his Celtic career, Dom struggled with Injury for the majority of the 1979/80 campaign, which saw him limited to just 16 appearances in all competitions.

Dom Sullivan scored some very special goals for Celtic 

The following campaign was a different story for Dom however, as he played his part in the club’s title success, making 45 appearances in all competitions, scoring five goals, two of which where terrific 30 yard screamers as Cesar’s Celtic were crowned Champions of Scotland.

The following campaign was just as successful for both Dom and the club, as we retained the title with Dom making 40 appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals along the way.

A Celtic unsung hero 

Celtic had a talented side during that back to back title era of the early eighties, with terrific players such as Danny McGrain, Davie Provan, Tommy Burns, Charlie Nicholas, and Murdo MacLeod, bolstering the ranks, and whilst Dom wasn’t seen as important as his more famous teammates, he more than contributed to the club’s success. You could even say he was an unsung hero of sorts.

When the talented youngsters that was Paul McStay broke through the ranks, it signalled the beginning of the end of Dom’s Celtic career. So it was no surprise when David Hay took over from Billy McNeill in 1983, he handed Dom Sullivan a free transfer.

Dom went on to play for Morton, and Alloa before hanging up his boots in 1988, and can look back on his career with great pride, especially the 113 games and 15 goals he scored for his boyhood heroes, not to mention winning two league titles, a League Cup and Scottish Cup.

Just an Ordinary Bhoy

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