Born:30 May 1965

Birthplace: Oswestry, Shropshire, England
Signed: 16 June 1989
Left: 31 May 1996
Position: Midfield/Defender
First game: Hearts away 3-1 League 12 August 1989
Last game: Hearts away 0-1 League 15 October 1994
First goal: Dunfermline Athletic home 1-0 League 19 August 1989
Last goal: Dundee United away 3-2 League 27 March 1993
Internationals: Scotland
International Caps: 1 Cap
International Goals: 0 Goals

Biog

Midfielder Mike Galloway, a lifelong Celtic fan, was tempted to Parkhead in June 1989 from Hearts for a fee of £500,000.

A hard-tackling and aggressive ball winner the red-haired Galloway was actually a former Rangers trainee who had started his senior career with Berwick and after spells at Mansfield Town and Halifax - where he played at centre-half - he moved to Tynecastle in the autumn of 1987 for £60,000.

A bargain buy in the eyes of many, Galloway’s versatility, he was used in defence, midfield and attack, coupled with his combative performances were a key reason why the Edinburgh side were able to push Celtic all the way during the Centenary 1987/88 season. Galloway gained a reputation for scoring important and often spectacular goals against Celtic and Rangers and also on the European stage.

So after Celtic’s capitulation the following season Bhoys boss Billy McNeill turned to Galloway to add steel to his side and Mike would make his competitive debut in a 3-1 win at old club Hearts on August 12th. His initial performances were promising and he scored a spectacular winner against Dunfermline later that month. Surprisingly, Billy McNeill chose to play Mike in a wide midfield role and it was clear that he was uncomfortable there and preferred a central role.

By 1991 he was available for transfer but the arrival of Liam Brady changed that and Mike became a firm favourite at centre back or central midfield. He scored a spectacular goal in Belguim against Ekeren in the UEFA cup and followed that up with an even better long range effort in the 4-1 thrashing of Dundee United on October 19th 1991. His form was so impressive at this stage that he was capped by Scotland in Sofia against Bulgaria in November 1991.

Mike suffered for his versatility and was played in every defensive position, in midfield and even in attack. On January 2nd 1990 he was a surprise pick at centre forward against Rangers at Parkhead and it did not come off as Celts went down 1-0. He was prone to defensive errors, none more so than in the League Cup semi final of September 1993 when he lost possession to Ian Durrant on the bye line which led to an easy Rangers goal.

However, his aggressive whole hearted attitude was appreciated by the fans and in October 1992 he fired home a 35 yard winner at Dens Park against Dundee. On his game Mike was a solid midfield enforcer but at other times his slackness could be costly and as managers came and went at Parkhead a lack of discipline off the field saw Galloway lambasted by boss Lou Macari over missed training sessions.

When Tommy Burns took over in 1994 Mike played well in the 2-0 win at Ibrox in August against Rangers but he soon lost his place and in March he was loaned to Leicester City. Sadly serious injuries sustained in a car crash would end his football career pre-maturely. He was awarded a Benefit game in 1996 by Celtic when a Celtic team played a team of former Celtic players, including the legendary Kenny Dalglish and a 24,000 crowd gave provided a considerable fund to assist him.

But the premature end of his career was a bitter blow for the player and in later years Mike faced many personal problems including a battle with alcoholism. The Celtic support hoped for this whole-hearted player to return to full health, and and wish him all the best.

Playing Career

Club	From	To	Fee	League		Scottish/FA Cup		League cup		Other
Leicester	03/02/1995	04/05/2003	Loan	4 (1)	0	1 (0)	0	0 (0)	0	0 (0)	0
Celtic	16/06/1989	31/05/1996	£ 500,000	103 (22)	8	7 (4)	0	13 (2)	0	9 (2)	0
Hearts	18/11/1987	16/06/1989	£ 60,000	52 (4)	8	6 (0)	1	3 (0)	0	8 (0)	5
Halifax	21/02/1986	18/11/1987	Signed	79 (0)	5	3 (0)	0	4 (0)	0	4 (0)	0
Mansfield	08/09/1983	21/02/1986	Signed	39 (15)	3	1 (0)	0	1 (1)	0	1 (0)	0
Totals			£560,000	277 (42)	24	18 (4)	1	21 (3)	0	22 (2)	5
			goals / game	0.07		0.04		0		0.2
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals

Honours with Celtic

none

Pictures

• Player Pics
  

Links

• Benefit game
• Twitter: @mikeymaddog1