PADDY McCOURT – known as ‘The Derry Pele’ to his admirers – realised a life’s ambition when he signed for Celtic on June 19 2008.
Hoops boss Gordon Strachan paid £200,000 for the maverick winger or midfielder who, at the age of 18, had kicked off his senior career at English Third Division club Rochdale seven years earlier.
McCourt was freed in February 2005 and moved to League of Ireland team Shamrock Rovers a month later before joining his hometown club Derry City in a £60,000 deal the same year.
West Brom, newly promoted to the top flight, were in pole position to sign McCourt in the summer of 2008 after agreeing a fee with his club. However, no agreement was signed and the Hoops were alerted to the fact the player was eager to move to Parkhead.
ON THE BALL…Paddy McCourt in action during one of his 88 appearances for Celtic.
Strachan made the dream come true and the talented forward spent five years at Celtic and won four honours, including two titles.
McCourt made his competitive debut for Celtic on October 25 2008 in a 4–2 win over Hibs in his debut season and scored his first goal against Falkirk in a 4-0 League Cup victory at Brockville on September 23 2009.
Unfortunately, the mesmerising, snake-hipped performer became known as the scorer of great goals rather than a great goalscorer and only nine more strikes were added to his tally during his time in the east end of Glasgow.
His 88th and final appearance for the club came as a late substitute in the Hoops’ 3-0 win over Hibs in the Scottish Cup showpiece at Hampden in May 2013.
McCourt then signed a one-year contract at Barnsley. The club were relegated at the end of his debut campaign and once again the Northern Irishman, who scored two goals in his 18 international appearances, was looking for a new club.
He signed another one-year deal, this time with Brighton, but rarely featured and was loaned to Notts County for the final third of the season.
HOOP HOOP HOORAY…Paddy McCourt celebrates one of his 10 Celtic goals.
McCourt left Brighton and agreed a two-year contract with League Two outfit Luton Town in July 2015. He was released by mutual consent halfway through to enable him to return to Northern Ireland, where he penned a one-year contract at Glenavon.
He left in December 2016 and three months later joined League of Ireland side Finn Harps. He retired from playing in the summer of 2018, a decade after joining his boyhood heroes Celtic.
Two years later, McCourt was appointed technical director of Derry City and remained in the position for four years.
In June 2024, he took over the assistant manager’s role at Glentoran.
Former Celtic boss Strachan once claimed McCourt was “as gifted a footballer as I have ever seen.”
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