JOHN THOMSON made his last save for Celtic 81 years ago today. We proudly proclaim his memory by re-publishing our tribute poem to a true club icon.
May He Rest In Peace …
The Bowhill Bhoy
(Celtic’s John)
My old dad avowed
(so, it must be true)
that a Bowhill bhoy,
hale at twenty-two …
who laid down his life
in a daring save
that propelled the lad
to an early grave …
was the best he ever saw.
In the pomp of youth,
strapping … in his prime,
he had talent raw,
in a gift sublime …
a courageous heart
with a reckless edge –
focus, power and grace
to the jersey pledged …
ne’er before or since surpassed.
Meteoric rise,
cruelly brief career –
tragic his demise,
swathed in grief sincere …
lasting legacy
to both kith and kin
as a treasured son
and a Hoops’ linchpin…
now, forever, Celtic’s John.
On the fateful day,
in a sick’ning crunch,
consummation sore
of a mother’s hunch …
terrors harboured deep
in a mammy’s heart,
lockfast tight in dread
of his headstrong art …
all unleashed that awful night.
Derby debut cursed
for a young, blond “Bear”.
Sam’s marauding power,
Johnny’s peerless flair …
thitherto unmatched,
thenceforth intertwined
in a dance of death –
to their fates consigned …
one to lore; one, living hell.
As the action froze
in a young mind’s eye,
one sharp, piercing scream
rent the Govan sky …
in a grisly trice
two young worlds caved in –
Celtic’s prince of gloves
and his ‘Micky Finn’ …
nascent destiny undone.
If you value life,
as you’ll surely do,
then, lament the loss
of a genius true …
humble son of Fife
noble, proud athlete
Johnny Thomson, dear –
Scotland’s gem forfeit …
Celtic’s Bowhill bhoy supreme.
