Celtic great McBride dies

Former Celtic and Scotland international forward Joe McBride has died at the age of 74.

McBride, who missed out on Celtic’s European Cup final win in 1967 through injury, died at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary on Wednesday after suffering a suspected stroke.

Playing most of his career in the Scottish top flight, McBride was a prolific goalscorer, averaging better than a goal every other game for Motherwell, Celtic and Hibernian.

Following the news, McBride’s former Celtic team-mate Tommy Gemmell told The Herald: “This has come as a terrible shock. Joe was a great lad and we had some great moments together.

“He was a real Celtic great who could so easily have been a player in the team that won the European Cup in 1967.

“It was easy to see why the Celtic supporters took to him. He was one of their own and a real man’s man in the dressing room and out on the pitch.”

McBride, who was born in Govan, also had a spell in England early on in his career with Luton before he returned to Scotland, eventually ending his playing career at Clyde.