SIXTY-FIVE years ago today, one of the select few who could justifiably lay claim to the title of Celtic’s greatest ever player, died. Patsy Gallacher was described by Celtic great Jimmy McGrory as being of a higher class than any Celtic player he had ever seen, saying that “even Jimmy Johnstone, with all his talents, never reached the Gallacher heights."

‘The Mighty Atom’ – so called because of his diminutive stature and slight frame – confounded his physical limitations to score 192 goals in 464 games for Celtic in a 15-year career with the club, before he was ‘retired’ by the board after a spell out with injury without his prior knowledge. A further six years sterling service at the top level for Falkirk made a mockery of the notion that he was in any way finished, but even though the manner of his departure left a bitter taste, there was no doubting the lasting legacy that Gallacher left in his wake among Celtic supporters.

Gallacher was 62 when he passed away of cancer in 1953, and he had retired from football some 23 years previously. Therefore, his feats on the field of play, lamentably, were not preserved on film as even Johnstone’s or Henrik Larsson’s were, for supporters to marvel over time and again.

His legacy has been kept alive through word of mouth, with tales of his derring-do – such as his most famous moment, somersaulting the ball into the net in the 1925 Scottish Cup final against Dundee - passed down through the generations. There was no greater breeding ground for the Gallacher legend than The Clyde Vaults, the Bridgeton hostelry owned by Patsy’s son Willie, who also played professionally. It is where his own son, Kevin, would soak in tales about his famous relative, and dream of emulating him one day by forging a top-level career in football.

He did follow in those formidable footsteps, although not quite down the same path that may have been expected. Still, a winning goal for Dundee United against Barcelona, a glittering career at the top of English football and 53 caps for Scotland and a place in the hall of fame wasn’t a bad return either.

“I was brought up on tales of my grandad,” said Gallacher. “My dad had a bar and you would hear all the stories about him. Myths grow around footballers, but in my grandad’s case, the goal he scored in that game with the somersault into the net actually happened.

“I never met him, so it was strange for me. You were detached from him in a way, but you were linked with him and the career he had. It can be difficult to try and break out of that shadow, particularly in Scotland where he was so famous and was revered when I was a young kid. I remember any time I was written about in the paper, the headline was ‘grandson of the legendary Patsy’.

"I’m not saying it was a bad thing to be associated with him, but it made me really determined from a young age to make a name for myself, and to create my own headlines.”

For as long as he was in Scotland, that was always going to prove difficult. His dad had always been known as Patsy’s son, and he in turn was known as Patsy’s grandson. Even Patsy himself knew that his shadow would loom large over those who came after him, and Kevin heeded his advice passed down through the generations.

“My grandad had told the boys in the family not to go to Celtic, because they would never be judged on their own merits,” he said.

“Celtic wanted me from when I was about 13 until I was about 26 or 27. I had numerous opportunities to go there, but never did. It seemed to be that going to Celtic was the path that was laid out for me, and in hindsight, I would have loved to play there.

“When I was at Dundee United, there was no way that Jim McLean was going to sell me to Celtic though. Eventually I went to Coventry City, and people presumed that the plan was to come back up the road to Celtic quite quickly, the same way that Richard Gough had when he went to Spurs from United and bounced back up the road to Rangers.

“But when I got down to England it was really like a clean slate. Nobody knew who I was, and hardly anyone seemed to know who Patsy Gallacher was. They never looked into my background, so I had the chance to show everyone what I was all about on my own terms.

“The only time anything was brought up about my family in England was at Newcastle, when everyone thought I was the grandson of Hughie Gallagher! I wanted to achieve things and make my own name away from the Old Firm, and hopefully I managed to do that.”

Patsy Gallacher was actually born in Donegal before moving to Clydebank at the age of three, and he earned 11 caps for Northern Ireland as well as one for the Irish Free State. There was never any chance of grandson Kevin turning out for the country of Patsy’s birth though, and his long and illustrious Scotland career helped define him as a player in his own right.

“Playing for my country was the biggest honour,” he said. “I had wanted to play for Scotland ever since I was a young boy, and to get so many caps was just incredible.

“There was never any interest from Ireland as far as I knew, and I wouldn’t have been interested in any case. I was born in Scotland and felt Scottish. I actually never even thought about it until I saw the likes of Tony Cascarino getting capped by them! Ray Houghton too had the same background as me, being a Scottish boy from an Irish family, but there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to play for Scotland.”

So, will the next generation of Gallacher’s be spurred on by the achievements of Kevin himself?

“I’ve never really thought about any sort of legacy that I have left in the family, but I suppose it would be nice to think that some of the younger members of the family might be inspired by what I achieved,” he said.

“We also had my two uncles who played professionally, and we are relate to the Divers [John senior and junior, who both played for Celtic] as well, so there must be something in the genes!

“The latest one to take that on is my niece Amy, who is with Hibs ladies at the moment, so the family name is continuing in the game.”