Amidst the news of a call-up for the upcoming Nations League matches, to the Northern Ireland squad, for Mansfield Town goalkeeper Christy Pym, we take a look at the career of a former Stag who, during the 1980s, not only appeared for them, but created a unique piece of footballing history – Belfast-born defender, John McClelland.
Now approaching his seventieth birthday, McLelland was born in early December 1955, his was a career that would see many highs as he became one of perhaps a select few footballers to have played the beautiful game in every country in the United Kingdom.
His began in Portadown, before crossing the Irish Sea, to Wales, enjoying spells with both Cardiff City, and Bangor City, in the mid-seventies; as a centre-half he was soon getting noticed, moving from North Wales, to the East Midlands, in the latter part of that decade.
MANSFIELD TOWN
It was then he signed for Mansfield Town, then in the latter stages of Peter Morris’ spell at the helm; in fact, during McClelland’s three seasons with the Stags, he would play under three managers – Peter Morris, Billy Bingham, and Mick Jones.
During that period the Stags spent the first two seasons in the old Division Three, before being relegated to Division Four for his last season, when they finished in seventh place, some nineteen points off champions Southend United.
Irrespective of manager, McClelland would be one of the first names on the team sheet, helping his club reach the semi-finals of the Anglo-Scottish Cup in his first season, going on to make near 150 appearances overall, scoring 11 times along the way.
Those three seasons in the lower echelons of the English game did little to stem the attention coming his way and soon enough, he’d be on the move, this time north o’ the border, to Glasgow.
GLASGOW RANGERS
Rangers were said to have paid around £90,000 for the Irishman’s service, in the June of ’81, their legendary former player-turned-manager, John Grieg, being at the helm at the time.
Whilst in Scotland, and although the blue half of Glasgow didn’t come near winning the league title, there was success in the cup competitions, twice winning the Scottish League Cup, captaining the side to a famous win over arch-rivals Celtic, 3-2 aet, in the 1984 final.
A couple of famous players scored that day, Rangers legend Ally McCoist helping himself to a hat-trick, netting the winner in the 104th minute; but Celtic weren’t the only rivals of McClelland’s Rangers at this time.
Reaching the final of the Scottish Cup, in consecutive seasons, Rangers would proceed to lose both the 1982, and 1983 finals, to Aberdeen, then managed by a certain Alex Ferguson, the first of which being a 4-1 dismantling (aet), a game which would see a handful of Scottish legends on the scoresheet for the victors – Alex McLeish (went on to have a spell managing Nottingham Forest), Mark McGhee, and Gordon Strachan.
BACK TO ENGLAND, THEN SCOTLAND AGAIN
Lured back to England in the mid-eighties, McClelland would see out the decade, on the main, in the English capital, at Watford, before being enticed North to be a part of a Yorkshire Revolution, at Leeds United and, although he’d have brief loan spells with Watford, and Notts County, his spell at Elland Road would see him part of the squads that won the old Second Division championship in 1990, the old First Division in 1992, and the FA Charity Shield.
A return to Scotland again followed, McClelland taking up a player-manager position with St. Johnstone, leading them to victory in the Forfarshire Cup in 1993, 4-1 versus Montrose, in his only season there.
The yo-yo continued for McClelland for, after his brief sojourn back in Scotland, he returned home for a little while, turning out for Carrick Rangers, before finishing off hi splaying career during the mid-nineties with spells at Wycombe Wanderers, Yeovil Town, and finally, at Darlington.
NORTHERN IRELAND INTERNATIONAL
The Belfast-born centre-half had a distinguished international career, earing 53 caps for his country, and going on to captain them also, ranking tenth on the all-time appearance list of captains with 17 to his name.
He’d make his international bow whilst at Mansfield, being capped around half-a-dozen times for his country prior to the move to Scotland, his stock continuing to rise; the international debut, that would come as a substitute in the win over Scotland, on 17 May 1980, in a Home Championship match.
McClelland would be part of the Northern Ireland squads that would appear at the 1982 (Spain) and 1986 (Mexico) World Cup finals, making five appearances in the former of those against Yugoslavia, Honduras, Spain, Austria, and France.
His only goal for his country came in a qualifying match for the 1984 Euros, netting in the 2-1 win over Turkey, in Belfast, in March ’83, before becoming captain of his country following their exit at the ’86 World Cup, doing so until his retirement in 1990.
The final appearance for the former Mansfield centre-half would be in late March 1990, in a friendly against Norway, McClelland certainly having done his bit for both club(s), and country.
Not only does he have the distinction of having played in all four countries in the United Kingdom, he had, by the time of his retirement, played in every tier of English football.
*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).
*Main image @mansfieldtownfc Ex-Stag John McLelland on Northern Ireland duty.