Charlie McEleny

Charlie McEleny

Personal information
Full name	Charles Richard McEleny
Date of birth	(1873-03-03)3 March 1873
Place of birth	Raymoghy, County Donegal, Ireland
Date of death
Position(s)	Centre half
Youth career
	Greenock Volunteers
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
	Abercorn
1893–1895	Celtic
1895–1896	Burnley	15	(1)
1896–1898	Celtic
1898–1899	New Brighton Tower	31	(0)
1899–1900	Aston Villa	1	(0)
1900–1901	Swindon Town	29	(1)
	Brentford
	Greenock Morton
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Charles Richard "Charlie" McEleny (3 March 1873 – 1 August 1908) was an Irish professional footballer who mostly played as a centre half.

Football career

Born in Raymoghy, County Donegal, McEleny moved to Glasgow where he first played for Greenock Volunteers before joining Abercorn. He signed for Celtic in November 1893 and played his first match on 4 November in a 3–1 league victory against Dundee at Parkhead. McEleny was a strong and powerful centre half and established himself as a first team regular. Charlie was the first ever Irish player to play for Glasgow Celtic.

In November 1895 he signed for English side Burnley where he made fifteen Football League appearances, before returning to Celtic in May 1896. Playing only a year he moved south again to play for New Brighton Tower. In his two spells at Celtic, McEleny played 34 games and scored once.

In May 1899, McEleny signed for Aston Villa where he played as a midfielder in his solitary first team appearance before leaving Villa in May 1900.

He then joined Swindon Town of the Southern League where he made a total of 48 appearances, scoring twice. He then had a spell at Brentford before returning to Scotland with Greenock Morton.

Later career and death

On quitting football he worked as a painter/decorator.

McEleny died on 1 August 1908 aged 35 at Smithston Poorhouse and Asylum, Greenock.