PATSY CORCORAN

Full Name: Patrick Corcoran (also known as Paddy)

Born: 16 June 1893

Came from: Bathgate   Went to: Torquay United

First game: 06 November 1920   Last game: 26 December 1925

Appearances: 198 (198/0)   Goals: 26

Corcoran was said to be a tough outside-right who "was afraid of no one". He started his career with Bellshill Athletic in 1904 before moving to Mossend Hibernian and then to Clyde in 1912. The following year he moved to Ireland with Shelbourne before returning to Clyde.

He then had a series of loan spells from Clyde, firstly to Royal Albert in May 1916. Three months later he moved the short distance to Hamilton Academical and then had spells with Renton, Albion Rovers, Celtic and once again at Royal Albert. Leaving Clyde, Corcoran returned to Accies in September 1919 for a full season at Douglas Park. In total he made 43 appearances and scored ten times for Hamilton before moving to Bathgate.

It was from Bathgate that he moved south to join the Pilgrims in late 1920, blossoming into a quality winger with Argyle, despite being very tall for the position and lacking pace. However, he did possess excellent ball control and wasn't afraid to shoot from all angles. Whilst at Argyle he was chosen for the Anglo Scots versus the Home Scots International trial match along with his team-mate, Fred Craig.

In the summer of 1924, whilst Argyle were touring South America, Corcoran was nominated to 'miss' a penalty against Boca Juniors, whose fans had already invaded the pitch when they had gone 1-0 up. However he was ushered aside by the competitive Moses Russell, who promptly dispatched the penalty; the pitch was duly invaded again and the game abandoned at 1-1.

In early January 1926 Corcoran was rushed to a nursing home, suffering from appendicitis. He spent two months recovering from an operation, and although he played for the Reserves in the March, the previous Christmas fixtures proved to be his last in the first team. That summer, after five and a half seasons at Home Park, Corcoran left the club, although his destination is unclear. One source suggests he moved to Torquay, but there is no newspaper evidence to back that up. However, in October 1926 he did sign for Luton Town before returning to Scotland to rejoin Bathgate and then a final move to East Stirling in 1927, at the age of 34.

Footnote: written with help from www.acciesmemorybank.co.uk.