Richard Scott Beattie (24 October 1936 – 15 August 1990) was a Scottish professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who played as a
goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
in both the Scottish and English football leagues. A
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
under-23 international, who appeared in three major finals with Celtic in his early career, he was later imprisoned after being found guilty of involvement in the British betting scandal of 1964, and banned from football for life, aged 27.
Career
Beattie signed for Celtic in September 1954, however he spent the 1954–55 season playing at
Junior
Junior or Juniors may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959
* ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009
* ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010
* ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019
Films
* ''Junior'' (1994 ...
level for Duntocher Hibernian. His spell at Duntocher was a successful one with the club reaching the final of the
Scottish Junior Cup
The Scottish Junior Cup is an annual football competition organised by the Scottish Junior Football Association. The competition has been held every year since the inception of the SJFA in 1886 and, as of the 2022–23 edition, 108 teams compet ...
in 1955, losing to Kilsyth Rangers after a replay and Beattie was also capped for the Scotland Junior international side.
His competitive debut for Celtic came on 3 September 1955 in a
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...
tie against Falkirk and this first season would end with a maiden Senior final appearance, Celtic losing 3–1 to Hearts in the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Partick Thistle after a replay in the 1956 Scottish League Cup Final earned him his first winners medal. The following season saw a career highlight as Celtic defeated city rivals Rangers, 7–1 in the
1957 Scottish League Cup Final
The 1957 Scottish League Cup Final was the final of the 1957–58 Scottish League Cup. The football match was played on 19 October 1957 at Hampden Park, in which Celtic beat rivals Rangers in a record 7–1 victory. The final was nicknamed "Ham ...
.
In August 1959, Beattie moved to England, joining
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
of the
Football League Second Division
The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third t ...
. A fan of horse-racing, he often wore a jockey's cap. Pompey were relegated at the end of the 1960–61 season while in that year's
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
, Beattie was involved in a controversial incident when a bad mistake in a third round tie against
Peterborough United
Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...
gifted the opponents the lead. He went on to sign for Peterborough in 1962 however after only 10 games, including another controversially error strewn performance in a league match versus
QPR
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football, football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home ...
, Beattie returned to Scotland and joined St Mirren in January 1963.
Dick Beattie established himself as the first choice keeper at
Love Street
"Love Street" is a song performed by the American rock band the Doors. Sequenced as the second album track on '' Waiting for the Sun'', its lyrics were written by lead singer Jim Morrison and as with other songs, it was dedicated to his girlfrien ...
but in April 1964, a story broke in the '' Sunday People'' newspaper which would end his career, exposing a match fixing operation which became known as the British betting scandal of 1964. The ringleader, a fellow Scotsman and former professional footballer Jimmy Gauld, sold his story and his taped evidence incriminated himself, Beattie and eight other players. At the trial in
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...
, Beattie received a nine-month prison sentence and was subsequently banned from football for life. On release from prison, he began a new life working in the shipyards.TheCelticWiki /ref>
While awaiting trial, and having been released by Saint Mirren, Beattie would make a single appearance for
Brechin City
Brechin City Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the townDespite the name of the football club, Brechin is not an official city. Brechin was historically known as a city because it has a cathedral. of Brechin in Angus. The club ...
in a Scottish League Cup match against
Alloa Athletic
Alloa Athletic Football Club is a Scottish association football semi-professional club based in the town of Alloa, Clackmannanshire.
Formed as Alloa in 1880, the football club shortly changed its name to Alloa Association, and then to Alloa Ath ...
on 15 August 1964. This would be his final appearance in senior football.
Playing honours
Celtic
*
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...