This is a man who was fighting a battle inside his own head, who has since found his sense of self-worth by working in the care sector rather than up and down the flank of a football pitch. In 2012 Mr Keane became Honorary Chairman of the historic Celtic Football & Athletic Club board which handles relations with supporters and of which he was a long-standing member. It is from this role that he resigned from today. It has been an honour and privilege to be part of Celtic, a Club I have loved so dearly all my life. I would like to thank Dermot Desmond, Ian Bankier and Peter Lawwell and all other directors, past and present, who have worked together and so tirelessly in the best interests of the Club. He describes himself as "on the spectrum" - a diagnosis long suspected but only recently made. It manifested itself in little tics - a twitch here, a stretch there. Sometimes it would consume all of his energy. It is a story which not enough people knew and last year, the Celtic board decided that recognition was long overdue.

All in all, not a bad read and the descriptions of some of Celtic's leaner years during the terrible 9 in a row run by gers are really interesting. The guy has had a tumultuous life and done some dodgy things with his crew but still seems a really genuine supporter. He looks forward to the event with a little trepidation: “I love the club. I have supported it and nothing will change me from that. This is a great honour. I hope I don’t trip and that they don’t boo me too much!” Kevin Kelly had a straightforward question for John Keane: could he help the club out of this dire predicament? John, who had forged a successful business career over the previous 40 years and was already a Celtic shareholder, did not have to think twice. I love the club. I have supported it and nothing will change me from that. This is a great honour. I hope I don’t trip and that they don’t boo me too much!”While that appearance against Aston Villa went well, making an impact off the bench, a Champions League start against Rotor Volgograd proved more challenging. Although he has done some scouting for United, the club he still supports, there is no great appetite to throw himself into coaching.

Riotous scenes broke out outside of the stadium, as the Capital City Service sought revenge on the away support. The vast majority of the Celtic contingent had not supported what had happened, but ultimately became victims in the crossfire of a brawl on Easter Road. O'Kane was a member of United's FA Youth Cup winning side in 1991–92. On the introduction of squad numbers in the FA Premier League for the 1993–94 season, he was issued with the number 30 shirt, and then with the number 24 shirt from the start of the 1996–97 season. He had a brief loan spell at Wimbledon in 1995, featuring in their makeshift squad for the 1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup along with fellow United players Michael Appleton and Graeme Tomlinson. [2] O'Kane played in the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup for Manchester United. That Celtic are as strong as they are today has been a long hard road. Many have invested time energy, money and emotion in growing Celtic from new beginnings in 1994. I've been there for 90 per cent of the Ramor season,” explains former Queen's University mentor O'Kane. But before jumping to conclusions about his character, consider how he has spent his days since - helping vulnerable children.

It was a truly fitting tribute, and he is one man who deserves more than just a footnote in the retrospectives of the club on that turbulent time in the early 1990s. The care sector, you have got to really want to do it. If you don't want to do it, you will hate it because this work is not for the faint-hearted. Reigning county champions Ramor are one of four clubs – Castlerahan, Killinkere and Lavey are the others – within a five-mile radius of his home. He started his career with Manchester United but failed to break into the first team, and after loan spells with Wimbledon, Bury, Wrexham and Bradford City, [1] he made a permanent move to Everton in January 1998. There he found first-team opportunities easier to come by, but a change of manager at the end of the 1997–98 season meant he fell out of favour again and was sent on loan to Burnley at the start of the 1998–99 season. He went on loan again to Bolton Wanderers at the start of 1999–2000, a move that was made permanent a month later. From his first days in Scotland, he became a regular at Celtic Park, developing a deep affinity with the club.

A man always with the best interests of Celtic at heart, across more than two decades, he has provided invaluable support and counsel to the Club. As Celtic supporters, we all owe John an enormous debt of gratitude for everything he has done for the Club, in protecting our continuity, in preserving our history and ultimately in bringing Celtic to where it stands today. You have to be like a robot, basically. You have to eat, sleep and breathe football. I just was not one of those characters. It was not in my make up to be that robot. WHEN John Keane, the Honorary Chairman of Celtic Football and Athletic Club, unfurls the League Championship flag at Celtic Park on Saturday afternoon, he deserves an ovation to match the contribution he has made to the history, success and – above all – continuity of Celtic Football Club. John is a native of Doohoma on the Mayo coast. His mother was from Crown Street in the Gorbals and his father met her when he came to Scotland as an agricultural worker. He made such a wonderful contribution to Celtic in the 1990s - ultimately a gesture which saved Celtic – and ever since has been a hugely important part of the Club’s fabric.

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I played five games in the middle of the league but I haven't played in any of the group championship games because of injury,” O'Kane explained.

Ferguson was as supportive as he could be. There were regular chats in his office. "He had an aura about him but he was approachable. I did not give him a choice, to be fair. I used to go and see him three or four times a week."It was another thing that I had to deal with on the pitch, an involuntary movement, a habit. I had these mad thoughts in my head all the time. It was not just the football, it was the brain." They were held to a replay by Mullahoran at the quarter-final stage but won the replay convincingly and now take on a Killygarry side that accounted for Kingscourt Stars in a thrilling last eight encounter. As a further measure of the gratitude of the club, this unsung hero was rewarded with the honour of raising the league title flag in 2013 at Celtic’s 2-1 victory over Ross County which allowed the general support to show their appreciation. O'Kane has been diagnosed as autistic [5] and has worked in the care sector. He has a book out called "Bursting The Bubble-Autism and Me" - Publisher: Empire Publications Ltd ISBN 9781909360860.