Christopher "Chris" Morris - professional footballer who played for Scotland’s Celtic, played for the Republic of Ireland against England, now a businessman in Cornwall’s pasty industry

Christopher "Chris" Morris was born 24 December 1963 in Newquay, Cornwall.

He is a former professional footballer who made his name as a defender with Celtic in Scotland and Sheffield Wednesday & Middlesbrough in England, among others. Chris also had a successful playing career with the Republic of Ireland national side during the Jack Charlton era.

Chris first began his career in 1982, signing for Wednesday under ex-England international, Jack Charlton, in the old Division Two. He won promotion to the First Division with Wednesday in 1984. He made seventy-four appearances between 1983 and 1987, scoring one goal along the way. He then moved north of the border to Celtic, signing for £125,000 on 10 August 1987.

He made his debut in the 4-0 win over Morton, at age 23. Between 1987 and 1992, He was the regular right-back for the Bhoys, with 160 appearances and 8 goals to his name. He then moved on to Middlesbrough on 14 August 1992, where he remained for several seasons as a first team regular without ever becoming a crowd favourite. Troubled by an anterior cruciate ligament injury, he retired at the end of the 1996-97 season, when Boro were runners-up in the FA Cup and Football League Cup, but a 3-point deduction for postponing a match at short notice had caused them to be relegated from the Premier League.

In 1988, Chris once again caught the attention of Jack Charlton, who by then was the Republic of Ireland boss. Chris, although born in Britain, held dual British and Irish citizenship since birth due to being the son of an Irish mother. He was called up to play for Ireland and made a promising debut in the 5-0 friendly win against Israel at Dalymount Park on 10 November 1987.

He soon made the number 2 shirt his own, and played his part in the successful qualification bid for Euro, the Republic's first ever major tournament. He played in all three games of the championships, including the famous 1-0 win over England. Although the Republic were eliminated following a late goal by Wim Kieft in their final group game against Holland, Morris became a household name in Ireland, along with the rest of the team, who were greeted as heroes on their return home. He continued in the side that qualified for World Cup 1990 in Italy, another major first for the Republic. He played in every game. This time it was a goal from Salvatore Schillaci of Italy that saw Ireland off in the quarter finals, but it was another high-point for the team, and for Morris. Ireland failed to qualify for the next European Championships in 1992, and Morris played his final game against Wales on 17 November 1992.

After leaving football, Chris came home to Cornwall to work for the family business Morris Cornish Pasties, which his parents have run since 1971. He also coaches Bodmin College football team, who were crowned east Cornwall champions in Chris’s first season with them.

This article has been kindly provided by Kernow Matters to Us and is the fifteenth in a series on Famous Folk of Kernow (Cornwall).