Woods says Torbett exercised tremendous power over the boys. He could decide their future as players or rejects – a position he cynically exploited. "I was frightened to say anything to Torbett because the dream of playing for Celtic was still there, even though here I was all of a sudden in this nightmare. He could put the fear of God into you. I went home that evening and never said a word to anyone about it. When I went along to the next training session, Torbett acted as if nothing had happened at all."

Celtic Boys Club was at the time regarded as the elite youth football side in Scotland, and a potential entry into life as a full-time professional for thousands of young players. But for more than two decades it was also a magnet for paedophiles. At least six men connected with the Celtic Boys Club have come under investigation for sexually assaulting boys between the late 1960s and the early 90s. Three of them have been convicted and have served prison sentences.

Now 21 of survivors are bringing a civil case against the club, which will be heard next year. The litigants include at least one prominent ex-Celtic player, and former professional players for other Scottish Premiership sides and Scotland's national team. They are seeking damages from the parent club, which they claim had "corporate responsibility" for child grooming, assaults and rape by men with longstanding connections to Celtic Park. The survivors and their families believe the leadership of the club knew about the abuse and did nothing about it. They also allege that Torbett was dismissed from the Boys Club in 1974 following accusations of abuse, but was allowed back into the club after four years, where he continued to work with young boys.

Celtic's official response is that none of this abuse was linked in any way with the parent club, and that the Boys Club was a separate legal entity. Survivors say this denial has added to their trauma and claim this is typical of the club's attitude: had the parent club listened to the voices of survivors from early on, the abusers' reign would not have lasted so long.

As a teenager, Gordon Woods ran away from home and spent decades living and working as far from Scotland as he could. He never spoke of the abuse he suffered. Now 65, he has built a life for himself in a small village in rural Aberdeenshire. Recently he found out that, after a particularly bad incident, his parents had become concerned and tried to raise the alarm about Torbett's behaviour.