Kilmarnock Provan began his senior career at
Kilmarnock in 1974, having signed from
Junior club
Port Glasgow. In his four years at
Rugby Park, A
Winger, Provan's skill and prowess in crossing at pace saw him make 139 appearances at Kilmarnock, scoring 10 goals in total. Provan played an integral part in two of Kilmarnock's three promotion achieving seasons in the 1970s (1973/74, 1975/76), and played at the start of their third, 1978/79. In 1978 Provan played for the
Scottish League Select in a match against their Italian counterparts in Verona. This was the first time that a club from a lower division had knocked out the holders of the Scottish Cup. He grew up supporting
Rangers and his teammates would joke about this while he played for Celtic. Provan quickly established himself in McNeill's revamped Celtic side, scoring his first goal against
Hibernian at Easter Road on 18 November 1978. In May 1979 Provan won his first major winner's medal as Celtic clinched the
Premier Division by defeating
Rangers 4–2 in the last game of the league season. The following year Provan was voted
SPFA Player of the Year by his fellow professionals. Provan was proving to be a huge success at Celtic and his distinctive long curly hair, jersey hanging over his shorts and socks down at his ankles made him - visually alone - a standout figure on the field of play in Scotland. Provan went on to win a further three League championships with Celtic (1980–81, 1981–82 and 1985–86), along with one
Scottish League Cup (1982) and two
Scottish Cups (1980 and
1985). The latter Scottish Cup saw Provan write himself into football history, becoming only the third player at that time to score direct from a free kick in a Scottish Cup final. Celtic had been a goal down to
Dundee United at the time, and following Provan's equaliser went on to win 2–1. The start of season 1985–86 saw Provan in exceptional form for Celtic, resulting in intense media speculation that a recall to the Scotland international side was on the cards. However, Provan had to be substituted during a 3–0
Old Firm defeat at
Ibrox in November due to illness. This turned out to be M.E. -
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis - a long-term condition that leaves the sufferer extremely lethargic and unable to perform much in the way of physical activity. Provan made several attempts at rehabilitation but eventually made the decision in the summer of 1987 to retire from playing football. His last game was coming on as a substitute against
Motherwell in January 1986. A testimonial was arranged for Provan, and in November 1987 Celtic played
Nottingham Forest in front of 42,000 fans, losing 3–1.
Kenny Dalglish made a guest appearance for Celtic, with Provan playing for the first eight minutes.
Scotland Provan's success at Celtic saw him capped for
Scotland 10 times. He made his debut against
Belgium in November 1979, scored against
Israel in a 3–1 win at
Hampden in a
1982 World Cup qualifier, and was part of
Jock Stein's 22-man squad for the
1982 World Cup finals in
Spain although he did not actually play.
John Robertson (Nottingham Forest),
Davie Cooper (Rangers) and
Peter Weir (Aberdeen) competed with Provan for an international place. ==Media work==