 Buckley made his first and, it would transpire, only, first-team appearance against Arbroath in a 4–1 Scottish League Cup win at Celtic Park in September 1982.After a period of understudying Davie Provan at Celtic, Buckley went on loan to Partick Thistle in March 1983.Buckley's speed and crossing ability quickly made him a crowd favourite at Firhill, as Peter Cormack's team competed for promotion to the Scottish Premier Division.