William "Willie" Cringan (21 April 1890 in Muirkirk

Muirkirk

Muirkirk is a small village in East Ayrshire, southwest Scotland. It is located on the north bank of the River Ayr, between Cumnock and Glenbuck on the A70...

, Ayrshire

Ayrshire

Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...

 – 12 May 1958) was a former Scottish

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 international footballer who played for Sunderland A.F.C.

Sunderland A.F.C.

Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...

, Ayr United

Ayr United F.C.

Ayr United Football Club are a Scottish association football team based in Ayr, South Ayrshire, that plays in the First Division of the Scottish Football League. Formed in 1910 after the merger of former clubs Ayr Parkhouse F.C. and Ayr F.C...

, Celtic

Celtic F.C.

Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...

, Third Lanark

Third Lanark A.C.

Third Lanark Athletic Club was a football club that originally existed between 1872 and 1967, 95 years in existence, based in Glasgow, Scotland. Third Lanark were known as Thirds, the Warriors, the Redcoats and the Hi Hi's...

 and Motherwell

Motherwell F.C.

Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...

.

Cringan, a centre half, started his senior career when he joined Sunderland from Douglas Water FC in 1910. After five and a half seasons on Wearside

Wearside

Wearside is an area of north east England, centred on the continuous urban area formed by Sunderland, Seaham and other settlements by the River Wear. Mackems is a nickname used for the people of Wearside....

 he returned to Scotland with Ayr United on a temporary transfer in January 1916. A year later he left the Black Cats on a permanent basis, signing for Celtic in a £600 transfer deal.

Cringan was appointed Celtic captain soon after his arrival, a position he held until 1923. During this time the club won the 1917

1916-17 in Scottish football

The 1916–17 season was the 27th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish League Division One:Champions: CelticNote: Due to increasing travel difficulties under war-time conditions, Aberdeen, Dundee and Raith Rovers were asked to retire from the League at the end of the season...

, 1919

1918-19 in Scottish football

The 1918–19 season was the 29th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish League Division One:Champions: Celtic-Scottish Cup:...

 and 1922

1921-22 in Scottish football

The 1921–22 season was the 32nd season of competitive football in Scotland. Division Two was reintroduced after having been abandoned due to World War I. Automatic promotion and relegation was introduced this season, as well as goal difference to divide teams who are level on points...

 League title

Scottish football champions

The Scottish football champions are the winners of the highest league in Scottish football, namely the Scottish Football League from 1890 until 1998 and the Scottish Premier League thereafter....

s. He eventually left the Parkhead

Celtic Park

Celtic Park is a football stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which is the home ground of Celtic FC. Celtic Park, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 60,832, is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the sixth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom, after Murrayfield, Old Trafford,...

 club in October 1923 when he joined Motherwell. A year later he moved to Third Lanark, where he retired following the 1924–25 season

1924-25 in Scottish football

The 1924–25 season was the 35th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish League Division One:Champions: RangersRelegated: Ayr United, Third Lanark-Scottish League Division Two:...

.

Cringan was first selected for the Scottish national side

Scotland national football team

The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...

 on 26 February 1920, captaining the side in a 1–1 draw against Wales

Wales national football team

The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...

. He was not selected again until 1923 but would eventually win a total of five international caps, three as captain. Cringan also featured in four matches for a Scottish Football League

Scottish Football League

The Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...

 select side against teams drawn from the leagues of the other Home Nations

Home Nations

Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on the context. Politically, it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom...

.

Cringan's brother, Jimmy Cringan

Jimmy Cringan

James Anderson "Jimmy" Cringan was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a wing half. He played 285 games in all competitions for Birmingham, including 261 top flight League games and an appearance at Wembley in the 1931 FA Cup Final, before trying his hand at management...

, was also a professional footballer, who played for twelve seasons with Birmingham

Birmingham City F.C.

Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...

 between 1922 and 1934.

External links

• Scotland Appearances at londonhearts.com
• Scotland Football League Appearances at londonhearts.com
• Image at TheCelticWiki