Willie Buchan
Encyclopedia
William Ralston Murray "Willie" Buchan (October 17, 1914 — July 6, 2003) was a Scottish
professional football
player and manager. He played for Celtic
, Blackpool
, Hull City
, Gateshead
, Coleraine
and East Stirlingshire
.
Buchan signed professional forms with Celtic in 1933 and spent four years with the Glasgow
club, winning the Scottish League Division One championship with them in 1935–36
and the Scottish Cup
in 1937
.
In 1937, Buchan signed for Joe Smith's Blackpool for £10,000, then a record transfer fee involving a Scottish club, making his debut on November 20, 1937, in a 2–0 defeat at local rivals Preston North End
. He scored his first goals for the club two games later, in a 2–2 draw at Middlesbrough
on December 4. He went on to score ten more goals in the 23 remaining games of the league season and, with his total twelve goals, finished joint-top scorer with Bobby Finan
(see Blackpool F.C. season 1937–38
).
The following season, 1938–39
, he finished joint-top scorer again, this time with new signing Jock Dodds
, the pair scoring ten goals apiece. During the first of six seasons of inter-war
football that followed, Buchan returned to Glasgow in an attempt to re-join Celtic, but the club showed little enthusiasm. He instead joined his local team, Stenhousemuir
, as a guest player. When the club closed down for the duration of the war, Buchan returned to England to become a PT instructor in the Royal Air Force
.
At the end of the war, Buchan returned to Blackpool. In Buchan's final season at the seaside, 1947–48
, he made fourteen appearances in a start-stop season, his place in the line-up restricted due to the form of Stan Mortensen
, Stanley Matthews
and Ernie Taylor. His four goals game in two games: two in a 2–2 draw with Wolves
on September 6, 1947, and two (one a penalty) in a 3–1 victory over Charlton Athletic
at Bloomfield Road
on November 29. His final appearance for the club occurred on May 1, 1948, the final day of the league season, in a 7–0 demolition of Preston North End at Deepdale
.
Buchan joined Hull for the start of the 1948–49
campaign. In his only season with the club, he made forty league appearances, scoring twelve goals.
In 1949, he joined Gateshead
, with whom he made 88 league appearances and scored 16 goals. After a short spell as player-manager of Northern Irish
club Coleraine
, Buchan finished his career in his native Scotland with East Stirlingshire
.
Buchan died on July 6, 2003, aged 88.
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...
professional football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player and manager. He played for 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...
, Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
, Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
, Gateshead
Gateshead F.C.
Gateshead Football Club are a professional Association football club, based in Gateshead, England. They currently play in the Conference National, the fifth level of the English football league system.Ian Bogie is the current manager....
, Coleraine
Coleraine F.C.
Coleraine F.C. is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club, playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1927, hails from Coleraine, County Londonderry and plays its home matches at the Showgrounds. Club colours are blue and white...
and East Stirlingshire
East Stirlingshire F.C.
East Stirlingshire Football Club is a Scottish football club originating in Falkirk. Founded in 1880, originally as Bainsford Britannia, the club changed to their current name a year later in 1881...
.
Buchan signed professional forms with Celtic in 1933 and spent four years with the Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
club, winning the Scottish League Division One championship with them in 1935–36
1935-36 in Scottish football
The 1935–36 season was the 46th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish League Division One:Champions: CelticRelegated: Airdrie, Ayr United-Scottish League Division Two:Promoted: Falkirk, St...
and the Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
in 1937
1936-37 in Scottish football
The 1936–37 season was the 47th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish League Division One:Champions: RangersRelegated: Dunfermline Athletic, Albion Rovers-Scottish League Division Two:...
.
In 1937, Buchan signed for Joe Smith's Blackpool for £10,000, then a record transfer fee involving a Scottish club, making his debut on November 20, 1937, in a 2–0 defeat at local rivals Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
. He scored his first goals for the club two games later, in a 2–2 draw at Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
on December 4. He went on to score ten more goals in the 23 remaining games of the league season and, with his total twelve goals, finished joint-top scorer with Bobby Finan
Bobby Finan
Robert Joseph "Bobby" Finan was a Scottish professional football player. He played as a forward.-Club career:...
(see Blackpool F.C. season 1937–38
Blackpool F.C. season 1937-38
The 1937-38 season was Blackpool F.C.s 37th season in the Football League. They competed in the 22-team Division One, then the top tier of English football, finishing twelfth....
).
The following season, 1938–39
Blackpool F.C. season 1938-39
The 1938-39 season was Blackpool F.C.s 38th season in the Football League. They competed in the 22-team Division One, then the top tier of English football, finishing fifteenth....
, he finished joint-top scorer again, this time with new signing Jock Dodds
Jock Dodds
Ephraim "Jock" Dodds was a Scottish professional football player. He played in the 1936 FA Cup Final, and, at the time of his death, he was the oldest surviving player to have played in a final at Wembley Stadium....
, the pair scoring ten goals apiece. During the first of six seasons of inter-war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
football that followed, Buchan returned to Glasgow in an attempt to re-join Celtic, but the club showed little enthusiasm. He instead joined his local team, Stenhousemuir
Stenhousemuir F.C.
Stenhousemuir FC is a Scottish football club located in Stenhousemuir. The club is a member of the Scottish Football League and currently plays in the Scottish Second Division....
, as a guest player. When the club closed down for the duration of the war, Buchan returned to England to become a PT instructor in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
.
At the end of the war, Buchan returned to Blackpool. In Buchan's final season at the seaside, 1947–48
Blackpool F.C. season 1947-48
The 1947-48 season was Blackpool F.C.s 41st season in the Football League. They competed in the 22-team Division One, then the top tier of English football, finishing ninth...
, he made fourteen appearances in a start-stop season, his place in the line-up restricted due to the form of Stan Mortensen
Stan Mortensen
Stanley Harding "Stan" Mortensen was an English professional footballer, most famous for his part in the 1953 FA Cup Final , in which he became the only player ever to score a hat-trick in a Wembley FA Cup Final...
, Stanley Matthews
Stanley Matthews
Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE was an English footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the English game, he is the only player to have been knighted while still playing, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers'...
and Ernie Taylor. His four goals game in two games: two in a 2–2 draw with Wolves
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
on September 6, 1947, and two (one a penalty) in a 3–1 victory over Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
at Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road is an all-seater football stadium in the English town of Blackpool, Lancashire. It has been the permanent home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901 and is named after the road on which the stadium's main entrance used to stand. The stadium has been in a process of redevelopment since 2000...
on November 29. His final appearance for the club occurred on May 1, 1948, the final day of the league season, in a 7–0 demolition of Preston North End at Deepdale
Deepdale
Deepdale is a stadium in the Deepdale area of Preston, England, the home of Preston North End F.C. and, up to 2010, England's National Football Museum. Preston North End are one of the founder members of the Football League.- History :...
.
Buchan joined Hull for the start of the 1948–49
1948-49 in English football
The 1948–49 season was the 69th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Portsmouth won the First Division title for the first time with a team of no recognised stars and very few international players. They won the league by five points from Manchester United and Derby...
campaign. In his only season with the club, he made forty league appearances, scoring twelve goals.
In 1949, he joined Gateshead
Gateshead F.C.
Gateshead Football Club are a professional Association football club, based in Gateshead, England. They currently play in the Conference National, the fifth level of the English football league system.Ian Bogie is the current manager....
, with whom he made 88 league appearances and scored 16 goals. After a short spell as player-manager of Northern Irish
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
club Coleraine
Coleraine F.C.
Coleraine F.C. is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club, playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1927, hails from Coleraine, County Londonderry and plays its home matches at the Showgrounds. Club colours are blue and white...
, Buchan finished his career in his native Scotland with East Stirlingshire
East Stirlingshire F.C.
East Stirlingshire Football Club is a Scottish football club originating in Falkirk. Founded in 1880, originally as Bainsford Britannia, the club changed to their current name a year later in 1881...
.
Buchan died on July 6, 2003, aged 88.
Celtic
- Scottish League Division One championship: 1935–361935-36 in Scottish footballThe 1935–36 season was the 46th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish League Division One:Champions: CelticRelegated: Airdrie, Ayr United-Scottish League Division Two:Promoted: Falkirk, St...
- Scottish CupScottish CupThe Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
winner: 1936–371936-37 in Scottish footballThe 1936–37 season was the 47th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish League Division One:Champions: RangersRelegated: Dunfermline Athletic, Albion Rovers-Scottish League Division Two:...
Hull City
- Football League Third Division NorthFootball League Third Division NorthThe Third Division North of The Football League was a tier in the English association football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran parallel to Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to one or the other according to geographical position...
championship: 1948–491948-49 in English footballThe 1948–49 season was the 69th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Portsmouth won the First Division title for the first time with a team of no recognised stars and very few international players. They won the league by five points from Manchester United and Derby...