Willie White (footballer)
Encyclopedia
William Collins "Willie" White (born 5 March 1895, date of death unknown) was a Scottish football goalkeeper who played for Heart of Midlothian
and Southampton
during the 1920s and 1930s.
. In 1923 he joined Heart of Midlothian
where his younger brother John
was already playing. During his time with "Hearts" he made four appearances for the Scottish League. He became "idolised" at Tynecastle and his departure in July 1928 "infuriated" the Hearts' fans.
for a transfer fee of £800, of which £375 was contributed by the Southampton Supporters Club, replacing Tommy Allen
who had moved on in the summer. White was described as "very much a student of the game", who concentrated for the full 90 minutes of every game. He made his debut away to Hull City
on 25 August 1928 and his arrival helped restore confidence in a defence that had leaked 77 goals in the previous season. He only missed two matches in the 1928–29 season at the end of which the "Saints" achieved their highest league finish to date, fourth in the Second Division
, with 60 goals conceded.
In the following season, White retained his place but the defence again conceded goals regularly, including four or more in six matches, ending the season with a "goals against" total of 76, and a seventh place finish. In September 1930, he lost his place to Bert Scriven and although White regained his place in goal for the last eight matches of the season, Scriven claimed the No. 1 shirt on a permanent basis in September 1931.
At the end of the 1931–32, White left Southampton for a brief (non-playing) spell with Aldershot
, who had recently been elected to the Third Division South
. In his four years at The Dell, White made a total of 103 appearances.
to take over the Greyhound Inn in Cossack Street, before returning to Scotland.
was an inside-forward with Heart of Midlothian
and Leeds United
, Thomas was with Motherwell
and James with Alloa Athletic
.
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
and Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
during the 1920s and 1930s.
Scotland
White was born at Kerry Cowdie, Scotland and started his football career at Hamilton AcademicalHamilton Academical F.C.
Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Academical, or Accies, are a Scottish football club from Hamilton in South Lanarkshire. They were established in 1874 from the school football team at Hamilton Academy. They remain the only professional club in British football to have...
. In 1923 he joined Heart of Midlothian
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
where his younger brother John
Jock White
John "Jock" White was a Scottish footballer. He played for Albion Rovers and Heart of Midlothian in his native country and Leeds United in England. He also gained two caps for the Scotland national team...
was already playing. During his time with "Hearts" he made four appearances for the Scottish League. He became "idolised" at Tynecastle and his departure in July 1928 "infuriated" the Hearts' fans.
Southampton
White joined SouthamptonSouthampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
for a transfer fee of £800, of which £375 was contributed by the Southampton Supporters Club, replacing Tommy Allen
Tommy Allen (footballer)
Thomas "Tommy" Allen was an English professional goalkeeper who played for Southampton in the 1920s and later for Coventry City.-Early career:...
who had moved on in the summer. White was described as "very much a student of the game", who concentrated for the full 90 minutes of every game. He made his debut away to 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...
on 25 August 1928 and his arrival helped restore confidence in a defence that had leaked 77 goals in the previous season. He only missed two matches in the 1928–29 season at the end of which the "Saints" achieved their highest league finish to date, fourth in the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
, with 60 goals conceded.
In the following season, White retained his place but the defence again conceded goals regularly, including four or more in six matches, ending the season with a "goals against" total of 76, and a seventh place finish. In September 1930, he lost his place to Bert Scriven and although White regained his place in goal for the last eight matches of the season, Scriven claimed the No. 1 shirt on a permanent basis in September 1931.
At the end of the 1931–32, White left Southampton for a brief (non-playing) spell with Aldershot
Aldershot F.C.
Aldershot Football Club was an English Football League club, which was wound up in the High Court in March 1992. They became the first Football League club since Accrington Stanley to resign from the League during the course of a season. The club was nicknamed the Shots for both the last syllable...
, who had recently been elected to the Third Division South
Football League Third Division South
The Football League Third Division South was a level of English professional football which ran in parallel to Third Division North from 1921 to 1958....
. In his four years at The Dell, White made a total of 103 appearances.
Career after football
On his retirement from football, White returned to SouthamptonSouthampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
to take over the Greyhound Inn in Cossack Street, before returning to Scotland.
Family
Willie was one of four brothers who played top-class football — JohnJock White
John "Jock" White was a Scottish footballer. He played for Albion Rovers and Heart of Midlothian in his native country and Leeds United in England. He also gained two caps for the Scotland national team...
was an inside-forward with Heart of Midlothian
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
and Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
, Thomas was with 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...
and James with Alloa Athletic
Alloa Athletic F.C.
Alloa Athletic Football Club are a Scottish football team based in Alloa, Clackmannanshire. They are members of the Scottish Football League and currently play in the Third Division....
.