Willie Finlay
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Morris Finlay | ||
| Date of birth | 9 August 1926 | ||
| Place of birth | Auchterderran, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 4 September 2014 (aged 88) | ||
| Place of death | Fife, Scotland | ||
| Position(s) | Centre half | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Bowhill Rovers | |||
| 1946–1956 | East Fife | 282 | (0) |
| 1956–1963 | Clyde | 182 | (3) |
| 1963–1964 | Raith Rovers | 12 | (0) |
| Total | 476 | (3) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| Lochore Welfare | |||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
William Morris Finlay (9 August 1926 – 4 September 2014) was a Scottish professional football player and coach.
Career
Born in Auchterderran, Finlay played as a centre half for Bowhill Rovers, East Fife, Clyde and Raith Rovers, making a total of 476 appearances in the Scottish Football League.[1]
With East Fife he won the League Cup three times (1947–48, 1949–50, 1952–53) plus the 1947–48 Scottish Division Two title, two B Division Supplementary Cups and a Scottish Cup runners-up medal in 1949–50; with Clyde he won the Scottish Cup in 1957–58 plus two lower-tier titles (1956–57 and 1961–62).[2] He was among the most highly regarded players of the period never selected to represent Scotland, though at the time there was a strong pool of local talent at various clubs across the country.[2]
After retiring from playing he became manager of Lochore Welfare.[1] He died in 2014, at which time he had been the longest-living member of East Fife's 'golden era' between the 1930s and 1950s.[2]
References