Willie Stevenson
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | William Stevenson[1] | ||
Date of birth | [1] | 26 October 1939||
Place of birth | Leith, Midlothian, Scotland[1] | ||
Position(s) | Left half | ||
Youth career | |||
Edina Hearts | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1956–1958 | Dalkeith Thistle | ||
1958–1962 | Rangers | 72 | (1) |
1962–1967 | Liverpool | 188 | (15) |
1967–1973 | Stoke City | 94 | (5) |
1971 | → Hellenic (loan) | 5 | (0) |
1973–1974 | Tranmere Rovers | 20 | (0) |
1974 | Limerick | 4 | (0) |
1974 |
Vancouver Whitecaps | 19 | (0) |
1974–1975 | Macclesfield Town | 32 | (0) |
Total | 434 | (21) | |
International career | |||
1959 |
Scottish League XI | 1 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
William Stevenson (born 26 October 1939) is a Scottish former professional
Career
Rangers
Stevenson was born in Leith, Midlothian. He played for Edina Hearts and Dalkeith Thistle before turning professional with Rangers. He immediately became a regular in the side, winning the Scottish Football League in his first season and the Scottish Cup in his second while also being involved in the semi-finals of the 1959–60 European Cup[2] and earning selection for the Scottish Football League XI,[3] but then lost his first team place after Jim Baxter joined Rangers in 1960; Baxter initially played at inside forward before being moved to Stevenson's left half berth.
After two seasons as a reserve (appearing in only 8 matches as the club won another title and watching on as they won three more major cup finals), Stevenson declined to sign a new contract with Rangers and went out to Australia in the summer of 1962, but was still registered with the Glasgow club and was not permitted to play official matches with local clubs, so he returned to Scotland and both Liverpool and Preston North End put in bids to sign him.
Liverpool
He played a major role in winning of Liverpool's first ever
Shankly had bought 19-year-old Emlyn Hughes from Blackpool in February 1967 and selected him ahead of Stevenson at the beginning of the 1967–68 season – this proved to be a turning point in Stevenson's career, he got the nod just once in the league and three times in the Fairs Cup. By December 1967 he was on his way, leaving for Stoke City.[4]
Stoke City
Stoke manager Tony Waddington paid £30,000 for Stevenson as a replacement for the departed Calvin Palmer.[1] He played 20 games in 1967–68 and 34 times in 1968–69 as Stoke had two poor seasons, narrowly avoiding relegation. A much improved 1969–70 campaign saw Stevenson play 23 games as Stoke finished in 9th.[1] He played six matches at the start of 1970–71 before injury ruled him out for the remainder of the season.[1] He played 25 games in 1971–72 and just three in 1972–73.[1] At the end of the season he left the Victoria Ground after making 111 appearances scoring seven goals.
Tranmere Rovers
He joined Third Division Tranmere Rovers where he made 27 appearances.[1]
Later career
In 1974, he joined the
He then played for Limerick
After football
He spent time as a publican and then ran a contract cleaning company in Macclesfield where he lived.
Career statistics
Source:[6]
Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other[A] | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Rangers[2] | 1958–59 | Scottish Division One | 26 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
1959–60 | Scottish Division One | 33 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 57 | 1 | |
1960–61 | Scottish Division One | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
1961–62 | Scottish Division One | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
Total | 72 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 106 | 1 | ||
Liverpool | 1962–63 | First Division | 28 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 2 |
1963–64 | First Division | 38 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 1 | |
1964–65 | First Division | 39 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 57 | 5 | |
1965–66 | First Division | 41 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 5 | |
1966–67 | First Division | 41 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 3 | |
1967–68 | First Division | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | |
Total | 188 | 15 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 241 | 18 | ||
Stoke City | 1967–68 | First Division | 18 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 |
1968–69 | First Division | 32 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 3 | |
1969–70 | First Division | 20 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 3 | |
1970–71 | First Division | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
1971–72 | First Division | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 26 | 0 | |
1972–73 | First Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
Total | 94 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 112 | 7 | ||
Tranmere Rovers | 1973–74 | Third Division | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
Vancouver Whitecaps
|
1974 | North American Soccer League
|
19 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 19 | 0 | ||||
Macclesfield Town | 1974–75[7] | Northern Premier League | 32 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | 42 | 0 | ||
UK & Canada Career Total | 425 | 21 | 45 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 35 | 2 | 23 | 0 | 547 | 26 |
- A. ^ The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals in the Anglo-Scottish Cup, Glasgow Cup, FA Charity Shield and Texaco Cup.
Honours
- Rangers
- Scottish League champions: 1958–59[2]
- Scottish Cup: 1959–60
- Liverpool
- Football League First Division champions: 1963–64, 1965–66
- 1965
- FA Charity Shield winners: 1964, 1965, 1966
- 1966
References
- ^ ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
- ^ a b c (Rangers player) Stevenson, Willie, FitbaStats
- ^ (SFL player) Billy Stevenson, London Hearts Supporters Club
- ^ a b c d e f g "Willie Stevenson". LFC History. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
- ^ a b "Forgotten Hero: Willie Stevenson" thisisanfield.com 10 September 2008
- ^ Willie Stevenson at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
- ^ "Cheshire League - 1974–75". Silkmen Archive.
External links
- Willie Stevenson at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database