Willie Finlay

For the Albion Rovers and Rangers player, see Willie Findlay.

Willie Finlay

Personal information
Full name	William Morris Finlay
Date of birth	(1926-08-09)9 August 1926
Place of birth	Auchterderran, Scotland
Date of death	4 September 2014(2014-09-04) (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

1. "Profile". Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Transfer Database. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
2. "Obituary: Willie Finlay, East Fife footballer". The Scotsman. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2014.