Willie Irvine is a Scottish

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...

 former professional

Professional sports

Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations...

 association football player. Irvine, a direct, left-sided forward

Striker

Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...

, started his senior career with 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...

, but failed to break into the first team. After playing in junior football

Scottish Junior Football Association

The Scottish Junior Football Association is an affiliated national association of the Scottish Football Association and is the governing body for the Junior grade of football in Scotland. The term "Junior" refers to the level of football played...

 for a spell, he signed for 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....

. His play for Alloa quickly attracted the attention of 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...

, who paid £25,000 to Alloa for his services in 1979.

Irvine had a successful spell with Motherwell, as he was their top scorer with 21 goals during their promotion season of 1981–82

1981-82 in Scottish football

The 1981–82 season was the 85th season of Scottish league football.-Scottish Premier Division:Champions: CelticRelegated: Partick Thistle, Airdrieonians-Scottish League Division One:Promoted: Motherwell, Kilmarnock...

. Like his manager Davie Hay, Irvine left Motherwell soon after that success, choosing to join Hibs

Hibernian F.C.

Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...

. Irvine was also initially successful with the Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

 club, forming a strike partnership with Steve Cowan

Steve Cowan

Steve Cowan is a Scottish former professional association football player.Cowan began his career with , but followed Alex Ferguson to in 1980. Cowan was a fringe player with Aberdeen for five seasons...

 that led to him being the second top goalscorer in the Scottish Premier Division in 1983–84

1983-84 in Scottish football

The 1983–84 season was the 87th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish Premier Division:Champions: AberdeenRelegated: St...

. After this, however, Irvine enjoyed less success, and he was loaned out to Falkirk

Falkirk F.C.

Falkirk Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Falkirk. It is one of two professional football teams from the town, the other being East Stirlingshire...

 before joining Ayr United

Ayr United F.C.

Ayr United Football Club are a Scottish association football team based in Ayr, South Ayrshire, that plays in the First Division of the Scottish Football League. Formed in 1910 after the merger of former clubs Ayr Parkhouse F.C. and Ayr F.C...

.