Willie Stevenson
Encyclopedia
William 'Willie' Stevenson (born 26 October 1939 in Leith
) is a Scottish
former professional football player and manager
.
, Edinburgh
, Scotland
Stevenson played for Edina Hearts, Dalkeith and Rangers
before Bill Shankly
paid £20,000 to bring him to Liverpool
in the October of 1962. He made his debut in the 2-1 home league defeat to Burnley
on the 3 November 1962, he scored his first goal in the 5-0 league thrashing of Leyton Orient
at Anfield
, Stevenson managed to hit the net in the 35th minute, Roger Hunt
with a hat-trick
and Ian St John scored the others.
Willie had just lost his place to Jim Baxter
in the Rangers side and was just settling down in Australia
when both Liverpool and Preston North End
put in bids to sign him, Liverpool got their man out bidding Preston in doing so.
Stevenson helped the Reds gain the 1963/64 1st Division
title in only their 2nd season back in the top flight of English
football, he featured in 38 of the 42 league games thus cementing a starting role on the left of the Reds midfield.
Willie played a major role in winning of Liverpool's first ever FA Cup
in 1965, he played in all of the ties and scored the all important 2nd goal from the penalty spot in the 2-0 semi-final victory over Chelsea
at Villa Park
. Leeds United
stood in Shankly's team's way and after a hard fought 0-0 draw in 90 minutes, goals from Hunt and St John were enough to beat the Elland Road
club by 2 goals to 1 and see the famous trophy go to Anfield after a 72 year wait.
The following campaign, again, saw silverware head North-West to Merseyside
as the Reds took the league title once more, Stevenson missed just the 1 fixture and scored 5 times as Liverpool topped the table by a comfortable 6 points over Leeds. Willie also tasted disappointment, however, as Borussia Dortmund
beat Liverpool 2-1 in the European Cup Winners Cup final at Hampden Park
, the 1st European final the Anfield club had reached.
Shankly had bought the 19 year old Emlyn Hughes
from Blackpool
in the February of 1967 and selected him ahead of Stevenson at the beginning of the '67/68 season, this proved to be turning point in Stevenson's career, he got the nod just once in the league and 3 times in the Fairs Cup
. By the December of '67 he was on his way leaving for Stoke City
.
He made 97 league appearances for Stoke before he returned to Merseyside with Tranmere Rovers
, he also played for South African side Hellenic before he retired.
In 1974, Willie travelled to Vancouver
, British Columbia, to join the Vancouver Whitecaps
in the newly formed North American Soccer League
(NASL). He played in Vancouver for one season before ending his career. In 1975 he acted as assistant coach before returning to the UK in 1976.
Willie is now retired, after his retirement in spent time as a publican and then ran a contract cleaning company in Macclesfield
where he still lives.
Kingdom of Scotland Scotland Schoolboy International
Leith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
) 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 football player and manager
Manager (association football)
In association football, a manager is responsible for running a football club or a national team. The manager of a professional club is responsible directly to the club president. The position of manager is almost exclusively used in British football...
.
Life and playing career
Born in LeithLeith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
, 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...
, Scotland
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...
Stevenson played for Edina Hearts, Dalkeith and Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
before Bill Shankly
Bill Shankly
William "Bill" Shankly, OBE was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Liverpool between 1959 and 1974. One of Britain's most successful and respected football managers, Shankly was also a fine player whose career was interrupted by the Second World War...
paid £20,000 to bring him to Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
in the October of 1962. He made his debut in the 2-1 home league defeat to Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
on the 3 November 1962, he scored his first goal in the 5-0 league thrashing of Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
, Stevenson managed to hit the net in the 35th minute, Roger Hunt
Roger Hunt
Roger Hunt, MBE is an English former footballer. He was a member of the England team which won the 1966 World Cup.-Club career:...
with a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
and Ian St John scored the others.
Willie had just lost his place to Jim Baxter
Jim Baxter
James Curran Baxter was a left-footed Scottish footballer who played as a midfielder. He is regarded by some as the country's greatest ever footballer...
in the Rangers side and was just settling down in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
when both Liverpool and Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
put in bids to sign him, Liverpool got their man out bidding Preston in doing so.
Stevenson helped the Reds gain the 1963/64 1st Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
title in only their 2nd season back in the top flight of English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
football, he featured in 38 of the 42 league games thus cementing a starting role on the left of the Reds midfield.
Willie played a major role in winning of Liverpool's first ever FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
in 1965, he played in all of the ties and scored the all important 2nd goal from the penalty spot in the 2-0 semi-final victory over Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
at Villa Park
Villa Park, England
Villa Park is an association football stadium in the district of Witton, Birmingham, England with a seating capacity of 42,786. It has been the home of Aston Villa Football Club since 1897. The team previously played at Aston Park from 1874 to 1876 and Perry Barr from 1876 to 1897...
. 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...
stood in Shankly's team's way and after a hard fought 0-0 draw in 90 minutes, goals from Hunt and St John were enough to beat the Elland Road
Elland Road
Elland Road is an all-seater football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence of Leeds United A.F.C...
club by 2 goals to 1 and see the famous trophy go to Anfield after a 72 year wait.
The following campaign, again, saw silverware head North-West to Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
as the Reds took the league title once more, Stevenson missed just the 1 fixture and scored 5 times as Liverpool topped the table by a comfortable 6 points over Leeds. Willie also tasted disappointment, however, as Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...
beat Liverpool 2-1 in the European Cup Winners Cup final at Hampden Park
Hampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
, the 1st European final the Anfield club had reached.
Shankly had bought the 19 year old Emlyn Hughes
Emlyn Hughes
Emlyn Walter Hughes, OBE was an English footballer who captained both the England national team and the much-decorated Liverpool F.C. team of the 1970s.- From Blackpool to Liverpool :...
from Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
in the February of 1967 and selected him ahead of Stevenson at the beginning of the '67/68 season, this proved to be turning point in Stevenson's career, he got the nod just once in the league and 3 times in the Fairs Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
. By the December of '67 he was on his way leaving for Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
.
He made 97 league appearances for Stoke before he returned to Merseyside with Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
, he also played for South African side Hellenic before he retired.
In 1974, Willie travelled to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia, to join the Vancouver Whitecaps
Vancouver Whitecaps (NASL)
The original Vancouver Whitecaps were founded on December 11, 1973 and during the 1970s and 1980s played in the North American Soccer League . The Whitecaps achieved success, winning the 1979 Soccer Bowl. The Whitecaps of that era included international players such as Alan Ball, but also "home...
in the newly formed North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
(NASL). He played in Vancouver for one season before ending his career. In 1975 he acted as assistant coach before returning to the UK in 1976.
Willie is now retired, after his retirement in spent time as a publican and then ran a contract cleaning company in Macclesfield
Macclesfield
Macclesfield is a market town within the unitary authority of Cheshire East, the county palatine of Chester, also known as the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The population of the Macclesfield urban sub-area at the time of the 2001 census was 50,688...
where he still lives.
Career details
* Liverpool F.C (1962–1967) - 241 appearances, 18 goals- 2 First Division (level 1) championship winners medals (1964 and 1966)
- FA Cup winners medal (1965)
- 3 Charity Shield winners medals (1964 (shared), 1965 (shared) and 1966)
- European Cup Winners Cup runners-up medal (1966)
Kingdom of Scotland Scotland Schoolboy International