Bill McPherson (footballer)

William McPherson (22 November 1884 – 1961) was a Scottish footballer who played as an inside forward.

For other people with the same name, see Bill McPherson (disambiguation).

Bill McPherson
Personal information
Full name William McPherson
Date of birth 22 November 1884
Place of birth Beith, Scotland
Date of death 1961 (aged 76–77)[1]
Height 5 ft 8.5 in (174 cm)[1]
Position(s) Inside forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1903–1904 Beith
1904–1906 St Mirren 40 (5)
1906–1908 Liverpool 48 (16)
1908–1911 Rangers 51 (24)
1911 → Beith (loan)
1911–1913 Heart of Midlothian 34 (7)
Total 173 (52)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

McPherson started his career at St Mirren[2] before joining Liverpool in the English Football League in 1906,[3] scoring 11 goals in 32 appearances in his debut season. He played less frequently the following season in 1907–08 making 22 appearances. The season was to be his last at Liverpool and he would later play for Scottish clubs Rangers[4] and Heart of Midlothian.[5]

He did not win a major trophy with any of his clubs; he joined Liverpool when they were reigning English champions but they did not challenge for honours during his two-year spell. He appeared in the 1909 Scottish Cup Final for Rangers against Celtic, which went to a second replay only for the trophy to be withdrawn after rioting by spectators who believed the two matches had been drawn deliberately to boost revenues.[6] He did claim a winner's medal in the minor Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup a few weeks later.[7] The Gers were Scottish Football League champions in 1910–11 but McPherson did not play for the club at all that season, being loaned to hometown non-league side Beith in February 1911[1] before moving on to Hearts that summer; the Edinburgh club were third in the league and semi-finalists in the cup in both campaigns he played for them. He then decided to emigrate to New Zealand, sailing in October 1913.[8]

During his time at Liverpool, McPherson played in one Home Scots v Anglo-Scots international trial in 1907 and scored for his side,[9][2] but he never gained a full cap for Scotland.

References
  1. About William Macpherson, Play Up Liverpool
  2. John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. "Bill McPherson". LFC History. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  4. (Rangers player) William McPherson, FitbaStats
  5. (Hearts player) William Macpherson, London Hearts Supporters Club
  6. "The Old Firm story: When fans joined forces to riot". The Scotsman. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  7. Glasgow Charity Cup – Final Tie, The Glasgow Herald, 17 May 1909
  8. William Macpherson off to New Zealand, Evening Telegraph, 15 October 1913, via Play Up Liverpool
  9. Football. | International Trial Match., The Glasgow Herald, 19 March 1907
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