Willie Howie

William Howie (born 9 July 1982) is a Scottish former football who last played as a midfielder for Pollok in the Scottish Junior Football Association, West Region. He previously played in the Scottish Premier League with Partick Thistle.

Willie Howie
Personal information
Full name William Howie
Date of birth (1982-07-09) 9 July 1982
Place of birth Rutherglen, Scotland
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Partick Thistle B.C.
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2005 Partick Thistle 32 (0)
2005–2011 Glenafton Athletic
2011–2013 Cumnock Juniors
2013–2014 Pollok
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14:13, 21 February 2018 (UTC)

Career

Howie joined Partick Thistle from their youth set-up in 1999 and made his first team debut against Queen of the South at the age of sixteen in May of that year.[1] A few months after he signed a new contract with the Jags in April 2001,[2] his career was interrupted after a serious assault in a Glasgow street left him with a fractured skull, spending a month in hospital with his future as a player in doubt.[3][4] Howie returned to the Partick first team in November 2003, by which time the club had been promoted to the Scottish Premier League,[3][5] and made eleven appearances before the end of the season, which ended in relegation.

After his release by Partick Thistle in 2005, Howie joined Junior side Glenafton Athletic under the management of his former Thistle boss Gerry Collins.[6] He moved on to local East Ayrshire rivals Cumnock Juniors in the summer of 2011 before signing for Pollok in June 2013.[7][8] Despite being named captain, his spell with the club ended with a suspension after he was sent off following an altercation with an opponent in a fixture against Auchinleck Talbot;[9] Pollok were relegated at the end of the season.

Championship Manager

Howie's name became well known around the world to fans of the Championship Manager football video game series, after some of its versions produced around the time of his breakthrough at Partick Thistle coded his potential abilities generously, whereby he would develop into one of the world's finest players.[10] In an interview for a book based around the series, Howie stated that he had been "addicted" to playing the game[11] and would always sign 'himself', often seeking a partnership with Mark Kerr, another Scottish midfielder of the era[10] whose elevated profile in the virtual universe brought him extra attention in real life.[12]

References
  1. "Games played by Willie Howie in 1998/1999". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  2. "Future looks bright for Jags". BBC Sport. 11 April 2001. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  3. "Partick draw inspiration from Howie comeback". The Independent. 8 November 2003. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  4. Grahame, Ewing (7 May 2004). "Howie wins his biggest match". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  5. "Willie Howie interview". Partick Thistle F.C. (match programme). 22 November 2003. Retrieved 17 October 2018 – via Partick Thistle History Archive.
  6. "Willie has slot going for him at Glens". Daily Record. 29 September 2006. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  7. "Willie's 'Nock Out!". Glenafton Athletic FC. 26 June 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  8. O'Donnell, Jim (17 June 2013). "Lok, stock and smoking barrels". Evening Times. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  9. O'Donnell, Jim (18 March 2014). "Howie's red-card fury could rule him out of key Lok relegation tie". Evening Times. Retrieved 17 October 2018 – via PressReader.
  10. "11 Scottish journeymen who were Football Manager legends". The Scotsman. 4 April 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  11. Iain Macintosh; Kenny Millar; Neil White (2012). Football Manager Stole My Life: 20 Years of Beautiful Obsession. BackPage Press. p. 107. ISBN 9780743429917. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  12. Iain Macintosh; Kenny Millar; Neil White (2012). Football Manager Stole My Life: 20 Years of Beautiful Obsession. BackPage Press. p. 96. ISBN 9780743429917. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
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