Willie Callaghan (footballer, born 1943)

Willie Callaghan
Personal information
Full name William Thomas Callaghan[1]
Date of birth (1943-02-12) 12 February 1943 (age 81)[2]
Place of birth Cowdenbeath, Scotland
Position(s) Right back[1]
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1961–1972 Dunfermline Athletic 286 (3)
1972–1974 Berwick Rangers 43 (5)
1975–1976 Cowdenbeath 6 (0)
Total 335 (8)
International career
1967–1970 Scotland[3] 6 (0)
1968–1970 Scottish League XI 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

William Thomas Callaghan (born 12 February 1943) is a Scottish former professional footballer, who played for Dunfermline Athletic, Berwick Rangers, Cowdenbeath and Scotland.[4] Callaghan played for Dunfermline for most of his club career, playing in two Scottish Cup Finals, losing 3–2 to Celtic in 1965 and winning 3–1 against Hearts in 1968. In all he made 426 appearances for the Pars, including 34 in European competition, a club record.[5] Willie's brother Tommy Callaghan also played for Dunfermline, and they are the last pair of brothers to have played the full 90 minutes together in the same Scottish Cup-winning side as of 2009,- [6] In 2008, Callaghan was inducted into Dunfermline Athletic's hall of fame.[7]

Callaghan represented the full Scotland national team six times between 1967 and 1970. He first played for Scotland during an overseas tour in 1967, when several players were unavailable due to their clubs being involved in European competition.[8] The Scottish Football Association decided in October 2021 to reclassify some of these games as full internationals,[9] which increased his cap tally from two to six. Callaghan's appearance against Wales in 1970 was the last time that a Dunfermline Athletic player represented Scotland until Barry Nicholson and Stevie Crawford were selected for a match against Poland in 2001.[10][11]

Willie's son, also named Willie, was a footballer who played for several league clubs in the 1980s and 1990s.[12] His brother, Tommy Callaghan, played for Dunfermline and Celtic.[12] His grandson, Liam Callaghan, had a trial spell with Birmingham City in November 2011.[12]

  1. ^ a b William Callaghan, London Hearts Supporters' Club.
  2. ^ (Smith 2013, p. 47)
  3. ^ Willie Callaghan at the Scottish Football Association
  4. ^ Willie Callaghan at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database
  5. ^ Caught in Time: Dunfermline's 1965 Scottish Cup final side[dead link‍], The Sunday Times, 22 February 2004.
  6. ^ Caught in Time: Dunfermline 3, Hearts 1. Scottish Cup final 1968[dead link‍], The Sunday Times, 22 May 2004.
  7. ^ "Soccer Shorts". Daily Record. Trinity Mirror. 13 October 2008.
  8. ^ Scotland XI Tour of Asia and Oceania 1967, RSSSF.
  9. ^ "Former Scotland players to be recognised with international caps including Sir Alex Ferguson". www.scottishfa.co.uk. Scottish Football Association. 9 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  10. ^ "McLaren makes his breakthrough". The Scotsman. 24 April 2001.
  11. ^ "Pars excel as Scots unearth gems". Scotland On Sunday. 29 April 2001.
  12. ^ a b c "Cowdenbeath's Liam Callaghan given Birmingham trial". BBC Sport. BBC. 18 November 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2011.