Willie Kivlichan

William Fulton Kivlichan (11 March 1886 – 5 April 1937) was a Scottish footballer who played mainly as an outside right. He played for both of the Old Firm rival clubs Rangers and Celtic in the early 1900s.[3][4]

Willie Kivlichan
Personal information
Full name William Fulton Kivlichan[1]
Date of birth 11 March 1886
Place of birth Galashiels, Scotland
Date of death 5 April 1937(1937-04-05) (aged 51)[2]
Place of death Dumfries, Scotland
Position(s)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1902–1903 Dumfries St Joseph's
1903–1904 Maxwelltown Juniors
1904–1905 Dumfries
Glasgow University
1905–1907 Rangers 20 (7)
1907–1911 Celtic 77 (20)
1911–1914 Bradford (Park Avenue) 88 (5)
Queen of the South
International career
1909–1910 Scottish League XI 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

Born in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, Kivlichan initially played for local clubs in the Dumfries area and signed for Rangers in 1905 via Glasgow University where he was an undergraduate in medicine; he played 24 games for the Ibrox club in two years.[5] He was one of several players of the Catholic faith to feature for Rangers in the pre-World War I era, after which an unwritten rule was introduced at the club which persisted for several decades.[6]

He transferred to Celtic in 1907 in an exchange deal involving fellow forward Alec Bennett[7] and spent four seasons with the club, winning three Scottish Football League titles, a Glasgow Cup (1909) and a Scottish Cup (1911);[8] he also represented the Scottish League XI three times while at Celtic,[9] and came into consideration for a full cap for Scotland when he played in the Home Scots v Anglo-Scots trial match of 1910.[10] After moving to England with Bradford (Park Avenue) he featured regularly for three seasons up to the outbreak of the First World War.

During the war, Kivlichan served as a lieutenant in the Royal Army Medical Corps, attached to the King's African Rifles.[7] After he qualified in medicine from the University of Glasgow, Kivlichan became the Celtic team doctor. He was by the side of John Thomson as the young goalkeeper died from an injury sustained in an Old Firm match on 5 September 1931.[11]

Kivlichan died on 5 April 1937 of heart disease at the age of 51.

See also

References
  1. Joyce, Michael (16 October 2012). Football League Players' Records 1888–1939 (3rd Revised ed.). Tony Brown. p. 166. ISBN 9781905891610.
  2. Litster, John. Record of Pre-War Scottish League Players. Norwich: PM Publications.
  3. BBC NI Learning. "BBC NI – Schools – Citizenship – Sectarianism – Newsstand – Sport – Newspaper Article 3". Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  4. "SCOTTISHLEAGUE.NET SFAQS". Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  5. (Rangers player) Kivlichan, William, FitbaStats
  6. Ibrox left-footers, The Glasgow Herald, 15 September 1989
  7. "Kivlichan Willie Image 1 Bradford Park Avenue 1912". Vintage Footballers. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  8. (Celtic player) Kivlichan, William, FitbaStats
  9. "[SFL player] Willie Kivlichan". London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
  10. Football. | Anglo-Scots v. Home Scots, The Scotsman, 22 March 1910, scan via London Hearts Supporters Club
  11. Miller to follow in 100-year-old footsteps DailyRecord.co.uk, 28 May 2008


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.