William Aitken (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William John Aitken | ||
| Date of birth | 2 February 1894 | ||
| Place of birth | Peterhead, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 9 August 1973 (aged 79) | ||
| Place of death | Gateshead, England | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Kirkintilloch | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1916–1918 | Queen's Park | 62 | (14) |
| 1918–1919 | Rangers | 21 | (2) |
| 1919–1920 | Port Vale | 30 | (4) |
| 1920–1924 | Newcastle United | 104 | (10) |
| 1924–1926 | Preston North End | 56 | (11) |
| 1926 | Chorley | ||
| 1926–1927 | Norwich City | 14 | (0) |
| 1927–1928 | Bideford Town | ||
| 1928–1930 | Juventus | 0 | (0) |
| 1930–1934 | AS Cannes | ||
| 1934–1936 | Stade de Reims | ||
| 1936–1939 | FC Antibes | 6 | (0) |
| Total | 293+ | (41+) | |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1928–1930 | Juventus | ||
| 1932–1934 | AS Cannes | ||
| 1934–1936 | Stade de Reims | ||
| 1937–1939 | FC Antibes | ||
| 1947–1948 | Royale Union Saint-Gilloise | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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William John Aitken (2 February 1894 – 9 August 1973) was a Scottish footballer and football manager.
A forward, he was known for his trait of bouncing the ball on his head whilst running along the touchline, and was normally known as Willie or Billy. He began his career at Kirkintilloch, before joining Rangers via Queen's Park in 1918. He signed with Port Vale in 1919, before he was sold on to Newcastle United for £2,500 in May 1920. He spent four seasons at Tyneside, before joining Preston North End in 1924. He spent two years with the "Lambs", and after spells at Chorley, Norwich City, and Bideford Town, he was appointed as head coach at Italian club Juventus in 1928. He moved on to France the following year to play for AS Cannes. He played in the 1932 Coupe de France final victory, and was later appointed as club manager. He then spent 1934 to 1936 as player-manager at Stade de Reims, and then took charge at FC Antibes between 1936 and 1938. During World War II he worked as a defence contractor at Vickers-Armstrongs, and he coached across Europe and also worked for a wine and spirits distributor.
Aitken played for amateur sides Kirkintilloch and Queen's Park, before joining Rangers for the 1918–19 season. He scored two goals in 21 league games as they finished second to Old Firm rivals Celtic in the Scottish League Division One. Aitken then left Ibrox Park for England to play for Port Vale in the summer of 1919. He scored on his debut at inside-right in a 2–0 win at Aston Villa Reserves in a Central League match on 20 August 1919. After Vale were elected to the Football League Second Division in October 1919, the Vale were forced to pay £500 to Rangers for his and Peter Pursell services. He scored nine goals in 44 games in 1919–20, and was in the cup winning sides of 1920. He was sold on to Newcastle United for £2,500 in May 1920, which was considered a bargain at the time.
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