William Wallace (footballer)
Wallace (1971)
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Semple Brown Wallace | ||
| Date of birth | 23 June 1940 | ||
| Place of birth | Kirkintilloch, Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) | ||
| Playing position | Inside forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Kilsyth Rangers | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1958–1959 | Stenhousemuir | 50 | (23) |
| 1959–1961 | Raith Rovers | 56 | (23) |
| 1961–1966 | Heart of Midlothian | 173 | (91) |
| 1966–1971 | Celtic | 142 | (89) |
| 1971–1972 | Crystal Palace | 39 | (4) |
| 1972–1975 | Dumbarton | 84 | (21) |
| 1975–1976 | APIA Leichhardt | ||
| 1977 | Partick Thistle | ||
| 1977 | Ross County | ||
| National team | |||
| 1964–1969 | Scotland | 7 | (0) |
| 1965–1969 | Scottish League XI | 4 | (3) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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William Semple Brown "Willie" Wallace (born 23 June 1940) is a Scottish former football player and coach.
He started his playing career with Stenhousemuir in 1958, moving to Raith Rovers a year later. It was in Kirkcaldy that "Wispy", as Wallace was nicknamed, developed his reputation as a top-class goal poacher, his skills being rewarded with a first Scottish League cap.
Wallace's form attracted attention from larger clubs, Heart of Midlothian eventually spending £15,000 to take him to Edinburgh in April 1961. The increased pressure for success at Tynecastle initially curtailed his scoring exploits, for he was expected to replace no less a figure than Alex Young, the "Golden Vision", whom Hearts had sold to Everton a couple of months earlier. By season 1962–63, however, Wallace was fully settled into the tactics of manager Tommy Walker, and he would become Hearts' top scorer for the next four seasons through to 1965–66. In doing so, he helped Hearts win the 1962–63 Scottish League Cup and come within a goal of winning the 1964–65 Scottish League, while gaining full international recognition for Scotland.
In 1966, however, his form plummeted and his goal scoring ceased, and, amid rumours that he had been "tapped" up by another club, his departure from Tynecastle was widely anticipated. The surprise was that his destination wasn't boyhood favourites Rangers but their nemesis Celtic, for whom Jock Stein paid £30,000 to secure his services.
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