Summers Willie Image 4 St Mirren 1926

Description

Burnbank, Lanarkshire born centre half Willie Summers played junior football for Burnbank Athletic in 1913 and Bellshill Athletic in 1914 before joining Scottish League club Airdrieonians in 1918, for whom he played 54 matches. In 1920 he went on loan to St Bernard’s before joining St Mirren in May 1921 as part of a player exchange, where in April 1926 he was part of St Mirren’s 1926 Scottish Cup Final success when they shocked holders Celtic 2-0 in the Final at Hampden Park, the club’s first Scottish Cup win, The Buddies having beaten the other half of the Auld Firm, Rangers, in the semi final at Celtic Park three weeks earlier. Summers then earned his single Scotland cap, playing in a 1-0 win over England at Old Trafford a week after the Scottish Cup Final triumph.

After 4 goals in 203 appearances for The Buddies, he joined Third Division (North) club Bradford City in September 1927, making his Football League debut the same month in the derby against Bradford Park Avenue, scoring his only goal in English football in a 3-3 draw at Rochdale that November, and he played 37 times the next season as The Bantams won the Third Division (North) Championship in 1927-28. He spent three seasons at Valley Parade playing Second Division football and featured in City’s record victory, an 11-1 thrashing of Rotherham United in September 1928, before a move to Newport County in September 1932 after 131 appearances for Bradford City. At Newport he stayed a single season, making 38 appearances for The Exiles before retiring from professional football in 1933.

NB this photograph was taken before Scotland’s match with England at Old Trafford on 17th April 1926.