McAulay Willie Image 1 Aberdeen 1904

Description

Glasgow born inside right Willie McAulay (sometimes spelt McAuley) began his football career with Newton Athletic and Newton Thistle. joining Cambuslang Hibernian in 1897 from where he joined Glasgow Celtic in April 1898, making his Scottish League debut against Third Lanark that August, scoring in his single league appearance before being released by the club in October of the same year in a cost-cutting measure. McAulay was then signed by Sheffield Wednesday and spent the rest of 1898-99 with The Owls without making their first eleven.

He joined Second Division club Walsall in 1899 and made his Football League debut at Luton Town that August, scoring 7 goals in 28 matches over a single season with The Saddlers, before he was signed by First Division club Aston Villa, where he made 6 top flight appearances during their 1900-01 campaign, but he was moved on to Southern League club Portsmouth in 1901-02 where he helped them to win the Southern League Championship. He then returned to Football League action with First Division club Middlesbrough in 1902, scoring twice in 21 matches for ‘Boro but again staying just a single season before a move to Aberdeen in May 1903, where he soon became club captain and scored their first Scottish League goal. It would take him a mere 15 minutes to write himself into the club’s history books as their first scorer, accepting a pass from Mackie he scored with a fast low shot. Despite his goal securing a point for the club the local press had yet to be impressed commenting, “we must confess he was a little disappointing. He should not be so unselfish but try one of his pot shots oftner.”

In November 1904 it was said of him “Willie McAulay, inside left, is, off the field, one of the most modest of men, and on it one of the trickiest players going. It is not too much to say that it is his experience and coaching that has made such a vast improvement on the team’s forward play.” He had a brief spell on loan at Arthurlie in 1904 but returned to Aberdeen and won a Qualifying Cup winners medal in 1905 when the Aberdeen Evening Gazette wrote of him “He is, off the field, one of the most modest of men, and on it one of the trickiest players going. It is not too much to say that it is his experience and coaching that has made such a vast improvement on the team’s forward play.” He was sold to Falkirk in the summer of 1906 after 21 goals in 68 matches for The Dons, scoring 4 goals in 23 matches for The Bairns during 1906-07. Joining Hibernian in May 1907 he found opportunities limited and scored only once in 5 matches over two seasons at Easter Road. He then moved to Alloa Athletic in 1909 before his retirement in 1913.