Gerry Wolstenholme's Blog - Posts Tagged "scottish-youth-fc"
An Anglo-Italian Cup Winner
William (Willie) McGrotty 1952-2020
Willie McGrotty was born in Glasgow on 12 August 1952. After junior football as a forward he joined Scottish junior club Yoker Athletic. With a strong Scottish scouting system in place Blackpool spotted his potential and he was signed by the club as an apprentice professional for a fee of £400 on 22 June 1970. Interestingly, he was the first player to have joined Blackpool from Yoker Athletic since Bobby Finan in August 1933.
Scottish selectors never lost sight of him and in December 1970 he was selected by the Scottish Football Association to attend Scottish Youth team trials.
In one of his first senior games in the Blackpool Central League side, he was introduced as a second half substitute for John McNicholas in the game against Bury reserves on 20 January 1971. And he ‘produced some intelligent distributional and positional play’ as Blackpool won 1-0. In addition he was ‘one of the most impressive players on view’ and the longer term view was ‘He could be a big star of the future for Blackpool.’
He had a number of good games before a critic reported that neither he nor Johnny Johnston ‘shone as they had in recent performances’ in the Central League side as Blackpool lost 4-0 to Newcastle United reserves on 27 March 1971. But overall he maintained his improving reputation and he made his League debut as an 80th-minute substitute for Mickey Burns against Burnley on 10 April 1971 when Blackpool lost 1-0.
The following week he was selected for his first League start in the First Division against Nottingham Forest on 17 April 1971 and on the evening prior to the game he commented, ‘I’m delighted. I don’t feel nervous at the moment but I know I will when I get up in the morning.’ In the game he ‘showed some fine touches’ but the same critic considered he had ‘some way to go yet’. Blackpool lost 3-2 although he did score one of Blackpool’s goals. He played his third League game against Everton on 24 April 1971 but he was replaced by Peter Nicholson in the second half as the game was drawn 0-0.
In the summer of 1971 he was selected for the Blackpool squad that were to compete in the Anglo-Italian Cup Competition and he was in the starting line-up for the opening game of the tournament against Hellas Verona on 26 May 1971. An exciting match was drawn 3-3 as he was replaced late on by Johnny Johnston. He also played in the second game of the tournament against AS Roma on 29 May 1971 when Blackpool lost 3-1 [their only defeat] and he was in the squad, but did not play, that subsequently won the trophy with a 2-1 victory over Bologna in Rome on 12 June 1971.
He had played two League games, made one substitute appearance and scored one goal in the 1970/71 season. He also played two Anglo-Italian Cup games and a number of Central League games.
He could not break into the Blackpool League side in the 1971/72 season but he was a regular member of the Central League side, playing in 37 games, in which he scored 13 goals. He continued in the Central League side in the 1972/73 season and he earned the headlines in the opening Central League game of the season with ‘McGrotty takes his chances’ as he scored in the 80th and 88th minutes to give Blackpool a 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest reserves on 12 August 1972. And on 25 November 1972, ‘McGrotty, Corrigan and Tully provided flashes of enthusiasm, but they were few and far between’ as Blackpool’s Central League side lost 2-0 to the League leaders Coventry City reserves.
After being out of the League side for almost two years he rather unexpectedly earned a recall when he returned to the side as a substitute for Chris Simpkin in a 2-0 defeat by Orient on 10 February 1973. And, with Blackpool in the Anglo-Italian Cup Competition once more, he returned to the first team squad for the game against Como on 21 March 1973 when Blackpool won 3-0 but he was an unused substitute. He made one substitute appearance in the League and played 30 Central League games, scoring seven goals, in the 1972/73 season. By then his Blackpool career record comprised two League games, plus two substitute appearances in the League, in which he scored one goal. He had also made two appearances in the Anglo-Italian Cup competition as well as playing in more than 75 Central League games.
Blackpool were prepared to release him after the 1972/73 season and he went to Australia where he spent some time with Western Suburbs FC before Blackpool transferred him to Safeway United Soccer Club of the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia, for a fee of £1,000 on 22 May 1973. He went on to play 22 games for Safeway United, scoring seven goals.
After Australia were looking for new blood following their appearance in the 1974 World Cup Finals, he was one of eight new players in a squad of 19 selected in January 1975 for the Socceroos, Australia’s national side. The coach Eric Worthington said at the time, ‘The new boys completely understand that they are going along for the ride. It is up to them to force their way into final team calculations.’ He did go on to make one substitute appearance for the Socceroos in a game against Legia Warsaw in Brisbane on 12 February 1975.
He later returned to Scotland where he managed a junior side, Mill United in Hamilton.
He died in Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow on 3 July 2020. Despite his relatively short stay at Bloomfield Road, he will always be remembered in the annals of Blackpool Football Club history.
Willie McGrotty was born in Glasgow on 12 August 1952. After junior football as a forward he joined Scottish junior club Yoker Athletic. With a strong Scottish scouting system in place Blackpool spotted his potential and he was signed by the club as an apprentice professional for a fee of £400 on 22 June 1970. Interestingly, he was the first player to have joined Blackpool from Yoker Athletic since Bobby Finan in August 1933.
Scottish selectors never lost sight of him and in December 1970 he was selected by the Scottish Football Association to attend Scottish Youth team trials.
In one of his first senior games in the Blackpool Central League side, he was introduced as a second half substitute for John McNicholas in the game against Bury reserves on 20 January 1971. And he ‘produced some intelligent distributional and positional play’ as Blackpool won 1-0. In addition he was ‘one of the most impressive players on view’ and the longer term view was ‘He could be a big star of the future for Blackpool.’
He had a number of good games before a critic reported that neither he nor Johnny Johnston ‘shone as they had in recent performances’ in the Central League side as Blackpool lost 4-0 to Newcastle United reserves on 27 March 1971. But overall he maintained his improving reputation and he made his League debut as an 80th-minute substitute for Mickey Burns against Burnley on 10 April 1971 when Blackpool lost 1-0.
The following week he was selected for his first League start in the First Division against Nottingham Forest on 17 April 1971 and on the evening prior to the game he commented, ‘I’m delighted. I don’t feel nervous at the moment but I know I will when I get up in the morning.’ In the game he ‘showed some fine touches’ but the same critic considered he had ‘some way to go yet’. Blackpool lost 3-2 although he did score one of Blackpool’s goals. He played his third League game against Everton on 24 April 1971 but he was replaced by Peter Nicholson in the second half as the game was drawn 0-0.
In the summer of 1971 he was selected for the Blackpool squad that were to compete in the Anglo-Italian Cup Competition and he was in the starting line-up for the opening game of the tournament against Hellas Verona on 26 May 1971. An exciting match was drawn 3-3 as he was replaced late on by Johnny Johnston. He also played in the second game of the tournament against AS Roma on 29 May 1971 when Blackpool lost 3-1 [their only defeat] and he was in the squad, but did not play, that subsequently won the trophy with a 2-1 victory over Bologna in Rome on 12 June 1971.
He had played two League games, made one substitute appearance and scored one goal in the 1970/71 season. He also played two Anglo-Italian Cup games and a number of Central League games.
He could not break into the Blackpool League side in the 1971/72 season but he was a regular member of the Central League side, playing in 37 games, in which he scored 13 goals. He continued in the Central League side in the 1972/73 season and he earned the headlines in the opening Central League game of the season with ‘McGrotty takes his chances’ as he scored in the 80th and 88th minutes to give Blackpool a 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest reserves on 12 August 1972. And on 25 November 1972, ‘McGrotty, Corrigan and Tully provided flashes of enthusiasm, but they were few and far between’ as Blackpool’s Central League side lost 2-0 to the League leaders Coventry City reserves.
After being out of the League side for almost two years he rather unexpectedly earned a recall when he returned to the side as a substitute for Chris Simpkin in a 2-0 defeat by Orient on 10 February 1973. And, with Blackpool in the Anglo-Italian Cup Competition once more, he returned to the first team squad for the game against Como on 21 March 1973 when Blackpool won 3-0 but he was an unused substitute. He made one substitute appearance in the League and played 30 Central League games, scoring seven goals, in the 1972/73 season. By then his Blackpool career record comprised two League games, plus two substitute appearances in the League, in which he scored one goal. He had also made two appearances in the Anglo-Italian Cup competition as well as playing in more than 75 Central League games.
Blackpool were prepared to release him after the 1972/73 season and he went to Australia where he spent some time with Western Suburbs FC before Blackpool transferred him to Safeway United Soccer Club of the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia, for a fee of £1,000 on 22 May 1973. He went on to play 22 games for Safeway United, scoring seven goals.
After Australia were looking for new blood following their appearance in the 1974 World Cup Finals, he was one of eight new players in a squad of 19 selected in January 1975 for the Socceroos, Australia’s national side. The coach Eric Worthington said at the time, ‘The new boys completely understand that they are going along for the ride. It is up to them to force their way into final team calculations.’ He did go on to make one substitute appearance for the Socceroos in a game against Legia Warsaw in Brisbane on 12 February 1975.
He later returned to Scotland where he managed a junior side, Mill United in Hamilton.
He died in Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow on 3 July 2020. Despite his relatively short stay at Bloomfield Road, he will always be remembered in the annals of Blackpool Football Club history.
