William Cringan

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William "Willie" Cringan (born 21 April 1890 in Muirkirk, Ayrshire; died 12 May 1958) was a former Scottish international footballer who played for Sunderland A.F.C., Ayr United, Celtic, Third Lanark and Motherwell.

Cringan, a centre half, started his senior career when he joined Sunderland from Douglas Water FC in 1910.^[1] After five and a half seasons on Wearside he returned to Scotland with Ayr United on a temporary transfer in January 1916. A year later he left the Black Cats on a permanent basis, signing for Celtic in a £600 transfer deal.^[1]

Cringan was appointed Celtic captain soon after his arrival, a position he held until 1923. During this time the club won the 1917, 1919 and 1922 League titles.^[2] He eventually left the Parkhead club in October 1923 when he joined Motherwell. A year later he moved to Third Lanark, where he retired following the 1924-25 season.

Cringan was first selected for the Scottish national side on 26 February 1920, captaining the side in a 1-1 draw against Wales. He was not selected again until 1923 but would eventually win a total of five international caps, three as captain.^[3] Cringan also featured in four matches for a Scottish Football League select side against teams drawn from the leagues of the other Home Nations.

Cringan's brother, Jimmy Cringan, was also a professional footballer, who played for twelve seasons with Birmingham between 1922 and 1934.^[1]

[edit] See also

History of Celtic F.C.

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b ^c Lamming, Douglas (1987). A Scottish Soccer Internationalists Who’s Who, 1872-1986 (Hardback), Hutton Press. (ISBN 0-907033-47-4).
^ Brown, Alan. Scotland - Championship Winning Teams 1900-1920, Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation, Retrieved 22 June, 2007
^ Scotland National Teams, A Squad Player Details, The Scottish Football Association, Retrieved 22 June, 2007