William Cranston (18 January 1942 – January 2022) was a Scottish professional footballer who represented

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...

and Oldham Athletic throughout his career. Cranston was a centre back who began his career at Blackpool, making 33 league appearances between 1961 and 1965. He joined Preston North End during the 1964-65 season and made 87 League appearances and scored 1 goal for the Deepdale club. He was named the club's Official Player of the Year in 1969-70 despite only making 16 appearances that season. He moved to Oldham Athletic in 1970. Later in his life, Cranston was a maintenance officer at Burnley Police Station. Cranston died in January 2022, aged 79.

References

;Specific ;General *
Blackpool F.C.'s official website – Whatever happened to...
* 1942 births 2022 deaths Footballers from Kilmarnock Blackpool F.C. players Preston North End F.C. players Oldham Athletic A.F.C. players Scottish men's footballers Men's association football central defenders English Football League players {{Scotland-footy-defender-1940s-stub