David Wilson (born 31 January 1881) was a Scottish

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played as an

inside left Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

. Born in

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

, he originally played for local teams including

Cowdenbeath Cowdenbeath (; sco, Coudenbeith) is a town and burgh in west Fife, Scotland. It is north-east of Dunfermline and north of the capital, Edinburgh. The town grew up around the extensive coalfields of the area and became a police burgh in 18 ...

and East Fife, as well as a spell in England with

Gainsborough Trinity Gainsborough Trinity Football Club is a football club based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England. Established in 1873, the club became members of the Football League in 1893 and remained members of the Second Division until 1912, making Gainsbo ...

, before joining Heart of Midlothian in 1904,(Hearts player) David Wilson
London Hearts Supporters Club following the path taken by his younger brother

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

who had signed for the

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

club a year earlier. He was loaned back out to Gainsborough Trinity before becoming an increasingly regular figure in the Hearts side, culminating in an appearance in the 1906 Scottish Cup Final, won by his team with a goal from George Wilson. Within a few weeks of their cup win, both brothers were signed by Everton. However, while he had played alongside his sibling at Hearts, David Wilson had a reserve role at

Goodison Park Goodison Park is a football stadium in the Walton area of Liverpool, England. It has been the home stadium of Premier League club Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892. Located in a residential area 2 miles (3 km) north of Liverpool ...

(behind George at inside left and

Harold Hardman Harold Payne Hardman (4 April 1882 – 9 June 1965) was an English football player and chairman. Football career Born in Kirkmanshulme, Manchester, Hardman was discovered by Blackpool as a schoolboy and thrown into the first team during their ...

, the established

outside left Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

) and only made five league appearances. During their time in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, the Wilsons also endured the loss of two of their brothers back in Scotland in separate incidents. In summer 1907 Wilson moved on to

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

Everton Transfers: 1907/08
EFC Statto (his brother was blocked by the

Football Association The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world an ...

from making the same move in a registration dispute, and later had much success with

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

).Everton and Wilson

Liverpool Echo The ''Liverpool Echo'' is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales – a subsidiary company of Reach plc and is based in St Paul's Square, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Sunday, and is Liverp ...

, 29 June 1907 via Everton Independent Research Data He is believed to have retired from professional football after one season at

Fratton Park Fratton Park is a football ground in Portsmouth, England, which is the home of Portsmouth F.C. Fratton Park remains as the only home football ground in Portsmouth FC's entire history. The early Fratton Park was designed by local architect A ...

. He later emigrated to Canada, again along with his brother.Vancouver Home of 21 Famed Soccer Players
The Leader-Post, 22 February 1934

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, David 1881 births Year of death missing Footballers from Lochgelly Scottish men's footballers East Fife F.C. players Cowdenbeath F.C. players Heart of Midlothian F.C. players Gainsborough Trinity F.C. players Everton F.C. players Portsmouth F.C. players Scottish emigrants to Canada Scottish Football League players English Football League players Men's association football inside forwards