William McLaren (born 6 November 1984) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays for Scottish Junior club Forth Wanderers, who plays as a midfielder. He has played for several Scottish clubs throughout his career which started in 2003.
Career
Airdrie United
Born in Glasgow, McLaren had been at Benburb and Hamilton Accies u19s before signing professional at Airdrie in 2003.
St Johnstone
After catching the eye of many clubs, he signed for
St Johnstone
St Johnstone Football Club is a professional association football club in Perth, Scotland which is a member of the Scottish Premiership for the 2022–23 season. The club's name is derived from St John's Toun ''aka'' Saint Johnstoun – an old ...
, in a reported five-figure deal in August 2006. He scored his first league goal for the Perth club in a 3–2 league defeat at
Livingston
Livingston may refer to:
Businesses
* Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010)
* Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline
* Livingston International, a North American custom ...
on 13 January 2007. A week later, he scored the winner against his former club. On 30 January 2008, McLaren was released by St Johnstone.
Clyde
McLaren signed for Clyde on 2 June 2008, after impressing in a trial period at the tail end of the 2007–08 season, including when he scored against former club St Johnstone in a reserve cup semi final, and was on the winning side in the final. He made his Clyde début in July 2008, in a 2–0 victory over Annan Athletic in the
Scottish Challenge Cup
The Scottish Professional Football League Challenge Cup,Gordon Chisholm for
Dumfries
Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...
club Queen of the South in June 2009 from Clyde, as was his teammate, goalkeeper David Hutton.
McLaren's first goal for Queens came in the 2–0 home win against Ayr United on 29 August 2009. He also set up Rocco Quinn for Queens second goal of the game.
The departure of Chisholm and strikers' coach Billy Dodds from Queens on 22 March 2010, along with the promotion of
Kenny Brannigan
Kenny Brannigan (born 8 June 1965) is a Scottish former football player and manager.
Playing career
Kenny Brannigan was a journeyman professional with a career spanning 21 seasons. A centre back, he played for 14 senior clubs in his career ...
to the manager's position, coincided with the beginning of a surge in form from McLaren."QoS vs Raith Rovers" on www.qosfc.com /ref> McLaren's second goal for Queens was at Palmerston on 27 March 2010 against
Dunfermline
Dunfermline (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Accord ...
in another 2–0 home win, when he scored in first half injury time.
David Weatherston
David Weatherston (born 25 August 1986) is a retired Scottish professional footballer who played for Queen's Park, St Johnstone, Queen of the South, Falkirk, Stirling Albion, Alloa Athletic, Brechin City and Verdal IL.
Career
Queen's Park ...
scored Queens second goal of the match in the second half. McLaren's third goal for Queens was at Palmerston Park on 10 April 2010 against
Inverness Caley Thistle
Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club, commonly known as Caley Thistle, is a professional football club based in Inverness, Scotland. The team currently competes in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish Professional Fo ...
, when he gave Queens the lead after 10 minutes. McLaren's fourth goal for Queens was at the Excelsior Stadium on 12 April 2010 against Airdrie United, when he scored the only goal of the match after 88 minutes to give Queens a 1–0 win. McLaren's fifth goal for Queens was in the 3–0 home win against Raith Rovers on 17 April 2010. McLaren scored in the 80th minute and also crossed for Derek Holmes (22 mins) and Paul Burns (25 mins) to score and was rewarded with the man of the match award.
McLaren's sixth goal for Queens arrived after 54 minutes in the 1–0 home win against Ross County on 20 April 2010. This gave McLaren a tally of five goals in a seven-game spell.
After missing much of the early 2010/11 season McLaren returned to the first team on 22 August for the club's third league game of the season, the 3–1 away at Cowdenbeath. This was Queens' first league win of the season. He scored in his next game, the 4–1 League Cup win against
Forfar Athletic
Forfar Athletic Football Club are a Scottish semi-professional football club from the town of Forfar, Angus. They are members of the Scottish Professional Football League and currently play in Scottish League Two. They play their home games a ...
on 25 August. His excellent form under Brannigan continued in his next game, the 3–0 home league win against Ross County. Collecting the ball at the halfway line, McLaren set off on a dribble and run before scooping the ball over the keeper's head to score.
McLaren was announced by the club on 19 May 2011 as having been released."Three players released" www.qosfc.com 19 May 2011 /ref>
On 26 May 2011 McLaren was awarded divisional goal of the season for his counter against Dunfermline Athletic in October.
In November it was announced that McLaren was joining
Scottish League Second Division
The Scottish Football League Second Division was the third tier of the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013.
History
The Second Division was created in 1975, as part of a wider reconstruction of the Scottish Football League (SF ...
side
Airdrie United
Airdrieonians Football Club is a Scottish professional football team in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, who are members of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and play in Scottish League One. They were formed in 2002 as Airdrie United ...
on loan until January 2012. In December Airdrieonians (then known as Airdrie United) signed him on a deal until the end of season 2011–2012. In April 2012, he was sent off for violent conduct against
East Fife F.C.
East Fife Football Club is a semi-professional football (soccer), football club established in 1903 in Methil, Fife, Scotland. They are members of the Scottish Professional Football League and compete in Scottish League Two, the fourth tier of ...
He and East Fife player David White were both sent off in the incident.
Having been released by Airdrie at the end of the season, McLaren resigned for them again at the end of July 2012. In the summer of 2013 Airdrie United reverted to the clubs traditional name Airdrieonians. McLaren departed the club in January 2014.
Junior football
After leaving Airdrieonians, McLaren signed for Junior club
Irvine Meadow
Irvine Meadow XI Football Club is a Scottish football club, based in Irvine, North Ayrshire. They currently compete in the . The club's home ground is Meadow Park in central Irvine, and they play in royal blue strips.
History
Formed in 1897 ...
. He then signed for
Bo'ness United
Bo'ness United Football Club is a Scottish football club, based in the town of Bo'ness. The team plays in the after winning the East of Scotland and gaining SFA membership in 2020. They presently play their home games at Newtown Park, which ...
2008–09 Clyde F.C. season
Season 2008–09 saw Clyde F.C., Clyde compete in their ninth consecutive season in the Scottish First Division. They finished bottom of the league, and were relegated to the Scottish Second Division.
Transfers
Summer
In
Out
January
In
...