William Fraser Russell (born 6 December 1901 in

Falkirk Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a ...

) was a Scottish professional

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 right Forwards (also known as attackers) are Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring Goal (sport)#Association footbal ...

. He scored both goals for

Airdrieonians 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 ...

in the 1924 Scottish Cup Final.

Playing career

Airdrieonians

He formed part of a potent Airdrie front line including

Hughie Gallacher Hugh Kilpatrick Gallacher (2 February 1903 – 11 June 1957) was a Scottish football player in the 1920s and 1930s. In 624 senior games, Gallacher scored 463 goals, playing senior league football for Airdrieonians, Newcastle United, Chelsea, ...

and

Bob McPhail Robert Lowe McPhail (25 October 1905 – 24 August 2000) was a Scottish professional footballer, who played for Airdrieonians, Rangers and represented Scotland. Career Airdrieonians Born in Barrhead, McPhail started his career at Glasgow Jun ...

. Russell scored both goals for the ''Diamonds'' when they won the 1924 Scottish Cup Final against Hibernian.The Cup Final , Airdrieonians' First Success
The Glasgow Herald, 21 April 1924 McPhail said, "The terror-like attitude of Gallacher caused havoc with the Hibs defenders. He and Russell were easily our best forwards".Hughie Gallacher on Queens Legends, www.qosfc.com
/ref> They also finished second that season in Scotland's top division, both outcomes marking the pinnacle of the club's achievements. After five full seasons in Airdrie, he moved to

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 ...

in England, where he spent around the same length of time, then had a short spell with Irish club Shelbourne in the autumn of his career.

International

Russell represented

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

twice, debuting in the season of the cup win on 16 February 1924 in a 2–0 defeat to Wales in Cardiff. His second and final full cap was on 4 April 1925 in a 2–0 win against England at Hampden Park; Airdrie teammate Gallacher scored both goals. He also represented the

Scottish League The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4 km sout ...

twice in the season after the cup win. He played in a 3–0 win against the Irish League at

Tynecastle Park Tynecastle Park is a football stadium in the Gorgie area of Edinburgh, which is the home ground of Scottish Professional Football League club Heart of Midlothian (Hearts). It has also hosted Scotland international matches, and been used as a ...

and scored twice in a 4–3 defeat to England 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 ...

(Gallacher was the other Scottish scorer).

References

;Sources * 1901 births Year of death missing Scottish men's footballers Men's association football inside forwards Scottish Junior Football Association players Airdrieonians F.C. (1878) players Preston North End F.C. players Benburb F.C. players Shelbourne F.C. players Scottish Football League players English Football League players Expatriate men's association footballers in the Republic of Ireland League of Ireland players Scottish expatriate sportspeople in Ireland Scottish Football League representative players Scotland men's international footballers Footballers from Falkirk {{Scotland-footy-forward-1900s-stub