William S. Stewart (11 February 1872 – July 1945) 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 was born in

Coupar Angus Coupar Angus (; Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic: ''Cùbar Aonghais'') is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, south of Blairgowrie and Rattray, Blairgowrie. The name Coupar Angus serves to differentiate the town from Cupar, Fife. The town was traditi ...

. He played as an

inside forward 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 ...

before switching to his favoured half back position. He joined

Newton Heath Newton Heath is an area of Manchester, England, north-east of Manchester city centre and with a population of 9,883. Historically part of Lancashire, Newton was formerly a farming area, but adopted the factory system following the Industrial Re ...

from Warwick County in July 1889. At Newton Heath, which was renamed Manchester United in 1902, he scored a goal in the club's first

Football Alliance The Football Alliance was an association football league in England which ran for three seasons, from 1889–90 to 1891–92. History In 1888, the same year the Football League was founded, The Combination was established by clubs who had been ...

match against

Sunderland Albion Sunderland Albion Football Club was an English association football club based in Sunderland, England, formed in 1888 and disbanded in 1892. The club was reformed in 2020 but has as of 2023 ceased operations again. Summary Sunderland Albion ...

on 21 September 1889. On 7 April 1890, he scored Newton Heath's first ever hat-trick against

Small Heath Small Heath is an area in south-east Birmingham, West Midlands, England situated on and around the Coventry Road about from the city centre. History Small Heath, which has been settled and used since Roman times, sits on top of a small hill. Th ...

. In the 1892–93 season, he helped the club gain

League League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

status. After scoring 23 goals in 149 appearances for the Heathens, he left the club in May 1895 for

Luton Town Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...

. At the end of the career, he joined Thames Ironworks.

References

1872 births 1945 deaths Scottish men's footballers Men's association football wing halves Warwick County F.C. players Manchester United F.C. players Luton Town F.C. players Millwall F.C. players Thames Ironworks F.C. players Dundee F.C. players Football Alliance players English Football League players Southern Football League players {{Scotland-footy-defender-1870s-stub