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 ...
Burnbank
Burnbank is an area in the town of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was formerly a separate mining village before being absorbed into the town.
Location and governance
Burnbank, previously an independent settlement, then part of Hamil ...
, Lanarkshire, who began his football 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 ...
at the local St Cuthbert School and represented
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland.
Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotlan ...
elementary schools against
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
. On leaving school he played in the junior league as centre forward for his local club Burnbank. Three seasons later he went to St Cuthbert C.Y.M.S. This was a one-season stay before returning to Burnbank for a further season. The next season, he was with
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 ...
Savage signed for Queens from Motherwell Juniors in 1932. he made his debut as a trialist on 1 October 1932 in the 10-0 league thrashing of
Bo'ness
Borrowstounness (commonly known as Bo'ness ( )) is a town and former burgh and seaport on the south bank of the Firth of Forth in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Historically part of the county of West Lothian, it is a place within the Falki ...
at
Palmerston Park
Palmerston Park is a football stadium on Terregles Street in Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is the home ground of Scottish League One club Queen of the South, who have played there since 1919. South of Scotland League club He ...
. The result took Queens to the top of the table. A second trial followed two weeks later against
Albion Rovers
Albion Rovers Football Club is a semi-professional football team from Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. They are members of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and play in Scottish League Two, the fourth tier of the Scotti ...
and he was signed immediately after that game as other clubs took an interest in him.
Savage was one of the mainstays of the team that won Queen of the South promotion to Scotland's top division for the first time in the club's history, when they ended season 1932–33 with a victory over Second Division champions Hibernian and finished as runners-up."Club History" on the official Queen of the South website /ref>
As a player Willie Savage was part of many landmark events in the history of Queen of the South:-
* Queens highly successful first season in the top division finishing 4th – their highest finish to date. Queens also made it to the quarter finals of the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,1936 overseas tour and the Algiers invitational tournament. Queens returned with the trophy after beating
Racing de Santander
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. (), also known as Racing de Santander () or simply Racing, is a football club based in Santander, Cantabria, Spain, that currently competes in Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish league system ...
Albion Rovers
Albion Rovers Football Club is a semi-professional football team from Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. They are members of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and play in Scottish League Two, the fourth tier of the Scotti ...
and
Dumbarton
Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990.
Dumbarton was the ca ...
. Savage returned to Queens at the end of the war and played with the club until 1947. Savage was a tremendous player and Captain of Queen of the South and played for the first team 369 times. Savage is 9th highest in the club's record appearances list. Savage was the first ever Queens player to reach 300 first class games, a feat even today achieved by less than 20 players.
Savage was known as a scrupulously fair tackler and he formed a great full back partnership with Willie Culbert. His sterling performances made him a fans favourite and he was also well liked by his teammates. Off the park he would entertain teammates on away fixture trips by playing the mouth organ.
Among the others at Queens in the 1930s with Savage were fellow players Willie Culbert,
Willie Ferguson
William Copeland Ferguson (13 February 1901 – 31 August 1960) was a Scottish footballer and manager best known for his time at Chelsea and Dumfries side Queen of the South. His position was usually as a left winger.
Early years
Ferguson ...
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
Jackie Oakes
Jackie Oakes (6 December 1919 – 3 December 1995) was a Scottish footballer who played for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Queen of the South, Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City. Born in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, his position was left winger. ...
. He played under managers George McLachlan, Ferguson as McLachlan's successor and also Jimmy McKinnell Senior.
After the promotion from Savage's first season at Queen of the South ''1932–33'', all of Savage's Queens career was spent in Scotland's top division.