David Wallace Wotherspoon (born 16 January 1990) is a professional
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
player who plays as a
midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
for club
Dunfermline Athletic
Dunfermline Athletic Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dunfermline, Fife. Founded in 1885, the club currently compete in the after winning the 2022–23 Scottish League One title. Dunfermline play at ...
He played at youth level with Abernethy Cubs, Bridge of Earn AFC, and the St Johnstone Academy.
Wotherspoon was part of
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
*Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Foot ...
's youth setup, but moved to Hibernian in the belief that he would have more opportunity to break into senior football.
Hibernian
He was part of the Hibernian youth side that won both the
Scottish Youth Cup
The Scottish Youth Cup (also known as the SFA Youth Cup) is an annual football in Scotland, Scottish football competition run by the Scottish Football Association for under-18 teams,2008–09 season, with Wotherspoon contributing eight goals from midfield.
Wotherspoon made his senior debut in the 2–1 home win over St Mirren at the start of the 2009–10 season, scoring Hibs' first goal. After establishing himself in the Hibs first team as a
right back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Defenders fall into four main categ ...
, Wotherspoon signed a contract with Hibs until 2013.
During the 2010–11 season Wotherspoon was more often used as a right midfielder, and in early 2011 he scored two goals against St Mirren and St Johnstone to help his team go on a six-match unbeaten run. He had previously not scored in 63 matches and said that he wanted to start scoring more goals for Hibs.
Wotherspoon's form improved in the early part of the 2012–13 season. He scored a late winning goal in the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Edinburgh derby
The Edinburgh derby is an informal title given to any association football, football match played between Football in Scotland, Scottish clubs Heart of Midlothian F.C., Heart of Midlothian (Hearts) and Hibernian F.C., Hibernian (Hibs), the two o ...
rivals Hearts. A decline in Hibs' fortunes during the season was mirrored by Wotherspoon personally, who lost his place in the side. He left Hibs at the end of his contract in the 2013 close season.
St Johnstone
Wotherspoon signed a two-year contract with his hometown club St Johnstone on 2 July 2013. On 10 July 2013, Wotherspoon scored a goal from a free-kick from 21 yards in a pre-season friendly against
Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath () 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 1890. According to a 20 ...
. This was his first appearance and his first goal for St Johnstone. He scored his first league goal for the club with a free kick in a 4–0 win against Ross County on 17 August, and had a
penalty kick
A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...
saved in the same game. Wotherspoon helped the club win the
2013–14 Scottish Cup
The 2013–14 Scottish Cup was the 129th season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The tournament began on 14 September 2013 and ended on 17 May 2014. It was sponsored by bookmaker William Hill (bookmaker), William Hil ...
. He signed a new two-year contract with St Johnstone in January 2015.
In February 2019, Wotherspoon extended his contract with St Johnstone for another two years. On 26 October 2019, he made his 250th appearance for the club, and marked the occasion by scoring twice as St Johnstone won 3–2 against
Hamilton Academical
Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Accies, or The Accies, is a Scottish football club from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, who currently compete in . They were established in 1874 from the school football team at Hamilto ...
. In 2021 Wotherspoon played a critical role in helping St Johnstone achieve the cup double, winning both the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup, also known as the Premier Sports Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League cup in ...
. In the
Scottish Cup Final
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the Scottish Cup, is a knockout cup competition in Scottish football. Organised by the Scottish Football Association, it is the third oldest existing football competition in the wo ...
, Wotherspoon had an assist on Shaun Rooney's goal and was named Man of the Match for his efforts.
In November 2021 Wotherspoon suffered an ACL injury during St Johnstone's
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup, also known as the Premier Sports Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League cup in ...
semi-final against
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
*Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Foot ...
, ruling him out for eight months. He returned to training in August 2022. Two months later Wotherspoon made his first appearance for St Johnstone since his injury on 15 October, subbing into their league match against Livingston which ended in a 1-0 defeat. At the end of the
season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
, St Johnstone announced Wotherspoon would not be offered a new contract, ending his time with his hometown club after a decade.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle
In October 2023, Wotherspoon joined
Scottish Championship
The Scottish Championship known as the William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional association footb ...
side
Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club, commonly known as Caley Thistle, Inverness CT or just Inverness, is a professional football club based in Inverness, Scotland. The team competes in , the third tier of the Scottish Professional Footba ...
on a deal until January 2024. He made his debut for his new club on October 28 against Airdrieonians, and scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory.
Dundee United
After leaving Inverness at the end of a short-term contract, Wotherspoon signed with
Dundee United
Dundee United Football Club is a Scotland, Scottish professional association football, football club based in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923. United are nickname ...
for the rest of the 2023–24 season.
Dunfermline Athletic
Wotherspoon was signed by Dunfermline Athletic F.C. in July 2024, after his six-month contract with Dundee United expired.
International career
Youth
Wotherspoon represented Scotland at under-18 and under-19 levels before he made his first team debut for Hibs. He was called into the under-21 squad soon after he made his senior club debut, and he made his first appearance at that level in a 4–0 win against
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
in November 2009. He scored his first goal for the team, a late equaliser in a 1–1 draw against
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
, in August 2010. His second goal was the match-winner in a 2–1 victory against the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
in November 2011.
Senior
Wotherspoon was eligible to play for
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
as his mother was born there. He was selected for the Canada squad in March 2018 for a friendly against New Zealand without ever having been to Canada. He was again called up for a pair of CONCACAF Nations League A matches against
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
in September 2019. In May 2019 Wotherspoon was named to the provisional squad for the
2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 15th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men's association football, soccer championship of the North, Central American, and Caribbean region organized by CONCACAF. The tournament was p ...
, but was excluded from the final squad. Wotherspoon scored his first goal for Canada against the
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory, and the largest by population. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located so ...
2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 16th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men's association football, soccer championship of the North, Central American, and Caribbean regions organized by CONCACAF.
The tournament was ...
, but it was decided due to his heavy club schedule, he would not be a part of the final 23-man team.
In November 2022, Wotherspoon was named to Canada's squad for the
2022 FIFA World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
. He made his only appearance at the World Cup in Canada's third match against
Morocco
Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
on December 1, as a substitute for Junior Hoilett. This marked the first time a St Johnstone player took the field in a World Cup match.
In June 2023, Wotherspoon was named to the 23-man Canadian squad contesting the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals. On June 19 he was named to the squad for the
2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 17th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men's association football, soccer championship of the North, Central American and Caribbean region organized by CONCACAF. Canada and the United ...
, his first participation at the tournament.
Style of play
Although he started out as a right back for Hibs, Wotherspoon has also played as a right-sided or attacking midfielder. His primary position is as a
central midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
and at the start of the 2011–12 season he expressed his desire to play there more often. Although he also said that he was willing to play anywhere to be in the first team. Manager Pat Fenlon experimented with a 4–2–3–1 formation, using Wotherspoon as a central creative player, during the 2012–13 pre-season. These tactics were abandoned after a 3–0 defeat against
Dundee United
Dundee United Football Club is a Scotland, Scottish professional association football, football club based in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923. United are nickname ...
, with Wotherspoon then being used as a right midfielder in a more orthodox 4–4–2 shape.
In recent years, Wotherspoon has become known for his regular use of the "Spoony chop".
Personal life
Wotherspoon, who is from Bridge of Earn, was a St Johnstone supporter in his childhood. His mother was born in Canada.
Career statistics
Club
International
International goals
:''Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Wotherspoon goal''.
Honours
St Johnstone
*
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,2013–14, 2020–21
*
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup, also known as the Premier Sports Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League cup in ...