William McGuire (born 24 March 1860) 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 lea ...

who played as a

centre forward In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on be ...

Career

Born in

Beith Beith (locally ) is a small town in the Garnock Valley, North Ayrshire, Scotland approximately south-west of Glasgow. The town is situated on the crest of a hill and was known originally as the "''Hill o' Beith''" (hill of the birches) afte ...

, McGuire played club football for Beith Thistle,

and

Darwen Darwen is a market town and civil parish in the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The residents of the town are known as "Darreners". The A666 road, A666 road passes through Darwen towards Blackburn to the north, Bolton to ...

, and made two appearances for

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

in 1881 (a 6–1 victory over

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and a 5–1 win against

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

).Famous Players. William McGuire, Beith F.C.
The Scottish Referee, 24 February 1905. Scan via London Hearts Supporters Club He was the only serving Beith player to have been selected for international duty.
London Hearts Supporters Club. Retrieved 21 February 2022 Injuries during his spell in England with Darwen brought his playing career to an end in 1883.

References

1860 births 1925 deaths Scottish men's footballers Scotland men's international footballers Beith F.C. players Darwen F.C. (1870) players Men's association football forwards Footballers from North Ayrshire Sportspeople from Beith 19th-century Scottish sportsmen {{Scotland-footy-forward-1860s-stub