William Cringan

William "Willie" Cringan (born 21 April, 1890 in Muirkirk, Ayrshire; died 12 May, 1958) was a former Scottish international footballer who played for Sunderland A.F.C., Ayr United, Celtic, Third Lanark and Motherwell.

Cringan, a centre half, started his senior career when he joined Sunderland from Douglas Water FC in 1910.cite book | last = Lamming | first = Douglas | title = A Scottish Soccer Internationalists Who’s Who, 1872-1986 | format = Hardback | publisher = Hutton Press | year = 1987 | id = (ISBN 0-907033-47-4) ] After five and a half seasons on Wearside he returned to Scotland with Ayr United on a temporary transfer in January 1916. A year later he left the "Black Cats" on a permanent basis, signing for Celtic in a £600 transfer deal.

Cringan was appointed Celtic captain soon after his arrival, a position he held until 1923. During this time the club won the 1917, 1919 and 1922 League titles. [Brown, Alan. [http://www.rsssf.com/players/scot-champ-teams.html Scotland - Championship Winning Teams 1900-1920] , Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation, Retrieved 22 June, 2007] He eventually left the Parkhead club in October 1923 when he joined Motherwell. A year later he moved to Third Lanark, where he retired following the 1924-25 season.

Cringan was first selected for the Scottish national side on 26 February, 1920, captaining the side in a 1-1 draw against Wales. He was not selected again until 1923 but would eventually win a total of five international caps, three as captain. [ [http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/player_details.cfm?playerid=112815&squadid=1 Scotland National Teams, A Squad Player Details] , The Scottish Football Association, Retrieved 22 June, 2007] Cringan also featured in four matches for a Scottish Football League select side against teams drawn from the leagues of the other Home Nations.

Cringan's brother, Jimmy Cringan, was also a professional footballer, who played for twelve seasons with Birmingham between 1922 and 1934.

See also

*History of Celtic F.C.

References

External links

* [http://www.londonhearts.com/scotland/players/williamcringan.html Scotland Appearances] at londonhearts.com
* [http://www.londonhearts.com/sfl/players/williecringan.html Scotland Football League Appearances] at londonhearts.com
* [http://kerrydalestreet.com/page/Willie+Cringan+Pics?t=anon Image] at kerrydalestreet.com