His Dundee first team debut came in January 1950 against Clyde but it took him several seasons before he became a regular in the side. In 1951-52 he was a member of the Dundee team that won its first trophy in 41 years when they won the League Cup beating Rangers in the final. He may well have won more domestic honours, missing two Cup finals due to National Service which was spent in the Royal Air Force Police.
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In 1956 he won a Scotland B cap Versus England. Later that year he earned the first of his eight Scottish League caps. He was a member of the Scotland team chosen for the 1958 World Cup finals. He finally made his debut in the final game with France having understudied the great Tommy Younger on more than 20 occasions. Bill would earn 28 caps for Scotland, four whilst at Dundee the rest after his move to Tottenham. He became the most capped goalkeeper in Scottish history. His last appearance for his country was in November 1965. His international career spanning more than seven years. His record as most capped goalkeeper would stand for another 14 years before finally falling to Alan Rough in 1979. |
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He made a total of 274 appearances for Dundee, including 62 clean sheets. The Dundee Club describe him thus “As a keeper who was elastically agile, endowed with remarkably sharp reflexes and was never less than impeccable for Dundee“.
He transferred to Tottenham Hotspur in June 1959 for a fee of sixteen and a half thousand pounds. A hefty fee in those days which Dundee used in the installing of floodlights at Dens Park.
He became a key member of the team alongside two other great Scottish legends, John White and Dave Mackay, both of whom have already been inducted into the Hall of Fame. His manager Bill Nicholson later described him as “One of his best signings”. The Tottenham team would became the first team in the twentieth century to win the English League and Cup Double in 1960/61. The following season they retained the FA Cup. Then in 1962 /63 they were the first British team to win a European Trophy. Defeating the holders Atletico Madrid 5-1 in the Final of the European Cup Winners Cup. This success included two titanic battles with Glasgow Rangers. At Tottenham he became one of the first goalkeepers to develop the quick accurate throw to his own team rather than the traditional long punt downfield. Bill made a total of 222 League appearances for Tottenham as well as 23 FA Cup matches and 17 in European competition. Such was his consistency during those glory years, from 1960 to 1963, Bill missed just a dozen games out of a possible 204. Tottenham’s obituary contains the following tribute.