Willie Kivlichan

{{Infobox football biography

|name = Willie Kivlichan

|fullname = William Fulton Kivlichan{{Cite book |title=Football League Players' Records 1888–1939 |last=Joyce |first=Michael |date=16 October 2012 |publisher=Tony Brown |isbn=9781905891610 |edition= 3rd Revised |page=166}}

|birth_date = 11 March 1886

|birth_place = Galashiels, Scotland

|death_date = {{death date and age |1937|4|5|1886|3|11|df=y}}{{Cite book |title=Record of Pre-War Scottish League Players |last=Litster |first=John |publisher=PM Publications |location=Norwich}}

|death_place = Dumfries, Scotland

|position = {{ublist|Outside right|Centre forward}}

|years1 = 1902–1903

|clubs1 = Dumfries St Joseph's

|years2 = 1903–1904

|clubs2 = Maxwelltown Juniors

|years3 = 1904–1905

|clubs3 = Dumfries

|years4 =

|clubs4 = Glasgow University

|years5 = 1905–1907

|clubs5 = Rangers

|caps5 = 20

|goals5 = 7

|years6 = 1907–1911

|clubs6 = Celtic

|caps6 = 77

|goals6 = 20

|years7 = 1911–1914

|clubs7 = Bradford (Park Avenue)

|caps7 = 88

|goals7 = 5

|years8 =

|clubs8 = Queen of the South

|caps8 =

|goals8 =

|nationalyears1 = 1909–1910

|nationalteam1 = Scottish League XI

|nationalcaps1 = 3

|nationalgoals1 = 0

}}

William Fulton Kivlichan (11 March 1886 – 5 April 1937) was a Scottish footballer who played mainly as an outside right. He played for both of the Old Firm rival clubs Rangers and Celtic in the early 1900s.{{Cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/schools/11_16/citizenship/sectarianism/newstand07.shtml |title=BBC NI – Schools – Citizenship – Sectarianism – Newsstand – Sport – Newspaper Article 3 |last=BBC NI Learning |access-date=21 November 2018}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.scottishleague.net/archive/archive120.htm |title=SCOTTISHLEAGUE.NET SFAQS |access-date=21 November 2018}}

Career

Born in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, Kivlichan initially played for local clubs in the Dumfries area and signed for Rangers in 1905 via Glasgow University where he was an undergraduate in medicine; he played 24 games for the Ibrox club in two years.[http://www.fitbastats.com/rangers/player.php?playerid=1852 (Rangers player) Kivlichan, William], FitbaStats He was one of several players of the Catholic faith to feature for Rangers in the pre-World War I era, after which an unwritten rule was introduced at the club which persisted for several decades.[https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/11923169.ibrox-left-footers/ Ibrox left-footers], The Glasgow Herald, 15 September 1989

He transferred to Celtic in 1907 in an exchange deal involving fellow forward Alec Bennett and spent four seasons with the club, winning three Scottish Football League titles, a Glasgow Cup (1909) and a Scottish Cup (1911);[http://www.fitbastats.com/celtic/player.php?playerid=2337 (Celtic player) Kivlichan, William], FitbaStats he also represented the Scottish League XI three times while at Celtic,{{cite news|url=http://www.londonhearts.com/SFL/players/williekivlichan.html|title=[SFL player] Willie Kivlichan|website=London Hearts Supporters' Club|accessdate=4 December 2011}} and came into consideration for a full cap for Scotland when he played in the Home Scots v Anglo-Scots trial match of 1910.[https://www.londonhearts.com/scores/images/1910/1910032101.htm Football. {{!}} Anglo-Scots v. Home Scots], The Scotsman, 22 March 1910, scan via London Hearts Supporters Club After moving to England with Bradford (Park Avenue) he featured regularly for three seasons up to the outbreak of the First World War.

During the war, Kivlichan served as a lieutenant in the Royal Army Medical Corps, attached to the King's African Rifles.{{Cite web|url=http://vintagefootballers.com/product/kivlichan-willie-image-1-bradford-pa-1912/|title=Kivlichan Willie Image 1 Bradford Park Avenue 1912|website=Vintage Footballers|language=en-GB|access-date=14 January 2019}} After he qualified in medicine from the University of Glasgow, Kivlichan became the Celtic team doctor. He was by the side of John Thomson as the young goalkeeper died from an injury sustained in an Old Firm match on 5 September 1931.[http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football-news/scottish-football/spl-football/rangers-fc/2008/05/28/old-firm-switch-target-kenny-miller-will-follow-in-100-year-old-footsteps-86908-20432179/ Miller to follow in 100-year-old footsteps] DailyRecord.co.uk, 28 May 2008

Kivlichan died on 5 April 1937 of heart disease at the age of 51.