Willie Miller

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Willie Miller

● Willie Miller, 1933 (EBY) William Rennie Miller was born on Wednesday, 19th January, 1910, in Camelon, Stirlingshire. The 5' 9 (11st 6lbs) forward signed for George Easton's Thistle on Tuesday, 6th November, 1928, having most recently been with Alva Albion Rangers. Aged 19, he made his debut appearance on Saturday, 26th October, 1929, in a 3-2 win away to Clyde in the SFL First Division. That day, Willie became a member of our scoring debutant's club. He scored the last of his 43 goals on Saturday, 2nd March, 1935, in a 2-2 draw at home to Queen's Park in the SFL First Division. He played his last game for the club on Monday, 6th May, 1935, in a 1-0 win at home to Rangers in the Glasgow Charity Cup, having clocked up 156 appearances as a Jag. His club-list included Alva Albion Rangers, Partick Thistle, Everton, Burnley, Tranmere Rovers, Falkirk, Dunfermline Athletic and Airdrieonians. Willie died on Monday, 20th February, 1978, in Falkirk, aged 68.

Every Goal

compiled from our All Games criteria.

19y, 9m, 7d		26.10.1929 Clyde [a] W3-2 (SFL First Division - game 12)
19y, 9m, 14d		02.11.1929 Falkirk [h] W5-0 (SFL First Division - game 13)
19y, 10m, 11d		30.11.1929 Celtic [h] W3-2 (SFL First Division - game 17)
19y, 11m, 9d		28.12.1929 Ayr United [h] L2-3 (SFL First Division - game 22)
19y, 11m, 30d		18.01.1930 Dalbeattie Star [a] W6-1 (Scottish Cup 1st Round)
20y, 0m, 27d		15.02.1930 Aberdeen [h] W3-2 (Scottish Cup 3rd Round)
20y, 7m, 8d		27.08.1930 King's Park [a] D3-3 (Friendly)
20y, 8m, 29d		18.10.1930 Ayr United [h] W5-1 (SFL First Division - game 11)
20y, 9m, 6d		25.10.1930 Cowdenbeath [a] W3-0 (SFL First Division - game 12)
20y, 9m, 20d		08.11.1930 Airdrieonians [h] W2-0 (SFL First Division - game 14)
21y, 4m, 14d		02.06.1931 Frem [a] W4-1 (Friendly)
22y, 11m, 19d		07.01.1933 Hamilton Academical [a] L3-4 (SFL First Division - game 24)
23y, 0m, 19d		07.02.1933 Ayr United [h] W2-0 (Scottish Cup 2nd Round replay)
23y, 3m, 5d		24.04.1933 Glentoran [a] D1-1 (Friendly)
23y, 8m, 4d		23.09.1933 Queen of the South [a] L3-4 (SFL First Division - game 9)
23y, 11m, 18d		06.01.1934 Aberdeen [h] W4-0 (SFL First Division - game 25)
24y, 0m, 1d		20.01.1934 Morton [h] W1-0 (Scottish Cup 1st Round)
24y, 0m, 19d		07.02.1934 Motherwell [a] L1-2 (Scottish Cup 2nd Round replay)
24y, 1m, 19d		10.03.1934 Ayr United [h] W5-1 (SFL First Division - game 31)
24y, 1m, 26d		17.03.1934 Motherwell [a] W3-2 (SFL First Division - game 32)
24y, 2m, 12d		31.03.1934 Cowdenbeath [h] W5-3 (SFL First Division - game 34)
24y, 2m, 19d		07.04.1934 Dundee [h] D1-1 (SFL First Division - game 35)
24y, 3m, 9d		28.04.1934 Third Lanark [a] L1-3 (SFL First Division - game 38)
24y, 3m, 12d		01.05.1934 Queen's Park [h] W4-2 (Glasgow Charity Cup Quarter Final)
24y, 7m, 3d		22.08.1934 Ayr United [a] L2-3 (SFL First Division - game 3)
24y, 7m, 17d		05.09.1934 Buckie Thistle [a] W4-0 (Friendly)
24y, 7m, 27d		15.09.1934 St Johnstone [a] L1-2 (SFL First Division - game 8)
24y, 8m, 3d		22.09.1934 Heart of Midlothian [h] L1-3 (SFL First Division - game 9)
24y, 8m, 5d		24.09.1934 Clyde [h] W4-0 (Glasgow Cup Semi Final)
24y, 8m, 24d		13.10.1934 Rangers [n] W1-0 (Glasgow Cup Final)
24y, 9m, 22d		10.11.1934 Dunfermline Athletic [h] W7-1 (SFL First Division - game 15)
24y, 10m, 12d		01.12.1934 Falkirk [a] W2-1 (SFL First Division - game 18)
24y, 10m, 19d		08.12.1934 Ayr United [h] D1-1 (SFL First Division - game 19)
24y, 10m, 26d		15.12.1934 Motherwell [a] L1-4 (SFL First Division - game 20)
24y, 11m, 17d		05.01.1935 Queen of the South [a] W4-2 (SFL First Division - game 25)
24y, 11m, 24d		12.01.1935 St Johnstone [h] W3-0 (SFL First Division - game 26)
25y, 0m, 0d		19.01.1935 Heart of Midlothian [a] W2-1 (SFL First Division - game 27)
25y, 0m, 7d		26.01.1935 Stenhousemuir [h] W3-0 (Scottish Cup 1st Round)
25y, 1m, 11d		02.03.1935 Queen's Park [h] D2-2 (SFL First Division - game 30)

Every Penalty

compiled from our All Games criteria.

#
1	24y, 2m, 12d		31.03.1934 Cowdenbeath [h] W5-3 (SFL First Division - game 34)	3-2, pen 70 mins
2	24y, 2m, 12d		31.03.1934 Cowdenbeath [h] W5-3 (SFL First Division - game 34)	4-2, pen 72 mins
3	24y, 2m, 19d		07.04.1934 Dundee [h] D1-1 (SFL First Division - game 35)	1-1, pen 65 mins
4	24y, 7m, 17d		05.09.1934 Buckie Thistle [a] W4-0 (Friendly)	2-0, pen 37 mins
5	24y, 8m, 3d		22.09.1934 Heart of Midlothian [h] L1-3 (SFL First Division - game 9)	missed target @ 1-2, 2nd half
6	25y, 1m, 11d		02.03.1935 Queen's Park [h] D2-2 (SFL First Division - game 30)	1-1, pen 62 mins
7	25y, 3m, 3d		22.04.1935 Queen's Park [a] L1-3 (SFL First Division - game 37)	saved @ 1-2, 69 mins
8	25y, 3m, 17d		06.05.1935 Rangers [h] W1-0 (Glasgow Charity Cup Semi Final)	saved @ 1-0, 1st half

Willie Miller
5/8 ← success rate → 62.5%

Partick Thistle
548/781 ← success rate → 70.2%
@ 07-Jan-2023

Who put the ball in the Rangers net?

Willie featured at #22 in our Top 25 countdown here on The Thistle Archive →

13.10.1934 Rangers [n] W1-0 (Glasgow Cup Final)
Willie Miller (1-0, 58 mins)

What this countdown really needs is a bit of silverware; enter Hampden stage left, Willie Miller.

Several seasons a Jag, the Camelon-born inside forward was playing his last season with the club. Willie clocked up 156 appearances in his time, with many important goals to his credit, but perhaps none more so than his strike on Saturday, 13th October, 1934.

That day, in front of 27,834 (a turnout affected by the heavy rain) he scored the only goal of the game in the Glasgow Cup Final at the national stadium. Rangers, the current Scottish champions, must have thought they had done all the hard work by beating Celtic in the semi-final, but they found Donald Turner's Jags too tough a nut to crack. The crucial counter in this hard-fought contest came in the 58th minute, as the conditions worsened. Willie, who had forced Jerry Dawson into a splendid save just 60 seconds earlier, had another go from 22-yards out. This time, luck was on his side; his shot took a deflection off half-back Jimmy Simpson, and Dawson was unable to adjust his feet.

Thus, history was made, and Thistle finally took custody of a much coveted trophy which had eluded them for nearly 50 years.

Sadly, the audio transcripts for this match, if they ever existed, will long-since have perished, so we shall have to use our imagination to relive what was sung down Mount Florida way that day. I'd rather like to think that Maurice Parry had introduced the Cwm Rhondda tune to the great Jaggy repertoire some 20-odd years earlier, and that our witty Great Grandads were in good form, singing and dancing in the rain… altogether now…

♪ Are you Benburb? Are you Benburb? Are you Benburb in disguise? ♫

Scrapbook

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Mitchells Cigarette Card, 1934

Dundee Evening Telegraph, 31st December, 1936

Falkirk Herald, 27th February, 1978

Falkirk Herald, 27th February, 1978