William Aitken

Who was William Aitken?

William John Aitken was a Scottish footballer and football manager.

A forward, he was known for his trait of bouncing the ball on his head whilst running along the touchline, and was normally known as Willie or Billy. He began his career at Kirkintilloch, before joining Rangers via Queen's Park in 1918. He signed with Port Vale in 1919, before he was sold on to Newcastle United for £2,500 in May 1920. He spent four seasons at Tyneside, before joining Preston North End in 1924. He spent two years with the "Lambs", and after spells at Chorley, Norwich City, and Bideford Town, he was appointed as head coach at Italian club Juventus in 1928. He moved on to France the following year to play for AS Cannes. He played in the 1932 Coupe de France final victory, and was later appointed as club manager. He then spent 1934 to 1936 as player-manager at Stade de Reims, and then took charge at FC Antibes between 1936 and 1938. During World War II he worked as a defence contractor at Vickers-Armstrongs, and he coached across Europe and also worked for a wine and spirits distributor.