Bernard "Benny" Cairney (16 October 1945 – January 2023) was a Scottish professional footballer who played for Motherwell and Wigan Athletic.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bernard Cairney | ||
| Date of birth | 16 October 1945 | ||
| Place of birth | Salsburgh, North Lanarkshire, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | January 2023 (aged 77) | ||
| Position(s) | Inside forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Thorniewood United | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1963–1965 | Leicester City | 0 | (0) |
| 1965 | Celtic | 0 | (0) |
| 1965–1968 | Motherwell | 43 | (7) |
| 1968–1970 | Wigan Athletic | 59 | (8) |
| Northwich Victoria | |||
| Ross County | |||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Biography
editCairney began his football career with junior club Thorniewood United. At the age of 17, he was signed by English First Division club Leicester City in October 1963,[1] but was released at his own request two years later without making a first team appearance.[2] He returned to Scotland and signed a three-month contract with Celtic, where he made several reserve team appearance before joining Motherwell. He made his first team breakthrough at Motherwell, and went on to make 54 appearances for the club, scoring 11 goals.[3]
Cairney began a second spell in England in 1968 after joining Northern Premier League club Wigan Athletic, scoring 26 goals in 95 appearances.[1] In 1970, he was sold to Northwich Victoria as part of an exchange deal for Geoff Davies,[4] and went on to score over 50 goals during his two seasons with the club.[1] He finished his professional career in Scotland with Ross County before returning to junior football.[5]
After retiring from football, Cairney worked as a chiropodist and physiotherapist.[5] He died in January 2023, aged 77.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Obituary | Benny Cairney (1945-2023)". Wigan Athletic. 9 February 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
- ^ "Celtic To Bid Again?". Wishaw Press. 28 May 1965. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Benny Cairney (1945-2023)". Motherwell F.C. 26 January 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
- ^ "Two players for Davies". Runcorn Guardian. 4 June 1970. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Fowlie, Brian (30 October 2016). "Benny's Wigan boss fell victim to law of averages". The Sunday Post. Dundee – via PressReader.
- ^ "Former Motherwell forward Cairney dies at age 77". BBC Sport. 26 January 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
External links
edit- Profile at Post War English & Scottish Football League Database