William Cringan (21 April 1890 – 12 May 1958) was a Scottish footballer who played for Sunderland, Ayr United, Celtic, Third Lanark and Motherwell, and for the Scotland national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Cringan | ||
| Date of birth | 21 April 1890 | ||
| Place of birth | Muirkirk, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 12 May 1958(1958-05-12) (aged 68) | ||
| Place of death | Bathgate, Scotland | ||
| Position(s) | Centre half | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Douglas Water Thistle | |||
| 1910–1917 | Sunderland | 77 | (2) |
| 1916–1917 | → Ayr United (loan) | 53 | (2) |
| 1917 | Ayr United | 6 | (0) |
| 1917–1923 | Celtic | 203 | (9) |
| 1923–1924 | Third Lanark | 30 | (0) |
| 1924–1925 | Motherwell | 16 | (1) |
| 1925 | Inverness Thistle | 16 | (1) |
| 1925–1926 | Bathgate | ||
| Total | 399 | (14) | |
| National team | |||
| 1919–1921 | Scottish Football League XI | 4 | (0) |
| Scotland (wartime) | 1 | (0) | |
| 1920–1923 | Scotland | 5 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Cringan, a centre half, started his senior career when he joined Sunderland from Douglas Water Thistle in 1910.[1][2] After five and a half seasons on Wearside, and with English football suspended during World War I, he returned to Scotland with Ayr United on a temporary transfer in January 1916. In the summer of 1917 he left the Black Cats to join Ayr on a permanent basis,[3] signing for Celtic in a £600 transfer deal a few months after that.[1]
Cringan was appointed Celtic captain soon after his arrival, a position he held until his departure.[4] During this time the club won the 1918–19 and 1921–22 Scottish League titles[5] and the Scottish Cup in 1923. He eventually left the Parkhead club in October 1923 when he joined Third Lanark. A year later he moved to Motherwell, where he moved away from top-level football following the 1924–25 season, with short spells outside the league with Inverness Thistle and Bathgate before retiring altogether.[3]
Cringan was first selected for the Scottish national side on 26 February 1920, captaining the side in a 1–1 draw against Wales. He was not selected again until 1923 but would eventually win a total of five international caps, three as captain.[6] Cringan also featured in four matches for a Scottish Football League select side.[7]
Cringan's brother Jimmy was also a professional footballer, who played for twelve seasons with Birmingham between 1922 and 1934.[1] Another brother Robert played for Ayr United.[8]
Cringan married the sister of footballer Peter Nellies;[9] the brothers-in-law played together once for the Scottish League XI in 1919.[10]
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