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Billy Hunter, who died at the age of 80, is a Scottish foreign footballer known for his elegance on and off the field.
A talented and determined player mainly in the lead with abundant technical skill and good eye for the purpose, he made a call for himself as one of the famous “Ancell Babes” with Motherwell for whom he played between 1957 and 67, betting about 300 games and scoring 64 goals. He won three full international matches in 1960 at the age of 20 with 4 league matches and 4 under-23 international matches on the side.
Thanks to his strong social awareness, he has made significant contributions to a number of laudable causes, adding Cclasp, a children’s cancer charity, St Columba’s Hospice, as an ambassador for the Award of Football Memories in an agreement with Alzheimer’s Scotland to help others with dementia through the memory of football. and as an esteemed unwavering friend who supports former fellow players affected by the disease. He was convinced that the link between the leader of old heavy football and the greater number of ex-players with dementia deserve to be identified and take action for their fate.
At Motherwell, manager Bobby Ancell’s youth policy has produced players of the caliber of Billy, Ian St John, Andy Weir, John Martis, Sammy Reid and Pat Quinn, who also recently died. Although the team did not win a trophy in the primary, it produced surprising football and memorable results. These included a 7-0 goal of Leeds United, Jack Charlton et al and a 9-2 shot by brazilian Flamengo cracks with the incomparable Gerson in their ranks in lighted friendlies in Fir Park.
Other highlights come with third place in 1959 in the former first department of Rangers champions, whom they defeated 4 in a row this season, and in 1961, beating the Rangers at Ibrox in the 5–2 Scottish Cup, one of Billy’s favourite matches.
William Hunter was born to Willie’s parents, an electrician, and Maggie was born Neilson in Edinburgh, where she grew up in Begg’s Buildings, Abbeyhill, the “Wee World” as it is called because of his autonomous network that Billy later described in a book.
He attended Abbeyhill Primary School, where his football skills were noticed and he was decided by Edinburgh schools. He then went to Broughton High School, where he showed his educational perspectives and continued to play football with the Boys Brigade and the well-known youth club Edinburgh Norton.
Unfortunately, at the age of 15, Billy’s mother committed suicide, a traumatic occasion that then triggered intermittent depression. Soon after, he left school to start running at a brokerage workplace in Charlotte Square, where Jimmy Robertson, who ran Edinburgh Norton, was a cashier. His brother a Motherwell scout, which led Billy to point to the club in 1957 and make his debut on 12 October at the age of 17 against Dundee.
Its effect was such that in the area of a year he decided on the Scottish League to play against the Irish League, the youngest player on the field, along with names as sacred as Willie Bauld, Dave Mackay and Eric Caldow. . Soon after, well-known football editor John Rafferty commented on an article: “He has such control of the ball, speed and acceleration, through movement, that it makes him an aristocrat among young players.”
So it is no surprise that he won three full matches in 1960 against Hungary, Turkey and Wales, marking his emotion-laden debut with a purpose in a draw in Budapest’s iconic Nepsatadion against 90,000 players.
Nationally, Motherwell has won rave reviews for her notable victories in friendlies opposed to a top-notch opposition with Billy far ahead. First Leeds, then Djurg.rdens of Sweden, Winterthur of Switzerland, Gothenburg of Sweden, Athletic bilbao of Spain, Flamengo who beat Manchester United 5-0 and despite everything Brazilians Bahia.
In 1962, Billy began a series of bad luck with injuries, suffering repeated severe fractures of the same forearm that required bone grafts of tibia and hip, which caused him to lose nearly two seasons. The tibia graft weakened his ankle, yet he resumed the game at the national highest point and in the Motherwell team that won the 1965 Summer Cup. But there’s no turning back into foreign football.
Ancell’s era ended and in 1967 he joined the Detroit Cougars for one season before moving on to Hibs, the favorite of the training years, for just over two seasons, betting only thirteen games. He then went to South Africa, where he spent three seasons, first with Hellenic, where George Eastham was a player/coach, then to Cape Town with his old friend St. John.
The next Portsmouth port of call as deputy director of St. John for 3 seasons, followed by a brief stint as director of Queen of the South in 1978 and later as director of Inverness Caley in the Highland League.
After completing a business studies course, he worked as an independent monetary advisor in Edinburgh with several corporations and for a time made the selection of the Spurs, among others.
In 1964, at Canongate Kirk, he married Rona Tait with whom he had a long and satisfied marriage in which they had Jacqueline. Rona a stenographer and then worked in administration.
A prolific and passionate poet with an overflowing imagination, Billy finished 4 books with a donation of more than 10,000 euros to the hospice of Sainte-Colombe. The first was his walk and Rona’s walk along the Southern Upland Way and others were the theme of football ”We are the champions’ and ‘Look back in amber’, in addition to ‘The Wee World’. He has also contributed to poems for books published in support. memories of football. Other interests included paintings and music from his family, which he discovered therapeutics. He liked to make a Song Sinatra while playing guitar and improv sessions with his grandson Cameron.
After his death, Motherwell’s online page called him “perhaps the ultimate player to wear our colors over his head,” a glorious distinction. He was also a glorious multidimensional human being that everyone fondly remembered.
He is survived by his wife, daughter, son-in-law Robbie and grandson.