Role Footballer Name Willie Gardiner | Years Team Playing position Position Forward | |
Date of birth (1929-08-15)15 August 1929 Date of death 5 January 2007(2007-01-05) (aged 77) Died January 5, 2007, Stirling, United Kingdom | ||
William "Willie" Gardiner is a Scottish footballer who played as a forward for Rangers, Leicester City, Reading and Sudbury Town.
Born in Larbert, Gardiner started career in reserve football in Scotland with Rangers but got little opportunity to play first-team football. He moved to England and signed for Leicester City for £4,000 under manager Dave Halliday.
He was a prolific goalscorer. In three seasons he scored 48 league goals in 69 games and was the leading goalscorer in the Second Division in the 1955-56 season. He lost his starting place in 1957 and was then playing reserve team football. In 1958 he signed for Reading, his time there being hampered by two serious injuries. He finished his career with Sudbury Town and later found employment as telephone exchange operator for British Telecom.