1960s great and FA Cup trailblazer Willie Stevenson passes away 🕯️
Liverpool has lost one of its greats.
Willie Stevenson, a left-half who won titles under Shankly and played his part in delivering our first ever FA Cup, has passed away at the age of 85.
He wasn’t just a legend of our club – he was someone I was lucky enough to meet.
When I was writing my book on Tommy Lawrence, Willie generously gave his time, stories, and memories.
He made me laugh more than anyone I interviewed – and that includes some real characters.
Signed from Rangers in 1962, Stevenson became an ever-present in a team that brought trophies and belief back to Anfield.
He was quick-witted, hard as nails, and had an eye for a pass that could split defences wide open.
He stepped up when Liverpool needed him
He told me about the 1965 FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea, when Liverpool had missed their previous six penalties in a row.
Willie stepped up and scored a goal sent us to Wembley, where we lifted the FA Cup for the first time in our history.
“He just stepped up,” said Ian St John (via LFC History), “like it was meant to be.”
Willie had that kind of presence – on the pitch and off it.
Part of the legendary FA Cup winning side, he was part of the Scottish brigade in Shankly’s army that also shared an amazing numerical coincidence.
The four Scots who helped deliver the cup made up the numbers of the year of this famous Wembley achievement (1 – Lawrence, 9 – St John, 6 – Stevenson, 5 – Yeats).
All four men have now sadly passed but will always share this unique link in what is a team that will never be forgotten.
We spoke about the 1966 Cup Winners’ Cup final too, played in his native Scotland.
“We lost to Dortmund at Hampden,” he said, “and I was so p****d off, I threw my medal out the window in the dressing room.”
He’d grown up nearby and had friends and family in the stands – it hurt, because it mattered so much to him and that was always clear.
Aptly, his final Liverpool goal was a penalty in 1967 against Wolves – another winner, another moment of calm in chaos.
When he left at 28, he still had plenty to give: Stoke, Tranmere, Vancouver, Limerick, Macclesfield.
It was this return to Merseyside with Tranmere Rovers that brought back the most memories though.
With Ron Yeats as manager, Willie played alongside Tommy Lawrence, Ian St John, Bobby Graham, Eddie Flood and Kit Fagan - all with strong Anfield connections.
He spoke about playing for Tranmere with a laugh: “We were no spring chickens, but we loved it. It was great being back together.”
He recalled Shankly’s team talks, the training, the togetherness.
He told me, “‘He never shouted, he went around every individual player and maybe said a couple of words with them.
“But generally speaking he would say: ‘You’re playing against a load of shite today. You will beat them five nothing!’
“As far as he was concerned, we were going to win every game 4-0, or 5-0 and you couldn’t persuade him from that.’”
After football, Willie ran The Kings Head pub in Macclesfield for years – same wit, same warmth.
He said: “I think if you get past the first couple of years, you’ve got a chance, because in the first couple of years you could end up in the pub and just get pissed!
“If you’re lucky enough, you have got some decent friends, and I had one or two.
“They looked after me and I looked after them”
Hung on the wall in the hallway of his house was a photo from Geoff Strong’s birthday – the 1965 FA Cup squad, all back together, pints in hand, years after their Wembley heroics.
Shankly’s band of brothers will forever be remembered as legends at Anfield and above all else, they were best mates too.
Willie Stevenson was a man who helped make Liverpool winners and gave his time to me when he didn’t have to.
The Scot wasn’t just part of Liverpool’s history – he helped me write about it too.
Rest in peace and thank you, Willie.
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