Willie Pettigrew Player Profile
Player Details
- Full Name: William Haddow Pettigrew
- Born: September 29th, 1953 (Motherwell)
- Height: 5' 11
- Position: Striker
- Signed: August 7th, 1979 (£100,000)
- First Manager: Jim McLean
- Career Totals: 91 appearances, 36 goals
- Also Played For: Greenock Morton, Hamilton Academical, Heart of Midlothian, Motherwell
Playing History
| Season | Division |  |
 |
G2G |  |
 |
Win % | Draw % | Loss % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-82 | Premier Division | 7 (2) | 4 | 0.44 | 0 | 0 | 77.8% | 11.1% | 11.1% |
| 1980-81 | Premier Division | 21 (11) | 10 | 0.31 | 0 | 0 | 50.0% | 25.0% | 25.0% |
| 1979-80 | Premier Division | 49 (1) | 22 | 0.44 | 0 | 0 | 38.0% | 34.0% | 28.0% |
| Totals: | 77 (14) | 36 |
| Apps = First Team Appearances (Sub Appearances) | Gls = Goals |
| GtGR = Goals to Games Ratio | W/D/L - Games won, drawn or lost as percentage of games played in |
| Yel = Yellow Cards/Cautions | Red = Red Cards/Dismissals |
| Recent First Team Starts |
|---|
| Sep 5th, 1981 | 05/09/81 | League | Premier Division | vs. Morton (A) | 0 - 1 |
| Sep 2nd, 1981 | 02/09/81 | League Cup | Quarter Final 1st Leg | vs. Hamilton (A) | 4 - 0 |
| Aug 29th, 1981 | 29/08/81 | League | Premier Division | vs. Aberdeen (H) | 4 - 1 |
| Aug 26th, 1981 | 26/08/81 | League Cup | Section 4 | vs. Motherwell (H) | 1 - 1 |
| Aug 19th, 1981 | 19/08/81 | League Cup | Section 4 | vs. Partick Th (A) | 2 - 1 |
| Recent First Team Goals |
|---|
| Aug 29th, 1981 | 29/08/81 | League | Premier Division | vs. Aberdeen (H) | 4 - 1 |
| Aug 26th, 1981 | 26/08/81 | League Cup | Section 4 | vs. Motherwell (H) | 1 - 1 |
| Aug 15th, 1981 | 15/08/81 | League Cup | Section 4 | vs. Motherwell (A) | 2 - 1 |
| Aug 12th, 1981 | 12/08/81 | League Cup | Section 4 | vs. Partick Th (H) | 2 - 0 |
| Apr 22nd, 1981 | 22/04/81 | League | Premier Division | vs. Celtic (H) | 2 - 3 |
| List of Goals Scored (click to expand) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| List of Games Played (click to expand) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Biography
Willie began his footballing career with Hibernian in 1970 but soon left to join junior side East Kilbride Thistle after failing to make the first team breakthrough at Easter Road. In 1972 he signed for his hometown club Motherwell where he earned himself a reputation as one of Scotland’s finest goal-scorers. Whilst at Fir Park, Willie finished as the top flight’s top scorer twice: in season 1975/76 and 77/78.
His form for Motherwell saw Willie recognised at full international level for Scotland. In 1976 he was given his first cap and he went onto earn a total of five over the next two years, scoring twice. Motherwell began to receive transfer bids not just domestically, but from Europe as well, with Celtic, St Pauli and Bayern Munich all being rejected by either the club or the player. However, at the start of the 1979-80 season Jim McLean signed Willie for £100,000 – a club record fee at the time - to bring the much sought after striker to Tannadice. It didn't take long for Willie to make an impact in tangerine.
Willie scored the opening goal in the 6-2 rout of Hamilton Academical at East End Park in the League Cup Semi Final, and had played in every round as United progressed to the final of the competition for the first time in their history. After a goalless match against Aberdeen at Hampden, Willie wrote his name into the history books in the midweek replay at Dens Park, becoming the first Dundee United player ever to score a goal in a major cup final, as he fired United into the lead. He scored again in the second half as United went on to win 3-0 to claim their first ever major honour. A few weeks later, Willie knocked four goals past Dundee in a 5-1 Scottish Cup demolition at Tannadice, and he continued his fine form to finish his first season as the club’s top scorer.
A fractured collar bone picked up in pre-season kept Willie out of the opening six weeks of the 1980-81 campaign, but he was back in the starting line-up as United again made it through to the League Cup final, and he collected another winners medal when the club retained the trophy with a superb 3-0 win over city rivals Dundee – again at Dens Park. Later that season, Willie collected a Scottish Cup runners-up medal as United lost out to Rangers at in the replayed final at Hampden 4-1, having drawn the first game.
By this time his difficult relationship with manager Jim McLean had reached boiling point and in September 1981 he left to join Hearts in a joint deal with Derek Addison reported to be worth £180,000. He spent three seasons at Tynecastle before leaving to join Greenock Morton in 1984. His stay at Cappielow only lasted one season before he left to join Hamilton Academical. He retired from professional football in 1986.
In recognition of his contribution to Dundee United he was inducted into the Dundee United Hall of Fame in 2014.
Last updated on Tuesday, February 20th, 2018 by B Orr.
Debut
August 11th, 1979
Dundee United 3 - 0 Dundee
League (Premier Division)
Timeline
-
Date of Birth
Willie was born on this date in Motherwell.
-
Signed For Dundee United
-
First Non-Competitive Appearance (Friendly)
Dundee United 3 - 2 Tottenham
Friendly
A night to remember for United fans as they caught their first glimpse of the superb talents of the Londoners' Argentinian World Cup stars Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricardo Villa — and a comeback of massive
-
First Team Debut
Dundee United 3 - 0 Dundee
League (Premier Division)
With Hamish McAlpine only just returned to the fold after his fall out with manager Jim McLean in Japan, former Chelsea and England 'keeper Peter Bonetti made his first appearance for United in the hi
-
First Goal
Celtic 2 - 2 Dundee United
League (Premier Division)
Hamish McAlpine made just his second appearance of the season for Unite, in place of the injured Peter Bonetti. United also made number of positional changes from the previous week. Ian Phillip return
-
50th Appearance
Morton 0 - 0 Dundee United
League (Premier Division)
There was nothing bar pride at stake for this match which brought down the curtain on the season at Cappielow. Paul Hegarty was again missing for United and Paul Sturrock was also missing. Gordon Lee,
-
50th League Appearance
Partick Th 0 - 2 Dundee United
League (Premier Division)
Bar the last two minutes before the interval, United found themselves well and truly under the cosh of this league fixture at Firhill. At that point there had been no scoring, so when the halftime whi
-
Last Goal
Dundee United 4 - 1 Aberdeen
League (Premier Division)
United opened their Premier League campaign by welcoming Alex Ferguson's Aberdeen to Tannadice. Jim McLean made three changes from the midweek League Cup draw with Motherwell, with Derek Stark, Derek
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Last Appearance
Dundee United 5 - 2 Dundee
League (Premier Division)
United welcomed newly promoted Dundee to Tannadice for the first derby of the season and their first meeting since United’s 1980 League Cup Final triumph. Jim McLean made two changes to the side which
-
Left the Club
