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Bill Munro 1934–2023
The Driving Force Behind Clydebank FC’s Most Successful Seasons
Bill Munro, who passed away in the first week of October 2023, was a pivotal figure in the history of Clydebank FC, coaching the club during their most successful period. A few years ago, I spoke to Bill and several of his colleagues for an as-yet-unpublished book on the club's history.
‘I was never much of a success as a player,’ Bill told the Weekly News in 1974. ‘A short stay with Kilmarnock, English Fourth Division football with Barrow, and back home for a spell with East Stirling. That was my lot.’ While serving in the RAF, Bill was stationed in Peterhead, where he played for the local team. A forward, he also had a spell with Kilwinning. Leaving Kilmarnock without making a first-team appearance, Bill played fifteen times for Barrow between 1959 and 1960. He scored within two minutes of his debut, a 4–1 win over Darlington, although he would score only one more goal in his time there. Fifty-four league games for East Stirlingshire, including their season as ES Clydebank followed. ‘I just did not have what it took to hit the big time. I need to make up for that as a manager. It was always my ambition to become a boss. Signing for East Stirling was my lucky break. The Steedmans ran the side then, and our ideas have always run on parallel lines.’
Jack and Charles Steedman were East Stirlingshire’s major shareholders, and in 1964, they merged the club with Clydebank Juniors to become ES Clydebank. The merger was controversial and short-lived. After only one season and a messy court case, East Stirlingshire returned to Falkirk. After recovering from a knee injury, Bill opted to stay with Clydebank as they first played in the Combined Reserve League and then, in 1965/66, successfully applied to join the Scottish League.
When Jim Headrige left Clydebank’s coaching staff at the start of the 1966/67 season to join Middlesborough, Bill stepped into the vacant position. ‘I was the physio, and Billy Munro was the coach,’ Maurice Friel told me. ‘[We got on] like a house on fire. Lovely fella. To me, in the time I knew the lad — terrific, a great-natured fella. How he put up with Steedman and that, I’ll never know. He’d been quite a good player, actually. He was a knowledgeable fella. He was a straightforward enough guy.’
