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A stellar career after one season at Bloomfield Road
William Johnston McGowan (Billy or Willie) McEwan 1951-2022
Billy, or often known as Willie when at Blackpool, McEwan was born at Cleland, North Lanarkshire, on 20 June 1951. He had begun his football career with Pumpherson Juniors before, in 1969, he joined Hibernian for whom he played 59 games, made two substitute appearances and scored two goals. Blackpool spotted his potential and signed him in May 1973 as a midfield player.
He made his League debut for Blackpool at number 10, along with another new signing, Wyn Davies, in the opening game of the 1973/74 season against recently relegated West Bromwich Albion on 25 August 1973 when Blackpool lost 3-2.
But his first significant contribution to Blackpool came when his presence at Bloomfield Road persuaded his brother, Stan, to sign for the club as an apprentice. Stan was on Rangers’ books and when he was released by Rangers, the brotherly connection secured Stan’s signature for Blackpool even though such as Liverpool, Arsenal and Sheffield United were keen to sign him.
Billy’s second League game on 1 September 1973 ended in a 0-0 draw with Sheffield Wednesday but was then having been out of the side with an injury he returned to action in the Central League side at inside left in a 2-0 defeat by West Bromwich Albion reserves on 29 September 1973. Still playing up front, he scored his first goal for the club, the only goal of the game, against Burnley reserves on 6 October 1973 when Blackpool won 1-0.
He returned to the first team for the League Cup tie against Birmingham City on 9 October 1973 when the game was drawn 2-2. He also played in the replay on 16 October when Blackpool lost 4-2 and when, in what was ‘an aggressive second half’, he was booked after 49 minutes and Blackpool had Wyn Davies sent off.
He was back in League action in place of Billy Rafferty in a 1-0 defeat by Cardiff City on 13 October 1973. Then in a 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest on 20 October 1973, Keith Dyson replaced him after 70 minutes. It turned out to be Billy’s final League appearance for Blackpool.
He continued to play his part in the Central League side and Blackpool experimented with him and Kevin Moore at the full back positions ‘in order to try and get the crosses over for the three big forwards to use their heading power, but this ploy rarely came off’ in the Central League side’s 2-2 draw with Blackburn Rovers reserves on 19 November 1973. He was out of the side for the following game but the pairing returned against Manchester United reserves on 26 December 1973 when Blackpool lost 2-0.
Moore and Willie McEwan were together at full back once again in a 2-0 victory over Bolton Wanderers reserves on 1 January 1974. And then from full back he scored one of Blackpool’s goals in the Central League side’s 3-0 victory over Stoke City reserves on 12 January 1974. What turned out to be his final Central League game for Blackpool came in a 4-2 defeat by Sheffield Wednesday reserves on 16 February 1974.
Six days after his final appearance for the club he was transferred to Brighton and Hove Albion for a fee of £7,500 on 22 February 1974. He had played four League games, two League Cup ties, one Lancashire Senior Cup tie and 13 Central League games, scoring two goals, for Blackpool up to the time of his transfer.
He went on to have a stellar Football League career after leaving Bloomfield Road, making a further 297 League appearances, beginning with 27 League games, in which he scored three goals, for Brighton.
He was transferred to Chesterfield in a part exchange deal that took Ken Tiler to Brighton and took McEwan and Ronnie Welch to Saltergate in November 1974. And in October 1976 he was chosen to sit on the players’ disciplinary committee at Chesterfield to consider punishment for errant team-mates.
He played 79 League games plus making one substitute appearance, scoring seven goals, seven FA Cup ties, scoring one goal, and four League Cup ties for Chesterfield before he was transferred to Mansfield Town for a fee of £15,000 in January 1977. He went on to play 32 League games and score three goals for Mansfield, where he played a major role in the side that won the Division Three championship in 1977/78.
He moved on when he was transferred to Peterborough United for a fee of £17,000 in November 1977. And he opposed his brother Stan when Blackpool played Peterborough United on 28 April 1979 but it was Max Thompson who was booked for a tackle on Billy as Blackpool won 2-1 with two late goals from Tony Kellow. He played 62 League games, made one substitute appearance and scored three goals for Peterborough.
What turned out to be his final League club was after he was transferred to Rotherham United for a fee of £30,000 in July 1979. And once again he opposed his brother Stan on 15 September 1979 when Blackpool beat Rotherham United 3-2 with Stan scoring the deciding goal in the 76th minute.
He missed the whole of Rotherham’s 1981 Third Division championship season but the club kept him involved by using him as a sponge man and as a scout. He played 86 League games, made nine substitute appearances and scored 10 goals for Rotherham where it was said, ‘he played his best stuff’.
In the summer of 1984 he went on an FA course about the treatment of injuries and he was appointed physiotherapist at Sheffield United later that year.
He was appointed caretaker-manager at Sheffield United in March 1986 and in May he took the role on a permanent basis. He left the club in January 1988 and he briefly joined the scouting staff at Manchester United later in January 1988.
He had been a fans’ favourite at Rotherham United and it was no surprise when he was appointed manager at the club in April 1988 and he remained in the post until January 1991. While at Millmoor he won the Fourth Division title in 1988/89.
He was later a coach at Scarborough, before taking over as manager at Darlington in 1992. And after leaving Darlington he was engaged on the coaching staff at Derby County, where he enjoyed nine years at the club. In addition he had two short spells as caretaker manager at Derby, taking over after Roy McFarland left in 1995 and then again after Colin Todd’s departure in 2001/02. He also managed Derby County’s reserve side.
After leaving Derby in October 2004 he took over at York City as manager, a post which he held until November 2007 and where he won a Conference National Manager of the Month award in April 2007.
He took over as manager at Mansfield Town in July 2008 but his tenure was short-lived and he left in December of that year.
His reputation was such that he was appointed technical director of the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association in March 2010 and in April of that year he became manager of Antigua Barracuda FC. He returned from the Caribbean in March 2011.
He sadly died on 17 February 2022 after struggling with Parkinson’s disease since 2014. He leaves a wife, Marie, and two daughters, Suzanne and Nikki, Each of his clubs’ deepest condolences and thoughts, together with those of all the fans who watched and supported him, are with his family and friends.
Billy, or often known as Willie when at Blackpool, McEwan was born at Cleland, North Lanarkshire, on 20 June 1951. He had begun his football career with Pumpherson Juniors before, in 1969, he joined Hibernian for whom he played 59 games, made two substitute appearances and scored two goals. Blackpool spotted his potential and signed him in May 1973 as a midfield player.
He made his League debut for Blackpool at number 10, along with another new signing, Wyn Davies, in the opening game of the 1973/74 season against recently relegated West Bromwich Albion on 25 August 1973 when Blackpool lost 3-2.
But his first significant contribution to Blackpool came when his presence at Bloomfield Road persuaded his brother, Stan, to sign for the club as an apprentice. Stan was on Rangers’ books and when he was released by Rangers, the brotherly connection secured Stan’s signature for Blackpool even though such as Liverpool, Arsenal and Sheffield United were keen to sign him.
Billy’s second League game on 1 September 1973 ended in a 0-0 draw with Sheffield Wednesday but was then having been out of the side with an injury he returned to action in the Central League side at inside left in a 2-0 defeat by West Bromwich Albion reserves on 29 September 1973. Still playing up front, he scored his first goal for the club, the only goal of the game, against Burnley reserves on 6 October 1973 when Blackpool won 1-0.
He returned to the first team for the League Cup tie against Birmingham City on 9 October 1973 when the game was drawn 2-2. He also played in the replay on 16 October when Blackpool lost 4-2 and when, in what was ‘an aggressive second half’, he was booked after 49 minutes and Blackpool had Wyn Davies sent off.
He was back in League action in place of Billy Rafferty in a 1-0 defeat by Cardiff City on 13 October 1973. Then in a 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest on 20 October 1973, Keith Dyson replaced him after 70 minutes. It turned out to be Billy’s final League appearance for Blackpool.
He continued to play his part in the Central League side and Blackpool experimented with him and Kevin Moore at the full back positions ‘in order to try and get the crosses over for the three big forwards to use their heading power, but this ploy rarely came off’ in the Central League side’s 2-2 draw with Blackburn Rovers reserves on 19 November 1973. He was out of the side for the following game but the pairing returned against Manchester United reserves on 26 December 1973 when Blackpool lost 2-0.
Moore and Willie McEwan were together at full back once again in a 2-0 victory over Bolton Wanderers reserves on 1 January 1974. And then from full back he scored one of Blackpool’s goals in the Central League side’s 3-0 victory over Stoke City reserves on 12 January 1974. What turned out to be his final Central League game for Blackpool came in a 4-2 defeat by Sheffield Wednesday reserves on 16 February 1974.
Six days after his final appearance for the club he was transferred to Brighton and Hove Albion for a fee of £7,500 on 22 February 1974. He had played four League games, two League Cup ties, one Lancashire Senior Cup tie and 13 Central League games, scoring two goals, for Blackpool up to the time of his transfer.
He went on to have a stellar Football League career after leaving Bloomfield Road, making a further 297 League appearances, beginning with 27 League games, in which he scored three goals, for Brighton.
He was transferred to Chesterfield in a part exchange deal that took Ken Tiler to Brighton and took McEwan and Ronnie Welch to Saltergate in November 1974. And in October 1976 he was chosen to sit on the players’ disciplinary committee at Chesterfield to consider punishment for errant team-mates.
He played 79 League games plus making one substitute appearance, scoring seven goals, seven FA Cup ties, scoring one goal, and four League Cup ties for Chesterfield before he was transferred to Mansfield Town for a fee of £15,000 in January 1977. He went on to play 32 League games and score three goals for Mansfield, where he played a major role in the side that won the Division Three championship in 1977/78.
He moved on when he was transferred to Peterborough United for a fee of £17,000 in November 1977. And he opposed his brother Stan when Blackpool played Peterborough United on 28 April 1979 but it was Max Thompson who was booked for a tackle on Billy as Blackpool won 2-1 with two late goals from Tony Kellow. He played 62 League games, made one substitute appearance and scored three goals for Peterborough.
What turned out to be his final League club was after he was transferred to Rotherham United for a fee of £30,000 in July 1979. And once again he opposed his brother Stan on 15 September 1979 when Blackpool beat Rotherham United 3-2 with Stan scoring the deciding goal in the 76th minute.
He missed the whole of Rotherham’s 1981 Third Division championship season but the club kept him involved by using him as a sponge man and as a scout. He played 86 League games, made nine substitute appearances and scored 10 goals for Rotherham where it was said, ‘he played his best stuff’.
In the summer of 1984 he went on an FA course about the treatment of injuries and he was appointed physiotherapist at Sheffield United later that year.
He was appointed caretaker-manager at Sheffield United in March 1986 and in May he took the role on a permanent basis. He left the club in January 1988 and he briefly joined the scouting staff at Manchester United later in January 1988.
He had been a fans’ favourite at Rotherham United and it was no surprise when he was appointed manager at the club in April 1988 and he remained in the post until January 1991. While at Millmoor he won the Fourth Division title in 1988/89.
He was later a coach at Scarborough, before taking over as manager at Darlington in 1992. And after leaving Darlington he was engaged on the coaching staff at Derby County, where he enjoyed nine years at the club. In addition he had two short spells as caretaker manager at Derby, taking over after Roy McFarland left in 1995 and then again after Colin Todd’s departure in 2001/02. He also managed Derby County’s reserve side.
After leaving Derby in October 2004 he took over at York City as manager, a post which he held until November 2007 and where he won a Conference National Manager of the Month award in April 2007.
He took over as manager at Mansfield Town in July 2008 but his tenure was short-lived and he left in December of that year.
His reputation was such that he was appointed technical director of the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association in March 2010 and in April of that year he became manager of Antigua Barracuda FC. He returned from the Caribbean in March 2011.
He sadly died on 17 February 2022 after struggling with Parkinson’s disease since 2014. He leaves a wife, Marie, and two daughters, Suzanne and Nikki, Each of his clubs’ deepest condolences and thoughts, together with those of all the fans who watched and supported him, are with his family and friends.
