Bill Harper

William Harper (19 January 1897 – 12 April 1989) was a Scottish goalkeeper who played for, among others, Hibernian, Arsenal, Fall River and Plymouth Argyle. He also represented Scotland in 11 full internationals.

Early years Harper was the son of William Harper Sr., a blacksmith, and Christina Brown. Born in Lanarkshire but largely raised in Winchburgh, West Lothian, he initially followed his father into the blacksmith trade while also playing football for several junior teams. During the First World War he enlisted in the British Army and served with the 5th Brigade of the Scots Guards on the Western Front. Harper, an all-round sportsman, was brigade heavyweight boxing champion and captain of the Guards rugby union team when they won a brigade championship.

Club career Hibernian Harper made his Scottish Football League debut for Hibernian against Airdrie on 1 September 1920. He also played in two consecutive Scottish Cup Finals, in 1923 and 1924, but finished on the losing side on both occasions. While with Hibs he also won nine of his 11 Scotland caps and represented the Scottish League XI on two occasions.

American Soccer League In between his two spells with Arsenal, Harper played in the American Soccer League. Between 1927 and 1929 he made 79 league appearances for Fall River He also played a further 3 games in the National Challenge Cup and 6 in the Lewis Cup and helped the 'Marksmen' win the league title during the 1928–29 season. Harper's time in the ASL coincided with both the Great Depression and the Soccer Wars, a power struggle between the ASL and the US Football Association. During this era many clubs relocated, merged or folded. Towards the end of the 1928–29 season Sam Mark, owner of the 'Marksmen', took over the struggling Boston Soccer Club and Harper then switched from the 'Marksmen' to the Boston team. By the time the Fall 1929 season started they had become the Boston Bears. When the Soccer Wars were resolved, new league rules forbid the ownership of two or more clubs and Mark's decided to sell Boston. However unable to find a buyer, he was forced to dissolve the team after just 4 games of the Spring 1930 season. Harper then joined New Bedford Whalers for the remainder of the season, making 31 league appearances. He also made a further 4 cup appearances, two in the National Challenge Cup and two in the Lewis Cup. During the summer of 1930 Harper rejoined Fall River and played in friendlies against Rangers and Kilmarnock and was a member of the 'Marksmen' squad that toured Central Europe.

Plymouth Argyle In December 1931 Harper signed for Plymouth Argyle and went on to make 82 appearances in all competitions between then and 1939. During the Second World War he worked in the dockyards in Rosyth, Scotland. After the war he returned to Argyle where he served as a trainer, groundsman and even laundryman. Such was his contribution to the club that he was awarded a testimonial match against Arsenal in October 1972. Plymouth's training ground, Harper's Park, is also named after him.

Honours Scotland

British Home Championship Winners 1923, 1925, 1926 : 3 Runners Up 1924: 1

Hibernian

Scottish Cup Runners Up 1923, 1924: 2

Arsenal

English First Division Winners 1930–31: 1 London Combination Winners 1926–27: 1 Northampton Charity Shield Winners 1930–31: 1 Sheriff of London Shield Winners 1930–31: 1

Fall River F.C.

American Soccer League Winners 1928–29: 1