Bill Paterson

William Paterson (5 March 1897 – 31 July 1970) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a centre forward. He began his career in Scotland in the 1910s and switched to English football twice. In 1926, he joined the American Soccer League where he led the league in scoring in the fall 1929 season.

Career Known as either Bill or Willie, Paterson spent time with Cowdenbeath and Rangers in Scotland before moving to Derby County of The Football League in 1921. He spent two seasons with Derby, where he was relegated from the First Division in 1921, before rejoining Cowdenbeath. He also spent time with Armadale. He finished the 1929 fall season as the league's leading scorer with 27 goals in 22 games. In 1930, Paterson began the season with the New Bedford Whalers only to jump to the Brooklyn Wanderers. He then played the fall 1931 season with Fall River.

Personal life Paterson was the son of football manager Sandy Paterson and played under his father's management at Cowdenbeath. He had a half brother Archie Paterson who was also a footballer. He served as a gunner in the Royal Field Artillery during the First World War and served overseas before being demobbed in 1919.