Willie McCartney

William McCartney ( — 24 January 1948) was a Scottish football referee and described his ultimate failure to win a major trophy as "unthinkably cruel". Unlike his father, Willie McCartney had never played football at a high level because he suffered an injury while playing as a youth and he initially became a referee instead. In 1933, McCartney asked to be relieved of clerical duties to concentrate on working with the players, but this had no discernible impact. McCartney had signed and developed many good players, but ultimately failed to deliver success. Hibs again struggled in his first season, as McCartney tried to find the right blend of the many new signings he had made. Hibs put up a much better effort in the 1938–39 Scottish Cup, but were beaten 1–0 by eventual winners Clyde in the semi-final.

Just as it appeared McCartney was building a good team, with The Scotsman predicting a good 1939–40 season for Hibs, the Second World War started. The Scottish Football League abandoned competition after five games of the league season, with only friendlies outside "danger areas" (major central belt towns and cities) allowed. Soon afterwards, Smith scored a hat-trick for Hibs against Hearts at Tynecastle. At the same time, McCartney attracted guest players including Matt Busby and Bobby Baxter.

Hibs won the Summer Cup in 1941, defeating Rangers in the final. Rangers were the dominant club during the war, winning every Southern League competition and six of the ten cup competitions. while a young Lawrie Reilly also signed in that season. McCartney technically wasn't allowed to sign the 16-year-old Reilly, but got around the regulation by keeping the signing form in his desk until Reilly's 17th birthday. The week before, Hibs played Albion Rovers in the 1947–48 Scottish Cup at Cliftonhill. Hibs won an unremarkable match 2–0, but manager McCartney had collapsed and died later that day. Trainer Hugh Shaw was appointed as McCartney's replacement, and Hibs went on to win the league that season. Shaw completed the Famous Five lineup by signing Bobby Johnstone, and the team won further league championships in 1951 and 1952.