William John McCartney (1866 – 18 January 1933) was a Scottishfootballer andfootball manager whose career lasted from 1884 to 1929.
A native ofGlasgow, McCartney began as afull back withCartvale at the age of 18, later playing forThistle. In 1887 he joinedRangers, staying for two years.[1] before joiningCowlairs.
In 1893, he joinedNewton Heath, playing 19 league games and scoring once before joiningLuton Town in 1894. He helped Luton gain election to theFootball League and played in Luton's first-ever league match on 4 September 1897, a 1–1 draw away toLeicester Fosse. He played 27 times that season, leaving at the end of it to joinBarnsley. He scored 3 times in 63 league games for Barnsley before retiring in April 1901 to become Barnsley's secretary-manager.
He left Barnsley in mid-1904 and returned to Scotland to manageSt Mirren. He guided theBuddies to the1908 Scottish Cup Final, losing 5–1 toCeltic.[2]
In 1910 he left St Mirren to take over as manager ofHeart of Midlothian.[3][4][5] His spell inEdinburgh encompassed the club's rise to the top of the Scottish League with a group of exciting young players he brought in, and the decimation of that team after theyenlisted together to fight inWorld War I, with several killed and others wounded.[6] The closest he came to silverware was in the1919 Victory Cup where Hearts were defeated in the final by his old club St Mirren.[3] McCartney resigned from his position in October 1919, and was succeeded as Hearts manager by his sonWillie.[7]
In May 1920, he was appointed manager ofPortsmouth. He guided Portsmouth fromDivision Three South to theFirst Division, but resigned due to ill health in May 1927 before he could manage Pompey in the top flight. In September 1927 he returned to management withLuton Town, but with his health declining further, he resigned in December 1929 and retired from football.
McCartney authored two booklets documenting Scottish footballers in the Great War[8] and those from Hearts who perished.[9] He died in Edinburgh at the age of 66.