Everyone at AFC was saddened to learn of the passing of former player Billy Little. The forward played for Aberdeen throughout the 1960s and Billy is one of the Dons top ever goal scorers.
Although the sixties were a challenging period for the club, Billy was a standout player who produced a consistent and high level of performance over many years and was capped by Scotland at U23 level.
He made his Aberdeen debut on the 14/09/1957 in a League Cup game tie against Clydebank aged 17 and 7 months. In the late 1950s he was the Dons regular inside right but in season 1960/61 he took over the centre forward duties. A clever player who possessed a good shot with both feet, Billy went on to become a regular in the Dons' first team over several seasons and by the end of his twelve years at Pittodrie had become one of the club's all-time top goalscorers with 98 in all competitions. This puts Billy in joint 11th spot on the all-time AFC goal list with Davie Robb, one ahead of Eoin Jess and just behind Mark McGhee who occupies 10th place with 100 goals. His 306 appearances also put him 28th on the all-time AFC appearance list.
Whilst at Pittodrie he obtained a Master of Arts degree from the University of Aberdeen in 1966.
Our thoughts are with Billy’s family and friends at this sad time.
Career
Billy Little began his career with Aberdeen in 1957. He was a much sought after Scottish schoolboy international who attracted the attention of clubs on both sides of the border. Billy was in the Scottish School Boys side that defeated England schools at Parkhead in that year. It was something of a coup for Aberdeen to secure his signature. Within weeks of signing, Billy returned to his native Dumfries and turned out for the Aberdeen reserves against Queen of the South at Palmerston in a 3-0 win for the Young Dons.
Billy went on to make his first team debut against Clyde in a League Cup tie on 14th September 1957, the first of over 300 appearances he was to make for Aberdeen. His first hat-trick came in a sensational performance against Hibernian on 18th October 1958 in a 4-0 win for Aberdeen. His displays for the Dons attracted the attention of the Scottish selectors and he was chosen for the Scottish League side where his performance was singled out for praise by the legendary Matt Busby. Later in 1962 he was selected as a reserve for Scotland in a match against the Army.
He also played for Scotland U23s against England in 1962, with the match taking place at Pittodrie. The Scotland team included his Aberdeen teammate and goalkeeper John Ogston, plus Billy McNeill, Frank McLintock and Alan Gilzean. The young Scots were defeated 4:2 by an England side that contained Bobby Moore and Jimmy Greaves.
Throughout his Aberdeen career he was often the target of clubs from England but in the days when clubs could prevent such moves, Billy was content to continue his career with the Dons. He was one of only several players who survived new manager Eddie Turnbull’s cull in 1965 when 17 players were told they had no future with the club. Billy recalled those days under Turnbull which helped him in his own career as a coach and manager: “When Eddie arrived at the club in 1965 he made us all much more aware of tactics, and also allowed us to use a ball each in training; something that was unheard of back then. It was those days with Eddie that sparked off my interest in coaching. If I hadn’t come under his wing back then I would probably have drifted out of the game for good so I always had a great admiration for Eddie Turnbull.”
The Dumfries born striker may have enjoyed an impressive career with the Dons, but he also had he share of bad luck as he missed out on three possible Scottish Cup Final appearances for the Dons.
It was a case of ‘horses for courses’ that led to Billy Little missing out on what would have been the highlight of his career. Billy was the Dons’ top scorer in 1958/59 but was left out of the side that reached the Scottish Cup Final.
When Aberdeen reached the final in 1959 against St Mirren, they were widely tipped to succeed. Billy had played in every round on the road to Hampden but he was bitterly disappointed to miss out in the final. A week earlier, Aberdeen had beaten Rangers at Ibrox to avoid possible relegation and manager Dave Shaw stuck with the eleven who started at Ibrox, which meant no place for Little. Aberdeen went on to lose the final 3-1 in one of the most disappointing days in the club’s history.
Billy’s luck was again out in 1967 when he was the odd man out in the cup final side that played Celtic at Hampden. Celtic won that final 2-0 with exactly the same side that went on to win the European Cup the following month. In 1969 Billy accepted a free transfer from Aberdeen as he embarked on a career in Australia with a well known club name; Juventus. Several months later Aberdeen famously went on to lift the Scottish Cup in a 3-1 win over Celtic.
After a brief spell in Australia he came back to play for Inverness Caley when they were in the Highland League. Four appearances for Falkirk in 1971 were followed by short spells with Stirling Albion and East Stirling in 1973 before Billy hung up his boots. His most productive spell as a player however came during his time at Pittodrie, scoring 98 goals between 1957 and 1969 saw Billy top scorer at the club in season 1958/59 and again in 1961/62.
As a manager Billy joined Falkirk in 1977 and went on to manage Queen of the South, East Stirling and Alloa Athletic. It was as a manager that Billy came up against the Dons in 1993 while he was boss of East Stirling. Aberdeen edged out Shire in a 3-1 win.
There will be a full tribute to Billy Little in the next edition of Red Matchday Magazine.
