Willie Bauld  Biography - Part 3

Willie never had his troubles to seek, but throughout it all he maintained that high standard of football finnesse, the ability to inspire,  and the personality of the great, which kept him endeared to Hearts thousands of supporters. Somehow though his most serious defect appeared to be the inability to realise that he was as good as he really was. One of his greatest assets was his technique of heading a ball, and many are the glorious headers which have flown into the back of the opposition nets. However his technique was not a natural one, and many, many hours were spent on his own heading a  football attached to string. If his head was a priceless asset, he did not allow it to be turned by success, or the adulation of the fans. Willie's trade was to score goals. And the early promise of those first weeks in October  1948 soon blossomed. A marvellous 'hat trick' against Airdrie in the Scottish Cup Quarter Finals in season 1952/53, Hearts running out six- four winners.

In one game Hearts played against Clyde at Shawfield Willie scored two, the second of which had the Shawfield fans cheering their heads  off, with his cheeky approach to the six yard box, beating the keeper, and then rounding the two mesmerised full backs to pop the ball in the net.

He also scored twice in the Cup Final against Partick Thistle, in season 1958/59, and in season 1959/60 Willie scored Hearts one hundredth  goal of the season in the last minute of the game against St. Mirren at Paisley, to earn a four all draw, the one point being enough to give the Tynecastle men the League Championship. Willie's strangest goal was probably one  scored on the sixth of December 1958 against Aberdeen at Tynecastle, the ball sailed invitingly into the 'Dons' goalmouth, set to jump for it, Jimmy Murray ignored a shout to'leave it', thinking it was an opponent indulging in gamesmanship. It was Willie who had shouted, both players rose, both got their heads to the ball, and both claimed the resultant goal. It was settled in the changing room afterwards with the toss of a coin, in Willie's favour. Not  all his goals were classics, but each one gave thousands pleasure. It seemed that he only needed to score a goal, to have the amateur poets, and song writers dashing home to compose a new rhyming tribute to the 'King'. Over the years new words were given to old favourites such as: John Brown's Body, Yellow Rose of Texas, Hang on the Bell Nellie, and Robin Hood, to mention a few of the Tynecastle hit parade.

Amongst Willie's greatest moments must surely have been the Saturday in October 1954, when he scored three goals in Hearts four two win  against Motherwell at Hampden, to bring the League Cup to Edinburgh, and end Hearts forty eight years in the trophy wilderness. The game itself was thrilling enough, but the fantastic reception from the normally staid citizens of  Edinburgh left the triumphant Hearts party gasping. Again in 1956 when Hearts won the Scottish Cup beating Celtic three- one, in the process Edinburgh went berserk. The route from Corstorphine, Balgreen, Gorgie, Haymarket, through  the centre of Edinburgh to eventually arrive to a tumultuous reception at Charlotte Street. Even the Castle was Floodlit for them. Where ever they looked Hearts players could see thousands of waving cheering fans, in Gorgie and Dalry Road, everything from a hankie' to a quilt was waved at the team, from windows, streets and roofs. Even Willie Junior was seen waving to 'Daddy' from window en route.