THE funeral will take place in Edinburgh on Thursday of Willie Clark, Hibs' oldest surviving former player, who has died at the age of 90.
Today Easter Road legend Lawrie Reilly paid tribute to the full-back who signed for Hibs in 1938 when the ex-striker was only ten but was still there when Reilly joined the club six years later.
Like so many of his generation Clark's football car
eer was put on hold as he served with the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, finding himself stationed in South Africa.
He returned to find Jock Govan establishing himself in his position and was rarely able to claim a first-team place. Reilly said: "Willie was a very likeable bloke, very popular with the rest of the lads. Unfortunately he seldom got a chance in the first team because he was at Hibs at the same time as Jock who was obviously first-choice.
"I do remember Willie getting a chance one week when we were due to play Celtic and Jock was injured. But during the game Tommy Younger, our goalkeeper, was injured and, as there were no substitutes in those days, Willie had to go in goal."
After leaving Easter Road Clark, who never married, joined St Johnstone although he was also wanted by Dunfermline.
He later became a member of the former Hibs players' golf club founded by Reilly, who attended Clark's 90th birthday party in Pathhead along with Eddie Turnbull last September.
Reilly said: "Willie was always at everything we held, he was a keen golfer – and a very good one."
Clark's funeral will take place at 3pm on Thursday at Seafield Crematorium.
The full article contains 286 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
