Willie Hunter: Tributes paid to former Hibs, Motherwell and Scotland player

Talented inside forward has died at the age of 80

Edinburgh-born Willie Hunter played for Hibs in the 1968-69 League Cup final.

Former Hibs, Motherwell and Scotland player Willie Hunter has died at the age of 80, the Fir Park club have confirmed.

Hunter was a key member of the Lanarkshire club’s Ancell Babes, a talented group who also featured the likes of Ian St John, Hunter’s close friend, and Pat Quinn, who died last month.

The Edinburgh-born inside forward scored 40 goals in 229 appearances for Motherwell between 1957 and 1967 and later played for boyhood heroes Hibs as well as having spells in South Africa and the United States.

Willie Hunter made his name with Motherwell where he was part of the outstanding 'Ancell Babes' side.

He played for Hibs against Celtic in the 1968-69 League Cup final, which the Parkhead side won 6-2.

A statement on the Motherwell website read: “This magical footballer was perhaps the most complete ever to pull our famous colours over his head, and is someone this club is proud to have played a large part in his life.”

The elegant footballer played three times for Scotland in 1960, scoring in a 3-3 draw in Hungary.

Hunter, known as Billy to his friends, was assistant manager to St John at Portsmouth in the 1970s before taking charge of Queen of the South and Inverness Caledonian.

He was a published author of poetry and other writings and was an ambassador for the Football Memories project, a partnership between Alzheimer’s Scotland and the Scottish Football Museum.