It was with great sadness that we learned of the passing of club legend Billy McPhee.
Born in Methil in June 1949, the son of an East Fife supporting father, he watched his older brother Bobby turn out in the black and gold for two years.
In October 1966 Rangers manager Scot Symon signed McPhee from Bowhill Youth Club. After three first team outings for the Ibrox club, peculiarly all against Partick Thistle, McPhee returned to Fife, putting pen to paper for his home town club in July 1970. Manager Bill Baxter had high hopes that the squad he had assembled would be the one to bring topflight football back to Bayview for the first time in thirteen years. McPhee made his debut in a League Cup sectional tie at Queen of the South and opened his goal scoring account in the same competition against the familiar opposition of Partick Thistle at Firhill. With East Fife flying high at the top of the league it came as some surprise when Bill Baxter controversially resigned to join rivals Raith Rovers in October, although the Methil men had the last laugh as they secured promotion at the end of the campaign under the stewardship of Pat Quinn, finishing six places above the Kirkcaldy side. McPhee finished top scorer with 26 goals, mostly delivered via a left foot that was fast becoming a lethal weapon.
The Fifers took time to adjust to life in the First Division but rallied to put in some spirited performances, none more so than the 2-1 defeat of a multi-talented Hibernian side in January 1972. McPhee opened the scoring with a trademark curling free-kick to set up a memorable victory in front of an 8,000 Bayview crowd. Another long-range strike in the penultimate game at St Johnstone gave the Methil men a precious victory, before the Houdini act to avoid relegation was completed the following week with a 1-1 draw at Motherwell.
1972-73 saw a more confident East Fife side emerge, reaching the League Cup quarter finals after knocking out holders Partick Thistle and finishing in a commendable ninth position in the league to earn a place in the Texaco Cup against their English counterparts. The season will also be remembered for a remarkable 2-2 draw at Bayview with Jock Stein’s Celtic. McPhee put the Fifers 2-1 ahead from the spot just after the break and helped them withstand a green and white siege, with keeper Ernie McGarr saving three penalties, until a late Dixie Deans equaliser earned the Parkhead men a draw. McPhee was ever present in a campaign that saw him find the net on 19 occasions.
Unfortunately, the following season was to prove a disappointment. Pat Quinn was replaced by Frank Christie as manager after a poor start but despite some good results on the road, including an astonishing 1-0 win at Ibrox, the Fifers’ home form deserted them. East Fife were left to rue those points shipped at Bayview when Clyde gained unlikely draws against Hibernian and Hearts to consign the Fifers to relegation and the Second Division on goal difference.
McPhee, having finished top goalscorer in four consecutive seasons (he shared this honour with Kevin Hegarty in 1973-74), was to suffer a serious setback to his football career in November 1974. Returning to Fife from a 1-0 win at Hamilton Accies he was involved in a car accident which left him out of action for five months with a dislocated hip. In his absence the Fifers achieved their goal of qualifying for the newly formed First Division although they dropped from league leaders to a more modest fifth position.
The following season, with McPhee back in the starting berth found East Fife in the lower reaches of the table. In the Spring Cup, a competition for teams outwith the topflight, a McPhee bullet helped defeat runaway First Division winners Partick Thistle and earn a place in the quarter finals. It was to be his last goal for the club. 1976-77 saw him operating in a midfield role in a season disrupted by injuries. The Fifers found themselves embroiled in a relegation battle with St Johnstone and Raith Rovers which went down to the last game of the season.
With Falkirk already relegated East Fife went to Boghead knowing a win would secure their First Division status. McPhee, who had earlier been given a free transfer came on from the bench knowing that this would be his farewell appearance. The Fifers were trailing 2-1 with just over 20 minutes left on the clock but goals from Billy Gillies and John Huskie put them in front. The drama continued when Dumbarton scored again with five minutes remaining to level matters at 3-3. On reaching the dressing room however news came through that Raith Rovers had lost 4-3 at home to Morton. East Fife were safe, for another season at least, but McPhee had played his last game for the club after seven years sterling service.
After a year at Berwick Rangers McPhee became manager of Leven Juniors. He later returned to East Fife as club secretary and has remained in the Levenmouth area as mine host in various licensed premises. He continued to attend Bayview on a regular basis, always taking time to sit down and chat to supporters, sharing stories about his footballing career.
Billy McPhee scored 72 goals in 233 appearances for East Fife and in 2008 was voted into the post 1970’s All Time Greats team, a fitting tribute to a Bayview legend.
East Fife Football Club would like to pass on our sincere condolences to Billy’s family and friends at this sad time.