Kenny started his career with Beith Juniors in the 1966/67 and quickly made his mark as an outstanding goalscorer which earned him a call-up to the Scotland Juniors side and caught the eye of St Johnstone and Scotland manager Willie Ormond.
After leaving the Perth outfit, Kenny signed for the Sons in 1970 and had a sensational first season for the club, netting 40 goals in 45 matches.
The 1971/72 campaign was to be even more memorable as he scored 43 times in 44 matches – including all five goals in a 5-0 win over Raith Rovers in April 1972 – with the club going on to famously lift the Second Division title that season.
Wilson scored four times in 12 Division One appearances the following season before signing for Carlisle United for a fee of £40,000 in September 1972. In total, he made 101 appearances for Dumbarton and netted 87 goals.
He then played for York City, Workington and Hamilton Academical before finishing his playing career in Australia, where other Dumbarton players including the late John McGhee and Willie Wallace, a hero of Celtic’s Lisbon Lions who won the European Cup in 1967, had also gone to finish their football careers.
Kenny was a familiar face at the Rock and would attend games with the rest of the 1971/72 championship winning squad and was always pleased to share memories and have photographs taken with supporters. He was then inducted into the Dumbarton FC Hall of Fame in 2022.
Kenny Wilson was a Silvertson lad who was brought up with his parents in Dumbuck Road just a few hundred yards from Boghead Park and went to Knoxland School and Dumbarton Academy.
The thoughts of everyone across the town and particularly at Dumbarton Football Club are with Kenny’s family and friends at this very sad time.
Top of page picture: The Dumbarton team with Kenny Wilson (centre front row) and the rest of the 1971/72 championship winning squad.