Middlesbrough and military service Wilson was born in
Newmains,
Lanarkshire. He joined
Middlesbrough from
junior side
Cambuslang Rangers in 1914. His early career was interrupted by the
First World War during which his left hand and forearm were shattered by enemy fire at
Arras. He wore a glove to mask the withered hand and forearm for the rest of his life.
Heart of Midlothian and Leeds City Wilson debuted for
Heart of Midlothian in January 1918, playing for them until the end of the following season. The Scottish League championship continued to be played during the conflict, and he scored 32 times in 33 official appearances. He also played a handful of league matches for
Hamilton Academical. He guested a couple of times for Leeds City in April 1918, scoring twice on his
Peacocks debut at
Bradford Park Avenue on 6 April.
Dunfermline Athletic and return to Middlesbrough In 1919 Wilson joined
Dunfermline Athletic when they were part of the rebel
Central League, a body outside
Scottish Football League jurisdiction. When this league was absorbed by the SFL in 1921, those players previously contracted to a Scottish or English league side were obliged to return to whichever side held their registration as part of the agreement. Thus Wilson returned to Middlesbrough in time for the
1921–22 season. He ended that season as not just 'Boro's top scorer but also the League's, with 31 strikes.
Chelsea In November 1923 Wilson joined
David Calderhead's sizeable contingent of Scots at
Chelsea mid-season for
£6,000. He was replaced at Middlesbrough the following month with
Ian Dickson from
Aston Villa for £3,000. Wilson ended the
1923–24 season as both Middlesbrough and Chelsea's top scorer; both clubs were relegated from the top flight that season. He made 253 appearances for Chelsea and scored 52 goals in the next eight years. In that time he lined up beside compatriots such as
Willie Ferguson,
Tommy Law,
Hughie Gallacher,
Alex Jackson and
Alec Cheyne.
Queens Park Rangers, Nîmes He joined
Queens Park Rangers in 1931, scoring three times in 20 league games, then spent a two-season sojourn in France with
Sporting Club Nîmes.
International At Dunfermline and Middlesbrough, Wilson was capped 12 times by
Scotland between 1920 and 1923; he averaged more than a goal per game with 13 goals. He scored another four in two unofficial wartime internationals. Ten of his Scotland goals, across nine matches, helped the nation to win the
British Home Championship three times in a row between
1920–21 and
1922–23. ==Managerial and coaching==