Already a schoolboy international, Irvine joined the Clarets as a junior in 1960 and spent a season finding his feet in the Lancashire League teams. His scoring exploits soon led to promotion to Central League level and he made his second team debut against Barnsley Reserves at Turf Moor in October 1961.

He immediately served notice that here was a force to be reckoned with, scoring a hat-trick, having another effort disallowed and missing a penalty in a 6-1 victory! Willie Irvine was well served by a young winger also making his Central League debut that day. His name was Willie Morgan.

Burnley's reserve team won the Central League Championship that season but, so strong was the squad that Irvine was not a regular. Andy Lochhead was the man scoring the goals, and when the Scot made the breakthrough into the First Division, Willie Irvine stepped in to lead the reserve team to a second successive Central League title in 1962/63.

It was inevitable that Irvine's form in front of goal would lead to a first team call-up, but the Irish International selectors were quickest off the mark. After his first under-23 appearance in February 1963, he was then chosen for the full Northern Ireland side to play against Wales in Belfast the following April. Although he didn't score, and the Irishmen lost 4-1, Irvine must have felt in familiar surroundings playing alongside Burnley colleagues, Jimmy McIlroy and Alex Elder with his brother Bobby of Stoke City in goal.

He did, eventually, make Burnley's First Division side at the end of that season, coming in for Andy Lochhead in the penultimate match at Arsenal. True to form, he scored the Clarets' first goal in a 3-2 win, following that up three days later with a hat-trick in a 3-1 victory against Birmingham City at Turf Moor.

Andy Lochhead and Jimmy Robson were the men in possession, in the main, during 1963/64, but it was Robson who eventually had to make way for the Young Pretender Irvine, still only 20 years old. In the three seasons from the summer of 1964, he and Lochhead developed a marvellous partnership hitting 118 league goals between them. That total included 29 from the Irishman in 1965/66 (37 in all competitions), a total that has only ever been exceeded by the prolific Bert Freemen and George Beel in the club's history.

A broken leg in an FA Cup tie at Everton in January 1967 signalled a downturn in Willie Irvine's Turf Moor career. Although he was back in first team action by the start of the following season, scoring goals alongside new signing Frank Casper, the spark that had set him aside from other goal poachers was not quite there.

He moved to Second Division Preston in 1968, but after two seasons of struggle at Deepdale, he was in the side relegated in 1970. He was not a regular in North End's Third Division championship side of 1970/71, leaving for Brighton before the end of the season.

He scored on his Albion debut, and quickly formed a useful strike force with Kit Napier. The following season Irvine and Napier top scored with 16 goals each as Brighton finished runners-up to Aston Villa and were promoted to the Second Division.

1972/73 was to be a season to forget however, as Brighton were immediately relegated with Willie Irvine unable to weave enough of his magic. He was transferred to Halifax Town, his last league club, in December 1972, and scored his 133rd and last League goal, his only strike for the Shaymen, against Scunthorpe in January 1973.

After establishing a successful business in Burnley, he still lives and works locally and watches the Clarets, his first love, as often as he can.