Billy Walker (Scottish footballer)

William Baird Walker (5 May 1893 – after 1925) was a Scottish professional footballer who scored 53 goals in 188 appearances in the Football League playing for Bradford City, Birmingham, Coventry City, Merthyr Town, Bristol City and Sheffield Wednesday.[2]

Billy Walker
Personal information
Full name William Baird Walker
Date of birth (1893-05-05)5 May 1893
Place of birth New Cumnock, Scotland
Height 5 ft 7+1⁄2 in (1.71 m)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
– New Cumnock
– Lugar Boswell
1911–1913 Bradford City 5 (0)
1913 Lanemark
1913–1919 Birmingham 28 (10)
1919–1920 Coventry City 20 (7)
1920–1922 Merthyr Town 80 (24)
1922–1923 Bristol City 37 (7)
1923–1924 Sheffield Wednesday 18 (6)
1924–1925 Weymouth
1925–19?? Leamington Town
– Redditch Town
Managerial career
1924–1925 Weymouth (player-manager)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Walker was born in New Cumnock, Ayrshire. A forward, he began his football career with New Cumnock and Lugar Boswell before coming to England to join Football League First Division club and FA Cup-holders Bradford City in August 1911.[3] He remained at the club for 18 months, playing only five league games in that time, before returning to Scotland in March 1913 suffering from homesickness.[3] A few months later he ventured south again, signing for Birmingham of the Second Division.[3] He scored on his debut in a 2–2 draw at Blackpool, and finished the 1913–14 season with eight goals from 12 league appearances.[4] He played only rarely for the first team the following season, but scored six hat-tricks for the reserves.[3]

Walker returned to the club towards the end of the First World War, scoring 15 goals in 29 games in the last season of the wartime leagues,[5] and kept his place at the beginning of the 1919–20 Football League season, moving on to Coventry City, newly elected to the Second Division, in November 1919.[3] The following year he dropped down a division to join Merthyr Town, founder members of the inaugural season of the Third Division South, for whom he scored 24 goals in 80 league games. From October 1922 Walker spent a year with Bristol City, scoring 8 goals in 39 appearances in all competitions, before finishing off his Football League career at Sheffield Wednesday,[6] where in what remained of the 1923–24 season he scored 5 goals in 19 games.[7]

He spent the 1924–25 season as player-manager of Weymouth, whom he led to sixth place in the Southern League Western Division and runners-up spot in the Western League,[8][9] and ended his playing career with Leamington Town and Redditch Town.[2]

References
  1. "The lure of promotion. Bristol City". Athletic News. Manchester. 13 August 1923. p. 6.
  2. Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 269. ISBN 978-1-899468-67-6.
  3. Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 131. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
  4. Matthews, p. 160.
  5. Matthews, p. 235.
  6. "Player Information: Billy Walker". Citystats. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  7. "W B Walker". The Sheffield Wednesday Archive. Stuart Jackson. Retrieved 16 April 2009.
  8. "'Terras' Timeline". Weymouth F.C. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  9. "Weymouth". Football Club History Database. Richard Rundle. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
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