Bill Booth (footballer)

William Samuel Booth (7 July 1920 – 18 February 1990) was an English football player and manager who played in the English Football League for Brighton & Hove Albion and Port Vale.

Bill Booth
Personal information
Full name William Samuel Booth[1]
Date of birth (1920-07-07)7 July 1920
Place of birth Hove, England[1]
Date of death 18 February 1990(1990-02-18) (aged 69)[1]
Place of death Eastbourne, England[1]
Position(s) Centre-half
Youth career
Hove Penguins
Brighton & Hove Albion
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 (0)
1939 Port Vale 9 (0)
1939 Cardiff City 0 (0)
1947–1949 Brighton & Hove Albion 28 (6)
Hastings United
Managerial career
1966–1968 Eastbourne
1971–1972 Eastbourne Town
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career edit

Booth played for Hove Penguins and Brighton & Hove Albion, before joining First Division club Wolverhampton Wanderers.[1] He was unable to break into their first-team at Molineux and moved to Port Vale in the Third Division South in February 1939.[1]

After ten consecutive games for the "Valiants" in 1938–39, he was given a free transfer to league rivals Cardiff City.[1] He later guested for Birmingham City and Leeds United during the war, before moving permanently back to Brighton & Hove Albion after the war.[1] Don Welsh's "Seagulls" finished bottom of the Third Division South in 1947–48 and had to apply for re-election, before rising to sixth place in 1948–49. He then moved into non-League football with newly founded Southern League club Hastings United.

Management career edit

Booth manageed for Eastbourne from 1966 to 1968, and again in the Athenian League between 1971 and 1972.

Career statistics edit

Source:[2]

Club Season Division League FA Cup Other Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Port Vale 1938–39 Third Division South 9 0 0 0 1 0 10 0
Cardiff City 1939–40 Third Division South 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 0
Brighton & Hove Albion 1947–48 Third Division South 20 5 1 1 0 0 21 6
1948–49 Third Division South 8 1 0 0 0 0 8 1
Total 28 6 1 1 0 0 29 7

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 35. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0. ASIN 0952915200.
  2. ^ Bill Booth at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)