William Clifford Caton (11 September 1924 – 16 August 2011) was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Carlisle United, Chesterfield, Crewe Alexandra and Stoke City.[1]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Clifford Caton[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 11 September 1924[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Kidsgrove, Stoke-on-Trent, England[1] | ||
| Date of death | 16 August 2011 (aged 86) | ||
| Place of death | Cross Heath, Newcastle-under-Lyme, England | ||
| Position(s) | Inside forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1947–1949 | Stoke City | 22 | (2) |
| 1949–1952 | Carlisle United | 61 | (15) |
| 1952–1953 | Chesterfield | 7 | (0) |
| 1953–1954 | Worcester City | ||
| 1954–1955 | Crewe Alexandra | 39 | (9) |
| 1955–1957 | Gresley Rovers | 56 | (24) |
| 1957–1958 | Mossley | 4 | (0) |
| Total | 189 | (50) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Army career edit
Caton joined the Second Field Regiment Royal Artillery during World War II and was captured and incarcerated by the Nazis in Italy.[1] He managed to escape the prison camp by hiding in a vehicle and jumping out of it once it had left the camp.[1]
Football career edit
After leaving the Army in 1947 Caton started playing football for his local side Stoke City however he was never a favourite with manager Bob McGrory being used mostly as a reserve team player and left for Bill Shankly's Carlisle United in 1949.[1] He later went on to play for Chesterfield, Worcester City, Crewe Alexandra, Gresley Rovers and Mossley.[1] Caton was able to throw the ball a long way similar to that of Rory Delap.[2] He died on 16 August 2011 at the age of 86.[3]
Career statistics edit
Source:[4]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Stoke City[1] | 1947–48 | First Division | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 1948–49 | First Division | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | |
| 1949–50 | First Division | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| Total | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 2 | ||
| Carlisle United | 1949–50 | Third Division North | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 1950–51 | Third Division North | 31 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 7 | |
| 1951–52 | Third Division North | 27 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 7 | |
| Total | 61 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 64 | 15 | ||
| Chesterfield | 1952–53 | Third Division North | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Crewe Alexandra | 1954–55 | Third Division North | 39 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 9 |
| Career total | 129 | 26 | 7 | 0 | 136 | 26 | ||
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
- ^ "Meet Bill Caton, Stoke's golden oldie who could throw the ball further than Rory". thisisstaffordshire.co.uk. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
- ^ "Farewell to Stoke City's original 'long throw wizard'". The Sentinel. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
- ^ Bill Caton at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
External links edit
- Bill Caton at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database
- Gresley Rovers profile at Gresley F.C.