Wilbur W. Cush[1] (10 June 1928 – 28 July 1981) was a Northern Irish football striker.

Wilbur Cush
Personal information
Date of birth (1928-06-10)10 June 1928
Place of birth Lurgan, Northern Ireland
Date of death 28 July 1981(1981-07-28) (aged 53)
Place of death Lurgan, Northern Ireland
Height 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Position(s) Half-Back / Inside-Forward
Youth career
Shankill YMCA
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1947–1957 Glenavon
1957–1960 Leeds United 87 (9)
1960–1966 Portadown
1966–1968 Glenavon
International career
1950–1961 Northern Ireland 26 (6)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Billy Cush represented Northern Ireland at the 1958 World Cup, scoring the winning goal in their first ever final stages World Cup match, a 1–0 win over Czechoslovakia in Sweden.

He started his career in his native Northern Ireland with Glenavon F.C. In 1951/52 he helped Glenavon become the first club from outside of Belfast to win the Irish League and 5 years later followed it up with a second league title. In 1956/57, he was named as the Ulster Footballer of the Year.[2] He moved to Leeds United in 1957 and took over the captaincy from recently departed Leeds legend John Charles. Cush was a very versatile player who could play at centre-back and centre-forward. His performances at Elland Road earned him his call up to Northern Ireland for the 1958 World Cup. Overall at Leeds he made 90 appearances and scored 9 goals. In 1960 he moved to Portadown F.C. later moving back to his first club, Glenavon F.C., as a player and later a coach. With his football career over, Wilbur became a butcher in Lurgan. He died in 1981.

Wilbur Cush was also a platoon Sergeant in the Ulster Special Constabulary. He served in Lurgan (J division County Armagh) and The Birches station County Armagh. He received the USC Long Service Medal.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Jcd (15 August 2006). "Billy Cush". NIFG. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  2. ^ M. Brodie (ed.), Northern Ireland Soccer Yearbook 2009-2010, p. 102. Belfast:Ulster Tatler Publications
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  • Wilbur Cush at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database
  • Profile`