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Wilf Billington
Billington in 1955
Personal information
Full name Wilfred Francis Billington[1]
Date of birth (1930-01-28)28 January 1930
Place of birth Blackburn, England
Date of death 1 October 2023(2023-10-01) (aged 93)
Place of death Australia
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
Rochdale
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1948–1954 Blackburn Rovers 0 (0)
1954–1958 Workington 53 (0)
1958–1959 Headington United
Balgownie Rangers
South Coast United
Melbourne Hellas
Total 53+ (0+)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Wilfred Francis Billington (28 January 1930 – 1 October 2023) was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper in England and Australia. He began his career with Rochdale, later playing for Blackburn Rovers, Workington Reds, and Headington United.[2][1][3][4] In Australia, Billington was best known as the goalkeeper for South Coast United's championship-winning side led by former England international Jim Kelly.[5][6]

Early life

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Born in Blackburn, Billington attended St Alban's School.[4] His schoolmates included Jack Walker, who went on to help the Blackburn Rovers win the Premier League in 1995.[4]

Professional career

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After a brief stint at Rochdale, Billington joined Blackburn Rovers, his hometown club.[7] He was with Blackburn for six years, playing regularly for the reserve team in the Central League.[7]

In the summer of 1954, Billington was signed by Workington manager Bill Shankly as the cover goalkeeper for Malcolm Newlands.[8][7][9] After Newlands was injured, Billington played the opening match of the 1954–1955 season at Darlington, which the club won 2–1.[9] He made a total of 19 appearances during his first season, and 24 during his second.[9]

Eighteen months into his transfer to Workington, the Liverpool Echo noted that Billington was regarded as "extremely promising", commending his performance at Prenton Park during his first season.[10] Similarly, the Derby Evening Telegraph called Billington one of Shankly's best signings, noting that he had "developed into an extremely sound and reliable goalkeeper".[11]

Shankly himself had told the press following the hard-fought match against the Tranmere Rovers that he predicted Billington would be selected as England goalkeeper within two years' time.[12] In December 1955, when Shankly was confirmed to be moving to Huddersfield Town, the Lincolnshire Echo called Billington "one of the best [goalkeepers] in the Third North" and suggested that he was a natural choice to follow suit.[13]

Over the course of his five-year Workington Reds career, Billington made a total of 55 League and Cup appearances, and kept 16 clean sheets.[9] He also made 75 appearances for the Workington Reserves playing in the North Eastern League.[9] In his final match for the club in 1958, he conceded 6 goals in a 6–3 defeat at Mansfield Town.[9]

Billington moved south after his release by Workington manager Joe Harvey, transferring to Headington United, which later became Oxford United, for the 1958–59 season.[7] He decided to emigrate to Australia after a two-year offer to move there.[7] Later deciding to live there permanently, he played for Balgownie Rangers, South Coast United and Melbourne Hellas.[9][7]

In 1963, Billington played for South Coast United in the New South Wales grand final, defeating APIA Leichhardt 4–0 for the title in front of a crowd of 30,158 at the Sydney Sports Ground. This broke the Australian attendance record at the time.[6][14] The following week, Billington played in the 1963 Australia Cup against APIA, who enacted revenge against South Coast United. Whilst Billington played well, saving point-blank shots from Leo Baumgartner and John Giacometti, he was unable to prevent a 0–2 loss to APIA.[15]

Personal life

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Billington returned to England in the mid-1960s after leaving South Coast United, but announced his return to Australia in 1966.[5][16] He lived in Wollongong and worked in a steelworks, first as a fitter and then as a salesman.[7]

At age 55, he obtained an honours degree from Wollongong University in Australia, and later worked for a politician.[7] His son also played as a goalkeeper.[17]

At the beginning of October 2023, Billington died at the age of 93.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Wilf Billington". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Sports Personality of the Year 2023: Remembering the stars we have lost". BBC Sport. 19 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  3. ^ Wilf Billington at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  4. ^ a b c Anson, John (22 July 2010). "Ex-Blackburn Rovers keeper Wilf saves memories of Jack". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Sydney Club Patrol". Soccer World. 1966. Retrieved 25 December 2023 – via Internet Archive.
  6. ^ a b Barnes, Martin (4 July 1990). "Kelly back in Wollongong". Australian Soccer Weekly. Retrieved 23 December 2023 – via Internet Archive.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Workington Reds goalie Wilf Billington dies aged 93". Cumbria Crack. 11 October 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  8. ^ Bowler, Dave (1996). Shanks: The Authorised Biography of Bill Shankly. London: Orion. p. 175. ISBN 0-75280-246-1.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g "Reds mourn fifties 'keeper". Workington AFC. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  10. ^ "Workington's Challenge at Prenton Park". Liverpool Echo. 15 October 1955. Retrieved 25 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ^ "Today's visitors to the baseball ground". Derby Evening Telegraph. 1 October 1955. Retrieved 25 December 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Thompson, Phil (2006). Emlyn Hughes: A Tribute to Crazy Horse. History Press. ISBN 9780750959810.
  13. ^ "Workington players for Huddersf'ld". Lincolnshire Echo. 24 December 1955. Retrieved 25 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  14. ^ Gautier, Lou (27 September 1963). "Cocky APIA pulverised by fast-raiding S.Coast". Soccer World. Vol. 6, no. 35. p. 5. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  15. ^ "APIA Gains Sweet Revenge". Soccer World. Vol. 6, no. 36. 4 October 1963. p. 5. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  16. ^ "Sydney Club Patrol". Soccer World. 2 September 1966. Retrieved 25 December 2023 – via Internet Archive.
  17. ^ Murphy, Phil (5 April 1983). "News from Illawarra". Australian Soccer Weekly. Retrieved 23 December 2023 – via Internet Archive.
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