Billy Wootton

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Billy Wootton
Wootton in 1929
Personal information
Full name William Wootton[1]
Date of birth (1904-08-27)27 August 1904[1]
Place of birth Longton, Staffordshire, England[1]
Date of death 2000 (aged 95–96)
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[2]
Position(s) Full-back
Youth career
Trentham
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1923–1924 Stoke 0 (0)
1924–1925 Congleton Town
1925–1932 Port Vale 56 (0)
1932–1937 Southend United 2 (0)
1935–1947 Northwich Victoria
Total 58+ (0+)
Managerial career
1935–1947 Northwich Victoria (player-manager)
1947–1950 Oldham Athletic
1951–1952 Halifax Town
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

William Wootton (27 August 1904 – 2000) was an English footballer who played as a full-back for Stoke, Congleton Town, Port Vale, and Southend United. He later managed Northwich Victoria, Oldham Athletic, and Halifax Town. He won the Third Division North title with Port Vale in 1929–30, and led Northwich Victoria to victory in the Cheshire Senior Cup in 1937.

Playing career[edit]

Wootton played for Trentham, Stoke and Congleton Town, before joining Port Vale in June 1925.[1] He made three Second Division appearances in the 1925–26 season.[1] He remained a bit-part player for the "Valiants", featuring seven times in 1926–27, 12 times in 1927–28, and six times in 1928–29.[1] Vale were relegated in 1929, and Wootton played 20 league games in 1929–30 as Vale won the Third Division North title.[1] However, he only played four games in 1930–31 and six games in 1931–32.[1]

In August 1932, he was transferred to Third Division South side Southend United.[3] He became the player-manager of Cheshire County League club Northwich Victoria in 1935. He spent 12 years at Drill Field, leading them to the Cheshire Senior Cup in 1937.

Managerial career[edit]

After leaving the position of player-manager with Northwich Victoria, Wootton became the manager of Third Division North side Oldham Athletic in June 1947. He oversaw 141 games at Boundary Park and achieved a 38.28 win percentage but failed to gain the club the promotion to the Second Division they craved. He left Oldham in September 1950 and took up the reins at Halifax Town the following year. He spent just one season with Halifax, and left The Shay after leading the "Shaymen" to a 20th-place finish in the Third Division North in 1951–52.

Career statistics[edit]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[4]
Club Season League FA Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Stoke 1923–24 Second Division 0 0 0 0 0 0
Port Vale 1925–26 Second Division 3 0 0 0 3 0
1926–27 Second Division 5 0 2 0 7 0
1927–28 Second Division 12 0 0 0 12 0
1928–29 Second Division 6 0 0 0 6 0
1929–30 Third Division North 20 0 0 0 20 0
1930–31 Second Division 4 0 0 0 4 0
1931–32 Second Division 6 0 0 0 6 0
Total 56 0 2 0 58 0
Southend United 1932–33 Third Division South 2 0 0 0 2 0
Career total 58 0 2 0 60 0

Managerial statistics[edit]

Source:[5]

Managerial record by team and tenure
Team From To Record
P W D L Win %
Oldham Athletic 1 June 1947 14 September 1950 145 54 37 54 037.2
Halifax Town 5 March 1951 6 February 1952 44 9 10 25 020.5
Total 189 63 47 79 033.3

Honours[edit]

Port Vale

Northwich Victoria

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 317. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
  2. ^ "Athletic News". 17 August 1925. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  3. ^ "Player detail: Billy Wootton". SUFC DataBase. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 31 December 2009.
  4. ^ Billy Wootton at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  5. ^ Billy Wootton management career statistics at Soccerbase
  6. ^ Kent, Jeff (1990). "From Glory to Despair (1929–1939)". The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 124–150. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.
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