Roger Christopher Willis (born 17 June 1967) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder or forward. He made more than 300 appearances in the Football League between 1989 and 2002 playing for seven different clubs.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Roger Christopher Willis[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 17 June 1967[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Sheffield, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder / Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 198?–1988 | Dunkirk | ||
| 1988–1990 | Grimsby Town | 9 | (0) |
| 1990 | → Boston United (loan) | 10 | (5) |
| 1990–1992 | Barnet | 81 | (23) |
| 1992–1993 | Watford | 36 | (2) |
| 1993–1994 | Birmingham City | 19 | (5) |
| 1994–1996 | Southend United | 31 | (7) |
| 1996–1997 | Peterborough United | 40 | (6) |
| 1997–2002 | Chesterfield | 135 | (21) |
| 2002 | Peterborough United | 4 | (0) |
| 2002 | Kettering Town | 2 | (0) |
| 2002 | Stevenage Borough | 1 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | Cambridge City | 2 | (0) |
| 2003 | Hucknall Town | 1 | (0) |
| 2004 | St Albans City | 5 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
editWillis, a native of Sheffield generally known by his nickname of Harry, played for Nottingham-based non-league club Dunkirk before joining Grimsby Town in 1989.[2] He made ten first-team appearances for the Mariners in all competitions,[3] and spent time on loan to Boston United in the Conference,[4] before being sold to Barnet for £10,000 at the end of the 1989–90 season.[2]
In his first season with Barnet, Willis helped them win the Conference title and consequent promotion to the Football League.[2] A flourishing second season, in which he was one of the key players as Barnet reached the playoff semifinal,[5] earned him a move to First Division (second-tier) club Watford in October 1992 for a fee of £175,000.[2] After a relatively unsuccessful year with the Hornets,[6] he rejoined former Barnet manager Barry Fry, now at fellow First Division club Birmingham City, for a fee of £150,000.[2] Willis left for Southend United after ten months,[2] and went on to feature for Peterborough United before settling down for a five-year spell with Third Division (fourth-tier) Chesterfield, whom he helped gain promotion in the 2000–01 season.[7]
Released by Chesterfield in 2002, he made a brief return to Peterborough, followed by occasional appearances for non-league clubs Kettering Town, Stevenage Borough, Cambridge City and Hucknall Town, before retiring from the game in February 2003.[8][9] He came out of retirement to play for St Albans City in 2004.[10]
References
editInfobox statistics
- Football League clubs: "Roger Willis". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
- Boston United: Harman, John, ed. (2005). Alliance to Conference 1979–2004: The first 25 years. Tony Williams. pp. 125, 132. ISBN 978-1-869833-52-7.
- Barnet (Conference): Harman (ed.). Alliance to Conference 1979–2004. pp. 71, 75.
- Kettering Town: Harman (ed.). Alliance to Conference 1979–2004. pp. 372, 380.
- Stevenage Borough: Harman (ed.). Alliance to Conference 1979–2004. pp. 649, 652.
- Cambridge City: "Goals and Games 02/03". Cambridge City F.C. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- Hucknall Town: "Player Details: Season 2002–2003". SoccerFacts UK. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- St Albans City: "Roger Willis profile". St Albans City F.C. Archived from the original on 24 February 2010. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
General
- ^ a b c Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2003). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2003/2004. Queen Anne Press. p. 456. ISBN 1-85291-651-6.
- ^ a b c d e f Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 135. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
- ^ "Roger Willis". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
- ^ "Boston United Roll Call". Boston United FC – The Original Website. Ken Fox. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
- ^ "The Barry Fry Years – Part Seven". History of Barnet F.C. Barnet F.C. Supporters Association. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
- ^ Devon, Simon; Grant, Ian. "Roger 'Harry' Willis". Blind, Stupid and Desperate. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
- ^ "Roger Willis back in Posh colours for trial outing". Peterborough United F.C. 16 July 2002. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
- ^ "Roger Willis: Career history". UpThePosh.com. Chris Wilkinson. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
- ^ "Hucknall lose Willis". NonLeague Daily. 11 February 2003. Archived from the original on 15 August 2012.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Player Profile: Roger Willis". NonLeague Daily. Archived from the original on 15 August 2012.
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