William Wright (born 28 April 1958) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre half. He played 370 games in the Football League, appearing in all four divisions, and was capped six times at the under-21 level[3] and twice for England B.[4]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Wright[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 28 April 1958[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Liverpool,[1] England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Centre half | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1974–1977 | Everton | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1977–1983 | Everton | 166 | (10) |
| 1983–1986 | Birmingham City | 111 | (8) |
| 1986 | → Chester City (loan) | 6 | (1) |
| 1986–1988 | Carlisle United | 87 | (3) |
| 1988 | Morecambe | 13 | (1) |
| Total | 383 | (23) | |
| International career | |||
| 1978–1980 | England U21 | 6 | (0) |
| 1979–1980 | England B | 2 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1988–1989 | Morecambe | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Born in Liverpool, Wright joined Everton as a junior. He went on to captain the side,[5] and made nearly 200 first team appearances before losing his place to Kevin Ratcliffe.[6] He then moved to Birmingham City on a free transfer. He missed only two games in all competitions in his first two seasons, was appointed captain and penalty-taker, and helped the club gain promotion back to the First Division in 1985.[1] He was chosen as the club's Player of the Year for 1984–85.[7] His form began to be affected by weight problems, and Birmingham released him the following year.[1] This followed a spell out on loan with Chester City, whom he helped move towards promotion from the Fourth Division in the 1985–86 season.
He played two full seasons for Carlisle United before moving on to non-league club Morecambe. After injury put an end to his playing career in 1988,[citation needed] he became Morecambe's caretaker manager, and six games later, he was given the permanent appointment, though his tenure was only a few months.[8]
Honours
editBirmingham City
- Second Division runner-up: 1984–85
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. pp. 136, 219–20. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
- ^ Dunk, Peter, ed. (1987). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 114. ISBN 978-0-356-14354-5.
- ^ Courtney, Barrie (10 January 2004). "England – U-21 International Results 1976–1985 – Details". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 14 November 2007.
- ^ Courtney, Barrie (21 March 2004). "England – International Results B-Team – Details". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 14 November 2007.
- ^ McNulty, Phil (17 August 2001). "Robbie's time runs out". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 November 2007.
- ^ "Kevin Ratcliffe". Everton F.C. Archived from the original on 22 October 2007.
- ^ "Player of the Year". The Birmingham City FC Archive. 13 December 2002. Archived from the original on 30 March 2003.
- ^ "Billy Wright 1988–1989". Official Morecambe Football Supporters Club. Archived from the original on 8 October 2007.
External links
edit- Billy Wright at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database