Bill Townsend (footballer)

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Bill Townsend
Personal information
Full name William Townsend
Date of birth (1922-12-27)27 December 1922
Place of birth Bedworth, England
Date of death Error: Need valid death date (first date): year, month, day
Place of death Thornton-Cleveleys, England
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
Nuneaton Borough
1939–1942 Derby County
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1942–1953 Derby County 79 (0)
1953–1957 Burton Albion
1957–1959 Banbury Spencer
1959–1960 Burton Albion
Managerial career
1959–1960 Burton Albion (player-manager)
1960–1962 Burton Albion
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

William "Bill" Townsend (27 December 1922 – 21 December 1988)[1] was an English football player and manager. A goalkeeper he played for Nuneaton Borough, before moving to Derby County as a wartime guest, then becoming a professional player, he would then end his career at Burton Albion and Banbury Spencer. He would later return to Burton Albion as a player and later manager.

Career

Early career

Townsend started his footballing career as a teenager at home town Nuneaton Borough before joining Derby County in 1939 as a wartime guest player.[1] He signed a professional deal in 1942[1] and became a regular member of the Derby side during the war.[2]

Derby County

After World War II ended, Townsend made his Derby senior debut on 2 March 1946, in a FA Cup quarter final tie against Aston Villa in front of 74,588 fans at Villa Park.[3][2] Towsend would play in the 2nd leg a week later which ended in a 1–1 draw at the Baseball Ground.[4] However Vic Woodley was not eligible to play in the games against Villa would play in the semi-final and the 1946 FA Cup final, so Townsend missed out on a winners medal.[2]

As league football returned the following season, Townsend would start as third choice keeper behind Woodley and Alick Grant.[5] In 1947–48, Woodley and Grant would both leave Derby and Townsend had three seasons where he came first choice goalkeeper.[5] Injuries however hit Townsend's time at Derby County and he missed Derby's 1947–48 FA Cup semi final loss against Manchester United.[6] Terry Webster and Harry Brown took over goalkeeping duties and when Ray Middleton joined in 1951, Townsend went two years and nine months without making a first team appearance.[5] Townsend would play four games in 1953, with his last game for Derby being in a 1–1 draw against Charlton Athletic on 7 February 1953.[7] Townsend left Derby in July 1953,[7] he played 93 times for Derby, 79 times in the Football League.[1]

Later career

Townsend would join Staffordshire club Burton Albion in July 1953,[1] he played in Burton's 0–0 FA Cup third draw against Halifax Town where made a string of impressive saves despite injuring a shoulder in the game.[8] In June 1957, Townsend would join Banbury Spencer.[1] He played for Banbury for two seasons.[9]

Managerial career

Townsend would return to Burton Albion in September 1959, as player-manager, Townsend would retire as a player in 1960 and he made 204 appearances in his two spells as a player.[8] Townsend would remain as manager of Burton until October 1962.[1]

Personal life

After leaving Derby, Townsend became landlord of the Smiths’ Arms in Branston.[10]

Death

Townsend died 21 December 1988, six days short of his 66th birthday in Thornton-Cleveleys.[1]

Honours

In 2021, Townsend was posthumously inducted into the Burton Albion Hall of Fame.[10]

References

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External links

Bill Townsend career at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database

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