Billy Spencer
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Spencer[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 15 May 1904[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Nelson, England[1] | ||
| Date of death | 1969 (aged 65)[1] | ||
| Playing position | Full-back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1924 | Hebden Bridge | ||
| 1925–1938 | Stoke City | 338 | (0) |
| 1938 | Crewe Alexandra | 3 | (0) |
| Total | 341 | (0) | |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
William "Billy" Spencer (15 May 1904 – 1969) was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Crewe Alexandra and Stoke City.[1][2]
Career
Spencer was born in Nelson and played amateur for West Riding League side Hebden Bridge whilst working in a mill. He joined Stoke City in December 1924, turning professional in April 1925. Spencer replaced the long-serving Alec Milne midway through the 1925–26 season slotting into a leaky defence and relegation to the Third Division was unavoidable.[2] Stoke won the Third Division North title in 1926–27 with Spencer forming a formidable partnership with Bob McGrory. Spencer's positional play complemented McGrory's tough-tackling, however despite their on-field empathy it was rumoured that the pair did not get along off it with Spencer easily riled by McGrory's stubbornness.[2] Despite any-off the pitch frictions the partnership lasted for ten seasons although they both missed most of the 1931–32 season due to injury, Spencer suffering a broken leg on the opening day of the season against Chesterfield.[2]
After recovering from his injury he helped Stoke to gain promotion to the First Division in 1932–33. When McGrory became manager in 1935–36 he moved Spencer out to right-back to accommodate the emerging Charlie Scrimshaw and Spencer's form suffered as a result.[2] After losing his place midway through the 1935–36 season to Bill Winstanley, Spencer became a player-coach with the reserves where he spent the next two seasons.[2] He then moved to Crewe Alexandra for £750 in June 1938 when he played just three matches before deciding to retire. In total he played 354 games for Stoke City and without managing to score goal.[2]
Outside of football Spencer was a keen bowls player and was a star player in the North Staffordshire Bowls League. During World War II he was stationed in Carlisle and played in the same army team as Stoke team-mate Harry Davies. After the war he ran the Compasses public house in Stoke-on-Trent before returning home to coach Nelson before quitting due to the onset of deafness.[2]
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Stoke City[1] | 1925–26 | Second Division | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| 1926–27 | Third Division North | 36 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |
| 1927–28 | Second Division | 42 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 46 | 0 | |
| 1928–29 | Second Division | 40 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 0 | |
| 1929–30 | Second Division | 40 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 0 | |
| 1930–31 | Second Division | 39 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 42 | 0 | |
| 1931–32 | Second Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1932–33 | Second Division | 37 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 0 | |
| 1933–34 | First Division | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 0 | |
| 1934–35 | First Division | 41 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 0 | |
| 1935–36 | First Division | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| Total | 338 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 354 | 0 | ||
| Crewe Alexandra | 1938–39 | Third Division North | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Career Total | 341 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 357 | 0 | ||
Honours
- with Stoke City
- Football League Third Division North Champions: 1926–27
- Football League Second Division Champions: 1932–33