Bert Williams (soccer player)
Bert Frederick Williams , MBE (born January 31, 1920 in Bilston , Staffordshire , † January 19, 2014 in Wolverhampton ) was an English football goalkeeper .
After Williams finished school, he started working in Great Bridge, a town in the West Midlands . He also played for Thompson's FC in the Wolverhampton Works League . There he was discovered by Andy Wilson , coach at FC Walsall at the time , and when he was 15 he moved to Walsall.
When Harry Hibbs , former England goalkeeper, took over the coaching position of FC Walsall, he recognized the talent and Williams made his debut at the age of 16 in the club's first team.
The Second World War initially slowed the young goalkeeper's career because he had to do his military service in the Royal Air Force . While making his way through the world, he competed twice with English selections against a Welsh and a French selection.
After the war, Williams originally wanted to join Chelsea , but Wolverhampton Wanderers offered him £ 3,500 and Williams decided against the London club. For the Wolves he should play 420 games, including 381 league games. He also celebrated victory in the FA Cup in 1949 and in 1954 managed to win the championship.
On May 22, 1949, Williams received his first invitation to an official international match and England beat France 3-1. In 1950 he took part in the World Cup, but England failed in the group stage. The 0-1 defeat against the USA is particularly well known . After another defeat against eventual group winners Spain , they failed as group runner-up. On October 22, 1955, he said goodbye after 24 internationals with a 1: 2 defeat against Wales from the national team.
After retiring from his career, Williams opened a sports store in his hometown of Bilston. He ran a football school for goalkeepers, from which, among others, Phil Parkes and Joe Corrigan emerged . After the death of his wife in 2002, he devoted himself to fundraising for the Alzheimer's Society . Williams died shortly before his 94th birthday, leaving behind three children.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Bert Williams in the database of barryhugmansfootballers.com (English). Retrieved August 16, 2020.
- ^ Theguardian.com: Bert Williams obituary (January 20, 2014) , accessed April 14, 2020
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Williams, Bert |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Williams, Bert Frederick (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English football goalkeeper |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 31, 1920 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bilston , Staffordshire |
| DATE OF DEATH | 19th January 2014 |
| Place of death | Wolverhampton |