Gerry Wolstenholme's Blog - Posts Tagged "wolverhampton-wanderers"
Blackpool Football Club's Olympian
William John (Bill) Slater 1927-2018
Bill Slater was born in Clitheroe on 29 April 1927 and, as an inside forward, he was a product of Clitheroe Royal Grammar School and after leaving school he played his football for Yorkshire Amateurs and Leeds University. He worked locally at a bank before, for the good of his father's health, the family moved to Blackpool. While there, his footballing ability having been noted by the club's scouts, he was invited to play a few games for the club as an amateur.
He first appeared for Blackpool when still a junior in the 1944/45 season, making his debut at inside left in a 5-4 victory at Southport on 21 October 1944. He went on to play four games, scoring one goal, for Blackpool in that wartime 1944/45 season. His goal came when he was called into the side in an emergency when the club had only 10 men against Preston North End on 5 May 1945. He arrived on the field with Blackpool winning 2-0; they eventually won 8-1.
He was also a more than useful cricketer and he first played for Blackpool Cricket Club as an amateur in September 1945, after he had scored a brilliant 84, with one six and 12 fours, for the Blackpool Colts side out of a total of 153-9 declared. He was later to play a number of games for Warwickshire Second XI and also played for the Midlands Club Cricket Conference side.
He was doing his National Service in the Army up to 1948 and then he was studying physical education at Leeds University, so he did not have opportunity to play regularly for Blackpool again for a number of seasons. He did return to action for the Blackpool ‘A’ team against Chorley on 10 April 1948 when he 'played a fine game' and the after-match comment was 'If ever there is a player of the future it is this forward. He intends now that he is demobilised to enter University for three years but present indications are that he will still sign a professional contract for Blackpool, whose directors do not want to lose him.'
He started the 1948/49 season in the Blackpool ‘A’ team and he scored two goals in a 2-2 draw with Burnley ‘A’ in the first round of the Richardson Cup on 26 August 1948. He then made his Central League debut at inside left against Manchester United reserves on 30 August 1948 when Blackpool lost 1-0 and he played one further Central League game in that season. His form had been such in the junior sides that Blackpool officially signed him as an amateur in May 1949.
He scored four goals for the Central League side against Blackburn Rovers reserves on 5 September 1949 when Blackpool won 6-0. The display probably earned him his first team call-up for he made his League debut at outside left against Aston Villa on 7 September 1949 when the game was drawn 0-0. Playing occasionally for the League side, he scored his first League goals, two of them, in a 4-2 victory over Stoke City on 10 December 1949. And he scored his first hat-trick for the club when scoring three goals, including a penalty, in a 4-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in the third round of the FA Cup on 7 January 1950.
He played nine League games, scoring three goals, three FA Cup ties, scoring three goals, and seven Central League games, scoring six goals, in the 1949/50 season. And he started the 1950/51 season as the first choice inside left and he went on to play in a run of 17 successive games before study commitments temporarily took him away from the game.
His return to the team was rather dramatic for injury to Allan Brown gave him the opportunity to play in the 1951 FA Cup final against Newcastle United but the only condition on which he could play was that he had to be back on campus at Leeds University the same night! Blackpool lost 2-0 and while his Blackpool team mates were attending their after-match banquet he was on the train, returning to University and hiding his face from the many celebrating Newcastle fans travelling home. He does, however, remain the last amateur to play in the FA Cup final. He played in 18 League games, scoring four goals, one FA Cup tie, and five Central League games for Blackpool in the 1950/51 season.
Considering what was to come, 20 October 1951 was a significant day as Blackpool tried him at wing half and in his first game in the position he gave a polished display in the Central League side against Manchester United reserves. It had critics and supporters alike declaring (prophetically in view of his later career) that he should be permanently converted into a wing half. He gave 'superb service to the forwards and was very effective defensively' and in addition he scored one of the goals in a 4-2 victory.
He won amateur international honours in 1951 and he went on to win 21 England Amateur international caps, playing for Great Britain in the 1952 Olympic Games (his daughter, who he coached at gymnastics was also an Olympian, appearing in the 1976 games in Montreal).
He played five League games, occupying the inside right, inside left and centre forward positions and scoring two goals, and seven Central League games, occupying the inside left, left half and right half positions and scoring three goals, before he departed by mutual consent due to work commitments in the 1951/52 season. As an amateur he was entitled to freedom of movement and his tutorial and personal interests led to the move down south. He had played 36 League and Cup games for Blackpool, scoring 12 goals, and 20 Central League games, scoring nine goals.
He joined Brentford, still as an amateur, in December 1951 and the London press raved about his performances at wing half, a position he did not play in the first team at Blackpool. However, he played just seven League games, scoring one goal, for Brentford. And it was while at Brentford that he played in the 1952 Olympic Games Great Britain side and he was to comment later, 'I suppose the tournament was a bit of disaster for us really. In those days there was no professional sports in the European countries, but in fact they were professionals in all but name. We had some good players, men like George Robb who played for Tottenham, but while the others had settled international teams, ours had come together at relatively short notice. We went out in the first round 5-3 to Luxembourg, of all teams. But I’m not sure how many of them actually came from Luxembourg. Though some of them were certainly playing football in Italy and elsewhere, it was a bit embarrassing.'
Tony Pawson a fellow member of the 1952 squad said of him in September 2003, 'He was a very intelligent player and a very strong captain. Before one game our professional coach said that whenever we gave away a free-kick, one of us should go and stand on the ball until we regrouped. Bill spoke up and said, ‘Not in my side they won’t’. Alas there aren’t many Bill Slaters in the game now. He was absolute soul of amateurism, decency and sportsmanship.' Staying on to watch the rest of the tournament, he did at least spot the potential of the Hungarian side and extolled their virtues in an article for the FA News. The following year Hungary went on to defeat the full England side 6-3 at Wembley.
When his work as a lecturer took him to the Midlands, Brentford gave him an introduction to Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 1952 [some reports claim that he went to Molineux and knocked on manager Stan Cullis' door to ask for a game, stating that he did not mind at which level of the game he played). It was agreed that, providing that he got permission from his university, he would sign for Wolves as a part-time professional. His weekly wage was to be £14 and he later commented, 'more than I was getting at the university'. Manager Stan Cullis was reported as saying, 'I think we are obliged to pay you a £10 signing-on fee, but I’m not sure you’re worth it.' How wrong he was!
He went on to have a stellar career at Wolverhampton Wanderers, playing 339 League and Cup games for the club, being a member of three Wolves League championship-winning sides and captaining the side to FA Cup victory at Wembley [a 3-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers and, as a young boy, I was lucky enough to be there to see him]. Also during his time there he won 12 England caps and he played in the 1958 World Cup finals. In Sweden he lined up against Brazil, having taken a month’s unpaid leave from Birmingham University, and he was later to remark, 'The £50 match fee meant that I just about broke even.' In addition he won the Footballer of the Year award in 1960.
He was transferred back to Brentford in July 1963 and he played a further five League games and scored two more goals for the club before bowing out and playing a few games for the amateur side Northern Nomads in 1964/65.
An extremely talented man [and a lovely man to boot for I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to meet him] he had a variety of roles outside football including Deputy director of Crystal Palace Sports Centre, Director of PE at Liverpool and Birmingham Universities, Chairman of the West Midlands Sports Council, Director of National Services (Great Britain Sports Council), a member of the British Olympic Committee, Chairman of the Sports Aid Foundation and President of the British Amateur Gymnast Association.
He was awarded the OBE in 1982 and the CBE in 1998, both awarded for his services to sport.
He died on 18 December 2018 at Wytham House care facility in Oxfordshire after suffering from Alzheimer's disease. His funeral was held at Mortlake Crematorium on 15 January 2019.
Bill Slater was born in Clitheroe on 29 April 1927 and, as an inside forward, he was a product of Clitheroe Royal Grammar School and after leaving school he played his football for Yorkshire Amateurs and Leeds University. He worked locally at a bank before, for the good of his father's health, the family moved to Blackpool. While there, his footballing ability having been noted by the club's scouts, he was invited to play a few games for the club as an amateur.
He first appeared for Blackpool when still a junior in the 1944/45 season, making his debut at inside left in a 5-4 victory at Southport on 21 October 1944. He went on to play four games, scoring one goal, for Blackpool in that wartime 1944/45 season. His goal came when he was called into the side in an emergency when the club had only 10 men against Preston North End on 5 May 1945. He arrived on the field with Blackpool winning 2-0; they eventually won 8-1.
He was also a more than useful cricketer and he first played for Blackpool Cricket Club as an amateur in September 1945, after he had scored a brilliant 84, with one six and 12 fours, for the Blackpool Colts side out of a total of 153-9 declared. He was later to play a number of games for Warwickshire Second XI and also played for the Midlands Club Cricket Conference side.
He was doing his National Service in the Army up to 1948 and then he was studying physical education at Leeds University, so he did not have opportunity to play regularly for Blackpool again for a number of seasons. He did return to action for the Blackpool ‘A’ team against Chorley on 10 April 1948 when he 'played a fine game' and the after-match comment was 'If ever there is a player of the future it is this forward. He intends now that he is demobilised to enter University for three years but present indications are that he will still sign a professional contract for Blackpool, whose directors do not want to lose him.'
He started the 1948/49 season in the Blackpool ‘A’ team and he scored two goals in a 2-2 draw with Burnley ‘A’ in the first round of the Richardson Cup on 26 August 1948. He then made his Central League debut at inside left against Manchester United reserves on 30 August 1948 when Blackpool lost 1-0 and he played one further Central League game in that season. His form had been such in the junior sides that Blackpool officially signed him as an amateur in May 1949.
He scored four goals for the Central League side against Blackburn Rovers reserves on 5 September 1949 when Blackpool won 6-0. The display probably earned him his first team call-up for he made his League debut at outside left against Aston Villa on 7 September 1949 when the game was drawn 0-0. Playing occasionally for the League side, he scored his first League goals, two of them, in a 4-2 victory over Stoke City on 10 December 1949. And he scored his first hat-trick for the club when scoring three goals, including a penalty, in a 4-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in the third round of the FA Cup on 7 January 1950.
He played nine League games, scoring three goals, three FA Cup ties, scoring three goals, and seven Central League games, scoring six goals, in the 1949/50 season. And he started the 1950/51 season as the first choice inside left and he went on to play in a run of 17 successive games before study commitments temporarily took him away from the game.
His return to the team was rather dramatic for injury to Allan Brown gave him the opportunity to play in the 1951 FA Cup final against Newcastle United but the only condition on which he could play was that he had to be back on campus at Leeds University the same night! Blackpool lost 2-0 and while his Blackpool team mates were attending their after-match banquet he was on the train, returning to University and hiding his face from the many celebrating Newcastle fans travelling home. He does, however, remain the last amateur to play in the FA Cup final. He played in 18 League games, scoring four goals, one FA Cup tie, and five Central League games for Blackpool in the 1950/51 season.
Considering what was to come, 20 October 1951 was a significant day as Blackpool tried him at wing half and in his first game in the position he gave a polished display in the Central League side against Manchester United reserves. It had critics and supporters alike declaring (prophetically in view of his later career) that he should be permanently converted into a wing half. He gave 'superb service to the forwards and was very effective defensively' and in addition he scored one of the goals in a 4-2 victory.
He won amateur international honours in 1951 and he went on to win 21 England Amateur international caps, playing for Great Britain in the 1952 Olympic Games (his daughter, who he coached at gymnastics was also an Olympian, appearing in the 1976 games in Montreal).
He played five League games, occupying the inside right, inside left and centre forward positions and scoring two goals, and seven Central League games, occupying the inside left, left half and right half positions and scoring three goals, before he departed by mutual consent due to work commitments in the 1951/52 season. As an amateur he was entitled to freedom of movement and his tutorial and personal interests led to the move down south. He had played 36 League and Cup games for Blackpool, scoring 12 goals, and 20 Central League games, scoring nine goals.
He joined Brentford, still as an amateur, in December 1951 and the London press raved about his performances at wing half, a position he did not play in the first team at Blackpool. However, he played just seven League games, scoring one goal, for Brentford. And it was while at Brentford that he played in the 1952 Olympic Games Great Britain side and he was to comment later, 'I suppose the tournament was a bit of disaster for us really. In those days there was no professional sports in the European countries, but in fact they were professionals in all but name. We had some good players, men like George Robb who played for Tottenham, but while the others had settled international teams, ours had come together at relatively short notice. We went out in the first round 5-3 to Luxembourg, of all teams. But I’m not sure how many of them actually came from Luxembourg. Though some of them were certainly playing football in Italy and elsewhere, it was a bit embarrassing.'
Tony Pawson a fellow member of the 1952 squad said of him in September 2003, 'He was a very intelligent player and a very strong captain. Before one game our professional coach said that whenever we gave away a free-kick, one of us should go and stand on the ball until we regrouped. Bill spoke up and said, ‘Not in my side they won’t’. Alas there aren’t many Bill Slaters in the game now. He was absolute soul of amateurism, decency and sportsmanship.' Staying on to watch the rest of the tournament, he did at least spot the potential of the Hungarian side and extolled their virtues in an article for the FA News. The following year Hungary went on to defeat the full England side 6-3 at Wembley.
When his work as a lecturer took him to the Midlands, Brentford gave him an introduction to Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 1952 [some reports claim that he went to Molineux and knocked on manager Stan Cullis' door to ask for a game, stating that he did not mind at which level of the game he played). It was agreed that, providing that he got permission from his university, he would sign for Wolves as a part-time professional. His weekly wage was to be £14 and he later commented, 'more than I was getting at the university'. Manager Stan Cullis was reported as saying, 'I think we are obliged to pay you a £10 signing-on fee, but I’m not sure you’re worth it.' How wrong he was!
He went on to have a stellar career at Wolverhampton Wanderers, playing 339 League and Cup games for the club, being a member of three Wolves League championship-winning sides and captaining the side to FA Cup victory at Wembley [a 3-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers and, as a young boy, I was lucky enough to be there to see him]. Also during his time there he won 12 England caps and he played in the 1958 World Cup finals. In Sweden he lined up against Brazil, having taken a month’s unpaid leave from Birmingham University, and he was later to remark, 'The £50 match fee meant that I just about broke even.' In addition he won the Footballer of the Year award in 1960.
He was transferred back to Brentford in July 1963 and he played a further five League games and scored two more goals for the club before bowing out and playing a few games for the amateur side Northern Nomads in 1964/65.
An extremely talented man [and a lovely man to boot for I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to meet him] he had a variety of roles outside football including Deputy director of Crystal Palace Sports Centre, Director of PE at Liverpool and Birmingham Universities, Chairman of the West Midlands Sports Council, Director of National Services (Great Britain Sports Council), a member of the British Olympic Committee, Chairman of the Sports Aid Foundation and President of the British Amateur Gymnast Association.
He was awarded the OBE in 1982 and the CBE in 1998, both awarded for his services to sport.
He died on 18 December 2018 at Wytham House care facility in Oxfordshire after suffering from Alzheimer's disease. His funeral was held at Mortlake Crematorium on 15 January 2019.
