Billie Gillespie
Encyclopedia
Billie Gillespie was an English
football
player who was a centre forward
who 'hung around in the penalty circle and picked up lots of goals'. He played for Manchester City F.C.
between 1896 and 1904 appearing 217 times and scoring 125 goals.
, Scotland
, on 2 October 1873. He began his football career playing for his local team Strathclyde.
who were then in the Second Division of the English Football League. In 37 games for the team he scored 16 goals.
who were also in the second tier of English football. He formed an effective partnership with the Welsh outside right Billy Meredith
. He scored his first goal for City in a 3-1 defeat to Darwen. In his first season for the Manchester team he made 11 appearances and scored 4 times. The team finished sixth in the league 10 points behind winners Notts County
.
In the 1897-98 season he was City's leading scorer with 18 goals in 30 games, helping the team to third in the second division, nine points behind winners Burnley
.In the following season, the 1898-1899 football season, he was the clubs second leading goalscorer with 17 goals and helped City, who were only defeated twice in the entire season, to earn promotion to the first division. Billy Meredith
was the teams leading goalscorer with 29 goals.
In the 1899-1900 football season Gillespie scored 8 goals and was City's third highest goalscorer. The team finished in seventh place that season. Gillespie's first goal in the top tier of English football came in a 4-0 victory over Derby County
. In the 1900-1901 season Gillespie found his place in the team challenged by Joe Cassidy who was the teams leading goalscorer with 14 goals that season. However Cassidy moved to Middlesbrough
after a wage dispute. Gillespie had managed to score 9 goals in 23 appearances that season.
In the 1901-1902 football season Gillespie was the teams top scorer with 15 goals in 24 games. However, City finished in 18th place with only 28 points and were consigned to division two once more. As a consequence, Sam Ormerod
resigned as Manchester City manager and was succeeded by Tom Maley
. Maley strengthened the team by purchasing Billy Lot Jones
, Sandy Turnbull
and Jimmy Bannister
and they immediately earned promotion back into the first division in the 1902-1903 football season by winning the Second Division championship. The team scored 95 goals in 34 games that season and Gillespie was the Second Division's
top scorer with 30 goals.
In the 1903-1904 season, Gillespie was City's top league goalscorer with 18 goals as the team finished in second place in the First Division, three points behind champions Sheffield Wednesday
. City had defeated Sheffield Wednesday
3-0 in the semi final of that seasons FA Cup, with a brace from Sandy Turnbull
and one goal from Gillespie. City played Bolton Wanderers
and won 1-0. The only goal of the game was scored by Billy Meredith
.
In the 1904-1905 football season Gillespie was the teams fourth top scorer with 7 league goals in 16 games behind Sandy Turnbull
who scored 19 goals and Billy Meredith
and Frank Booth
who both scored 8 goals. Manchester City finished third in the league that season, two points behind champions Newcastle United
. At the end of the season the Football Association conduced an investigation into the financial activities of Manchester City and discovered that the team had been paying their players extra. The Football Association ruled that manager Tom Maley
should be suspended from football for life while seventeen players were fined and suspended until January 1907. Gillespie refused to pay his fine and instead emigrated to the United States. In 218 games for City he had scored 128 goals.
, Massachusetts
. He continued his association with the game of football by coaching a team at Harvard University. He died in 1942.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player who was a centre forward
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
who 'hung around in the penalty circle and picked up lots of goals'. He played for Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
between 1896 and 1904 appearing 217 times and scoring 125 goals.
Early life
William (Billy) Gillespie was born in StrathclydeStrathclyde
right|thumb|the former Strathclyde regionStrathclyde was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created by the Local Government Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc Act 1994...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, on 2 October 1873. He began his football career playing for his local team Strathclyde.
Lincoln City
In 1895 Gillespie signed for Lincoln CityLincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
who were then in the Second Division of the English Football League. In 37 games for the team he scored 16 goals.
Manchester City
In January 1897 Gillespie signed for Manchester CityManchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
who were also in the second tier of English football. He formed an effective partnership with the Welsh outside right Billy Meredith
Billy Meredith
William Henry "Billy" Meredith was a Welsh footballer. He was considered one of the early superstars of football due to his performances, notably for Manchester City and Manchester United. He won each domestic trophy in the English football league and also gained 48 caps for Wales, for whom he...
. He scored his first goal for City in a 3-1 defeat to Darwen. In his first season for the Manchester team he made 11 appearances and scored 4 times. The team finished sixth in the league 10 points behind winners Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
.
In the 1897-98 season he was City's leading scorer with 18 goals in 30 games, helping the team to third in the second division, nine points behind winners Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
.In the following season, the 1898-1899 football season, he was the clubs second leading goalscorer with 17 goals and helped City, who were only defeated twice in the entire season, to earn promotion to the first division. Billy Meredith
Billy Meredith
William Henry "Billy" Meredith was a Welsh footballer. He was considered one of the early superstars of football due to his performances, notably for Manchester City and Manchester United. He won each domestic trophy in the English football league and also gained 48 caps for Wales, for whom he...
was the teams leading goalscorer with 29 goals.
In the 1899-1900 football season Gillespie scored 8 goals and was City's third highest goalscorer. The team finished in seventh place that season. Gillespie's first goal in the top tier of English football came in a 4-0 victory over Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
. In the 1900-1901 season Gillespie found his place in the team challenged by Joe Cassidy who was the teams leading goalscorer with 14 goals that season. However Cassidy moved to Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
after a wage dispute. Gillespie had managed to score 9 goals in 23 appearances that season.
In the 1901-1902 football season Gillespie was the teams top scorer with 15 goals in 24 games. However, City finished in 18th place with only 28 points and were consigned to division two once more. As a consequence, Sam Ormerod
Sam Ormerod
Samuel Ormerod was an English football player, referee and manager.In the early years of football Ormerod was an influential figure in his home town, first as a player and then as one of the men who formed Accrington F.C., which later became one of the founder members of the Football League. By...
resigned as Manchester City manager and was succeeded by Tom Maley
Tom Maley
Tom Maley was a Scottish football player and manager.Born in Portsmouth to a soldier from County Clare, Maley spent his entire playing career in Scotland, with Partick Thistle, Dundee Harp, Hibernian, Third Lanark and Celtic. An amateur during his playing days, he worked as a school teacher and...
. Maley strengthened the team by purchasing Billy Lot Jones
Billy Lot Jones
William "Lot" Jones , also known as Billy Lot Jones, was a Welsh footballer who played as a forward....
, Sandy Turnbull
Sandy Turnbull
Alexander "Sandy" Turnbull was a Scottish football player who played as a forward for both Manchester City and Manchester United in the early 20th century....
and Jimmy Bannister
Jimmy Bannister
James "Jimmy" Bannister was an English football player. Bannister was purchased by Manchester United from Manchester City in 1906. He helped the club to the 1908 league championship. He left United in 1909 to go to Preston North End....
and they immediately earned promotion back into the first division in the 1902-1903 football season by winning the Second Division championship. The team scored 95 goals in 34 games that season and Gillespie was the Second Division's
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
top scorer with 30 goals.
In the 1903-1904 season, Gillespie was City's top league goalscorer with 18 goals as the team finished in second place in the First Division, three points behind champions Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
. City had defeated Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
3-0 in the semi final of that seasons FA Cup, with a brace from Sandy Turnbull
Sandy Turnbull
Alexander "Sandy" Turnbull was a Scottish football player who played as a forward for both Manchester City and Manchester United in the early 20th century....
and one goal from Gillespie. City played Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
and won 1-0. The only goal of the game was scored by Billy Meredith
Billy Meredith
William Henry "Billy" Meredith was a Welsh footballer. He was considered one of the early superstars of football due to his performances, notably for Manchester City and Manchester United. He won each domestic trophy in the English football league and also gained 48 caps for Wales, for whom he...
.
In the 1904-1905 football season Gillespie was the teams fourth top scorer with 7 league goals in 16 games behind Sandy Turnbull
Sandy Turnbull
Alexander "Sandy" Turnbull was a Scottish football player who played as a forward for both Manchester City and Manchester United in the early 20th century....
who scored 19 goals and Billy Meredith
Billy Meredith
William Henry "Billy" Meredith was a Welsh footballer. He was considered one of the early superstars of football due to his performances, notably for Manchester City and Manchester United. He won each domestic trophy in the English football league and also gained 48 caps for Wales, for whom he...
and Frank Booth
Frank Booth (footballer)
Frank Booth was an English footballer who played in the outside left position and who was born in Hyde in 1882. He had two spells as a Manchester City player between 1902 and 1906 and in 1911. In total he made 98 appearances for the team and scored 18 goals. He also won one cap for the...
who both scored 8 goals. Manchester City finished third in the league that season, two points behind champions Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
. At the end of the season the Football Association conduced an investigation into the financial activities of Manchester City and discovered that the team had been paying their players extra. The Football Association ruled that manager Tom Maley
Tom Maley
Tom Maley was a Scottish football player and manager.Born in Portsmouth to a soldier from County Clare, Maley spent his entire playing career in Scotland, with Partick Thistle, Dundee Harp, Hibernian, Third Lanark and Celtic. An amateur during his playing days, he worked as a school teacher and...
should be suspended from football for life while seventeen players were fined and suspended until January 1907. Gillespie refused to pay his fine and instead emigrated to the United States. In 218 games for City he had scored 128 goals.
Later life
Gillespie lived the rest of his life in LynnLynn
Lynn commonly refers to:* Lynn , a given name* Lynn , a surnameLynn may also refer to- Places :United States* Lynn, Alabama* Lynn, Arkansas* Lynn, California* Lynn, Indiana* Lynn, Massachusetts** Lynn...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. He continued his association with the game of football by coaching a team at Harvard University. He died in 1942.
As a player
Manchester CityManchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
winners: 1904 - Second Division champions: 1898-99, 1902–03