Billy Foulkes
Encyclopedia
William Isaiah Foulkes (29 May 1926 - 7 February 1979) was a Welsh
international footballer
, who played as an inside forward
for Newcastle United
, Southampton
and Chester City
in the 1940s and 1950s, winning the FA Cup
with Newcastle in 1952.
, he signed as a professional with Cardiff City
in February 1945. He failed to break into the first team and in April 1948 he moved north to join Chester City
in the Third Division North
. He soon became a regular selection at inside right laying on the crosses for Cam Burgess
to score the goals. After two full seasons at Sealand Road
, he was signed by First Division
Newcastle United
for £12,500 in October 1951, a record sale for Chester at the time.
He made his debut for Newcastle in a 4-2 victory at Huddersfield Town
on 13 October 1951. A no-nonsense, tough, shrewd and very capable player, he was soon a regular fixture on the right, providing scoring opportunities for Jackie Milburn
and George Robledo. Ten days after his transfer Foulkes scored for Wales
against England
with his first kick in his first international. He appeared in every match in Newcastle's run to the 1952 FA Cup Final and picked up a winner's medal at Wembley Stadium on 3 May 1952 after little more than six months with United.
He remained at St James' Park
for two more seasons until moving to Southampton
in August 1954. During his spell with Newcastle, he made a total of 67 appearances with 9 goals. He also made 11 international appearances for Wales.
In July 1954, Southampton
's manager George Roughton paid £12,000 to bring Foulkes and Tommy Mulgrew to The Dell of which £5,000 was attributed to Foulkes. In his first season with the "Saints" he suffered a back injury and made only 23 league appearances. Southampton claimed that he must have been carrying the injury when he transferred and sought a reduction in the transfer fee. The claim was submitted to the Football Association
for consideration and while waiting for the case to be heard Foulkes returned to Cheshire
to play for Winsford United
in the Cheshire County League
.
Eventually the appeal found against Southampton, leaving Foulkes to resume his professional career. Chester City
paid Southampton less than £1,000 for his registration, with Foulkes declaring "I would not have signed for any other Football League club". He went on to make over 180 appearances for them over the next five years, with his overall club total of 296 league appearances being the joint 10th highest in Chester's history.
In July 1961 he retired from full-time football, with his final appearance for Chester having been in a 2–1 home defeat to Doncaster Rovers
on April 22, 1961. Foulkes acquired a milk bar
in Chester
, turning out occasionally for Hyde United. He died in Chester on 7 February 1979 aged 52.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
international footballer
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...
, who played as an inside forward
Inside forward
In football, the position of inside forward was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries. The inside forwards would support the centre forwards, running and making space in the opposition defence, and, as the passing game developed, supporting him with passes...
for 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...
, Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
and Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
in the 1940s and 1950s, winning the FA Cup
FA Cup
The 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...
with Newcastle in 1952.
Playing career
Born in Merthyr TydfilMerthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of...
, he signed as a professional with Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
in February 1945. He failed to break into the first team and in April 1948 he moved north to join Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
in the Third Division North
Football League Third Division North
The Third Division North of The Football League was a tier in the English association football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran parallel to Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to one or the other according to geographical position...
. He soon became a regular selection at inside right laying on the crosses for Cam Burgess
Cam Burgess
Albert 'Cam' Burgess was an English footballer who played as a forward. He played in The Football League for four clubs.-Playing career:...
to score the goals. After two full seasons at Sealand Road
Sealand Road
Sealand Road was the home stadium of Chester City Football Club from 1906 until 1990. Although officially known simply as The Stadium, it was more commonly referred to as Sealand Road...
, he was signed by First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
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...
for £12,500 in October 1951, a record sale for Chester at the time.
He made his debut for Newcastle in a 4-2 victory at Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
on 13 October 1951. A no-nonsense, tough, shrewd and very capable player, he was soon a regular fixture on the right, providing scoring opportunities for Jackie Milburn
Jackie Milburn
John Edward Thompson 'Jackie' Milburn, , also known to fans as Wor Jackie and 'the first World Wor' in reference to his global fame, was a football player for Newcastle United and England...
and George Robledo. Ten days after his transfer Foulkes scored for Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
against England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
with his first kick in his first international. He appeared in every match in Newcastle's run to the 1952 FA Cup Final and picked up a winner's medal at Wembley Stadium on 3 May 1952 after little more than six months with United.
He remained at St James' Park
St James' Park
St James' Park, known for sponsorship reasons as the Sports Direct Arena, is an all-seater stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Newcastle United Football Club and is the sixth largest football stadium in the United Kingdom with a capacity of between 52,387 and 52,409.St James'...
for two more seasons until moving to Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
in August 1954. During his spell with Newcastle, he made a total of 67 appearances with 9 goals. He also made 11 international appearances for Wales.
In July 1954, Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
's manager George Roughton paid £12,000 to bring Foulkes and Tommy Mulgrew to The Dell of which £5,000 was attributed to Foulkes. In his first season with the "Saints" he suffered a back injury and made only 23 league appearances. Southampton claimed that he must have been carrying the injury when he transferred and sought a reduction in the transfer fee. The claim was submitted to the Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
for consideration and while waiting for the case to be heard Foulkes returned to Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
to play for Winsford United
Winsford United F.C.
Winsford United Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Winsford, Cheshire, England. The club was founded in 1883 and is nicknamed The Blues...
in the Cheshire County League
Cheshire County League
The Cheshire County League was a football league founded in the north west of England in 1919, drawing its teams largely from Cheshire, surrounding English counties and North Wales....
.
Eventually the appeal found against Southampton, leaving Foulkes to resume his professional career. Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
paid Southampton less than £1,000 for his registration, with Foulkes declaring "I would not have signed for any other Football League club". He went on to make over 180 appearances for them over the next five years, with his overall club total of 296 league appearances being the joint 10th highest in Chester's history.
In July 1961 he retired from full-time football, with his final appearance for Chester having been in a 2–1 home defeat to Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
on April 22, 1961. Foulkes acquired a milk bar
Milk bar (disambiguation)
A milk bar is a commercial establishment in Australia similar to a general store, but in the United Kingdom applied only to outlets selling milk based drinks.The term may also refer to:...
in Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
, turning out occasionally for Hyde United. He died in Chester on 7 February 1979 aged 52.
Honours
Newcastle UnitedNewcastle 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...
- 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...
winner: 1952FA Cup Final 1952The 1952 FA Cup Final was the final match of the 1951-52 staging of the Football Association Challenge Cup , English football's main cup competition. The match was contested by Newcastle United and Arsenal at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday 3 May 1952...