Billy Mercer (footballer born 1969)
Encyclopedia
William Mercer is an English
football goalkeeping coach
, currently working for Burnley, and a former professional player.
as a trainee and turned professional at the age of 18. He stayed at Liverpool for another 18 months before being released and signing for Rotherham United
on 16 February 1989. Shortfly afterwards, as a young Liverpool fan, Mercer was at the FA Cup semi final against Nottingham Forest in which 96 Liverpool fans died in the Hillsborough disaster
. He was in the upper tier of the Leppings Lane end, above where the fatal crush occurred.
Mercer was able to breakthrough in to the first team at Millmoor
and over the next five and a half years he made 138 appearances for the Millers in all competitions. On 12 October 1994 Mercer was signed by local rivals Sheffield United
; he went on to spend just over a year at Bramall Lane
. However, he found it difficult to establish himself in the Blades' first team, and loan spells at Nottingham Forest
and Chesterfield
followed.
Mercer made such an impression during his loan spell at Chesterfield that the Spirites immediately placed a £
100,000 bid for the player following the expiration of his loan. Mercer made the switch to Saltergate
permanent on 12 December 1995. Over the next four seasons he established himself as first choice between the posts at Chesterfield and went on to make 164 appearances for the club in all competitions. This included a run to the 1997 FA Cup
Semi Final, with Mercer earning a Man of the Match award for his performance in the 6th Round match against Wrexham and then playing in their thrilling 3-3 draw with Middlesbrough in the semi final at Old Trafford. The replay took place at Hillsborough, which was the first time he had returned to the stadium since being present at the Hillsborough disaster eight years earlier.
By the 1999-2000
season Mercer had found himself down the pecking order at Saltergate, but on 26 October 1999 League One
rivals Bristol City
paid Chesterfield £300,000 for Mercer's services. In his first season there, Billy made 32 appearances in all competitions, but again found himself as backup, this time to Steve Phillips
. Mercer would not play another game for the Robins, but remained on their books until he retired from professional football on 15 January 2003.
and was subsequently brought to Hillsborough
in the summer of 2004 by Chris Turner shortly before his sacking as Sheffield Wednesday
manager.
Following the sacking of Paul Sturrock
on 19 October 2006 Mercer acted as caretaker assistant manager to Sean McAuley
before the arrival of Brian Laws
and Russ Wilcox
on 6 November 2006.
Following Brian Laws' appointment as manager of Premier League side Burnley in January 2010, Billy followed Brian alongside Russ Wilcox and joined the Clarets' backroom staff.
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 goalkeeping coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
, currently working for Burnley, and a former professional player.
Playing career
Mercer was born at Cantril Farm in 1969 and joined local club LiverpoolLiverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
as a trainee and turned professional at the age of 18. He stayed at Liverpool for another 18 months before being released and signing for Rotherham United
Rotherham United F.C.
Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
on 16 February 1989. Shortfly afterwards, as a young Liverpool fan, Mercer was at the FA Cup semi final against Nottingham Forest in which 96 Liverpool fans died in the Hillsborough disaster
Hillsborough disaster
The Hillsborough disaster was a human crush that occurred on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough, a football stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in Sheffield, England, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, and 766 being injured, all fans of Liverpool F.C....
. He was in the upper tier of the Leppings Lane end, above where the fatal crush occurred.
Mercer was able to breakthrough in to the first team at Millmoor
Millmoor
Millmoor is a stadium in Rotherham, England. It was built and was used for football matches, and until the end of the 2007–08 season was the home ground of Rotherham United F.C., until a dispute over ownership forced them to move to the Don Valley Stadium in nearby Sheffield.The stadium was...
and over the next five and a half years he made 138 appearances for the Millers in all competitions. On 12 October 1994 Mercer was signed by local rivals Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
; he went on to spend just over a year at Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane
-Cricket at the Lane:Bramall Lane opened as a cricket ground in 1855, having been leased by Michael Ellison from the Duke of Norfolk at an annual rent of £70. The site was then away from the town's industrial area, and relatively free from smoke. It was built to host the matches of local cricket...
. However, he found it difficult to establish himself in the Blades' first team, and loan spells at Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
and Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
followed.
Mercer made such an impression during his loan spell at Chesterfield that the Spirites immediately placed a £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
100,000 bid for the player following the expiration of his loan. Mercer made the switch to Saltergate
Recreation Ground (Chesterfield)
Saltergate, officially the Recreation Ground, is the historic home of Chesterfield Football Club, and was in use from 1871 until the club's relocation in July 2010, a 139 year history that made it one of the oldest football grounds in England at the time of its closure...
permanent on 12 December 1995. Over the next four seasons he established himself as first choice between the posts at Chesterfield and went on to make 164 appearances for the club in all competitions. This included a run to the 1997 FA Cup
FA Cup 1996-97
The 1996–97 FA Cup was the 116th season of the world's oldest knockout cup competition, the Football Association cup or FA Cup. The tournament started in August 1996 for clubs from non-league football and the competition proper started in October 1996 for teams from the Premier League and the...
Semi Final, with Mercer earning a Man of the Match award for his performance in the 6th Round match against Wrexham and then playing in their thrilling 3-3 draw with Middlesbrough in the semi final at Old Trafford. The replay took place at Hillsborough, which was the first time he had returned to the stadium since being present at the Hillsborough disaster eight years earlier.
By the 1999-2000
1999-2000 in English football
-Premier League:Manchester United were crowned FA Premier League champions with an 18-point margin over runners-up Arsenal and with just 3 league defeats all season. This was despite their failure to retain the European Cup and withdrawal from the FA Cup in order to compete in the FIFA Club World...
season Mercer had found himself down the pecking order at Saltergate, but on 26 October 1999 League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
rivals Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
paid Chesterfield £300,000 for Mercer's services. In his first season there, Billy made 32 appearances in all competitions, but again found himself as backup, this time to Steve Phillips
Steve Phillips (footballer)
Steven John "Steve" Phillips is an English football goalkeeper, currently with Crewe Alexandra.-Career:The West Country goalkeeper began his career in Non-League with Paulton Rovers and then earned a big move to Bristol City where he went on to play 250 league appearances for the Ashton Gate...
. Mercer would not play another game for the Robins, but remained on their books until he retired from professional football on 15 January 2003.
Coaching career
Upon hanging up his boots, Mercer gained employment at Bristol City as a goalkeeping coach. He impressed during his time coaching at Ashton GateAshton Gate
Ashton Gate Stadium is a stadium in Ashton Gate, Bristol, England, and is the home of Bristol City F.C. Located in the south-west of the city, just south of the River Avon, it has an all-seated capacity of 21,497, with an effective capacity for football matches of around 19,500, with an average...
and was subsequently brought to Hillsborough
Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium is the home of Sheffield Wednesday football club, Sheffield, England. Football has been played at the ground since it was opened on 2 September 1899, when Wednesday moved from their original ground at Olive Grove. Today it is a 39,812 capacity all-seater stadium, making it the...
in the summer of 2004 by Chris Turner shortly before his sacking as 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...
manager.
Following the sacking of Paul Sturrock
Paul Sturrock
Paul Whitehead Sturrock is a Scottish football manager who, since July 2010, is the manager of Southend United. Until this appointment, Sturrock had most recently been at English League 1 club Plymouth Argyle in a business support role, having been relieved of his managerial duties, until he quit...
on 19 October 2006 Mercer acted as caretaker assistant manager to Sean McAuley
Sean McAuley
Sean McAuley is an English former professional footballer. He is currently the Academy head coach at Sheffield Wednesday.-Playing career:...
before the arrival of Brian Laws
Brian Laws
Brian Laws is an English former footballer and manager, most recently of Burnley.Playing as a defender, Laws made over 100 appearances for each of Burnley, Middlesbrough, and Nottingham Forest. In 1994, Laws became player-manager of Grimsby Town before taking a similar position with Scunthorpe...
and Russ Wilcox
Russ Wilcox
Russell "Russ" Wilcox is an English former professional footballer and is currently assistant manager at AFC Bournemouth, joining on an 18 month contract under Lee Bradbury on 30th November....
on 6 November 2006.
Following Brian Laws' appointment as manager of Premier League side Burnley in January 2010, Billy followed Brian alongside Russ Wilcox and joined the Clarets' backroom staff.