Billy Murphy (footballer)
Encyclopedia
William Murphy commonly known as Billy Murphy or Spud Murphy, was an English
footballer who played as a winger
for Manchester City
, Southampton
, Oldham Athletic
and Tranmere Rovers
.
A runner in his youth, Murphy became an amateur footballer when the outbreak of the First World War caused his running club to disband. In 1918 he signed amateur terms with First Division
Manchester City, turning professional when competitive football resumed after the war. He made 220 appearances for the club, before joining Southampton in 1926. He stayed on the south coast for three seasons, before returning to the north-west where he had spells with Oldham Athletic and Tranmere Rovers.
, Lancashire
, Murphy's speed gave him local renown in his youth, when he became known among pigeon keepers
for the haste with which he reported the arrivals of birds. He was also a talented cross country runner
, running for the Peasley Cross Harriers club. The club was disbanded at the start of the First World War, and Murphy turned his attention to football.
from Alexandra Victoria on 2 February 1918, as an amateur. He made several appearances for the club in the wartime Lancashire League, including an appearance against Everton
in which he scored in the first minutes to consign the Toffeemen to their first defeat of the season. When competitive football returned after the end of the war, Murphy turned professional, making his league debut against Bolton Wanderers
on 13 September 1919, and a further 37 appearances that season. In the 1919–20 season, Murphy scored nine goals in 41 appearances as Manchester City finished as runner-up in the league. his performances resulted in interest from the Irish Football Association
, who prompted by Murphy's Irish-sounding surname wrote to enquire about his birthplace. In his reply, Manchester City manager Ernest Mangnall wrote "He comes from St Helens, where the pills come from".
Murphy was a regular on the Manchester City left wing for six seasons, but by 1925–26
he was no longer first choice, making only nine appearances, and on 18 August 1926, having scored 31 goals in 220 appearances for Manchester City, he joined Southampton
for £350.
and, by Christmas 1926, prospects looked good as the Saints were only two points behind the Division Two leaders, with Murphy linking up well with centre forward Bill Rawlings
. A reporter for the local newspaper described Murphy as "cute, quick and clever". The New Year saw a slump in the team's performances and by the end of the season they had fallen back to 13th place in the table. They did, however, have a good run in the FA Cup
, reaching the semi-finals
where they went out to Arsenal
, with Murphy appearing in all the cup matches. In the 1926–27 season, Murphy only missed one league match, scoring four goals.
The following season saw Murphy continuing on the left-wing until early March when he lost his place to Stan Cribb
. Although he regained his place for the start of the 1928–29 season, Cribb once again replaced him and Murphy only made the occasional appearance before being released at the end of the season, with Saints having recruited John Arnold
to fill the left wing position.
In his time with the Saints, Murphy made a total of 81 appearances, scoring nine goals.
, after which he joined non-league Ellesmere Port Town. He died in 1975 aged 82.
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...
footballer who played as a winger
Winger (sport)
In certain sports, such as football, field hockey, ice hockey, handball, rugby union, lacrosse and rugby league, the term winger is the name of a position. It refers to positions on the extreme left and right sides of the pitch . In American football and Canadian football, the analogous position...
for Manchester City
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...
, 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...
, Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic A.F.C.
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...
and Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
.
A runner in his youth, Murphy became an amateur footballer when the outbreak of the First World War caused his running club to disband. In 1918 he signed amateur terms with 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....
Manchester City, turning professional when competitive football resumed after the war. He made 220 appearances for the club, before joining Southampton in 1926. He stayed on the south coast for three seasons, before returning to the north-west where he had spells with Oldham Athletic and Tranmere Rovers.
Early days
Born in St HelensSt Helens, Merseyside
St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000, part of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, Murphy's speed gave him local renown in his youth, when he became known among pigeon keepers
Pigeon keeping
Pigeon keeping is the art and science of breeding domestic pigeons. People have practiced pigeon keeping for about 10,000 years in almost every part of the world...
for the haste with which he reported the arrivals of birds. He was also a talented cross country runner
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, running for the Peasley Cross Harriers club. The club was disbanded at the start of the First World War, and Murphy turned his attention to football.
Manchester City
He 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...
from Alexandra Victoria on 2 February 1918, as an amateur. He made several appearances for the club in the wartime Lancashire League, including an appearance against Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
in which he scored in the first minutes to consign the Toffeemen to their first defeat of the season. When competitive football returned after the end of the war, Murphy turned professional, making his league debut against 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....
on 13 September 1919, and a further 37 appearances that season. In the 1919–20 season, Murphy scored nine goals in 41 appearances as Manchester City finished as runner-up in the league. his performances resulted in interest from the Irish Football Association
Irish Football Association
The Irish Football Association is the organising body for association football in Northern Ireland, and was historically the governing body for Ireland...
, who prompted by Murphy's Irish-sounding surname wrote to enquire about his birthplace. In his reply, Manchester City manager Ernest Mangnall wrote "He comes from St Helens, where the pills come from".
Murphy was a regular on the Manchester City left wing for six seasons, but by 1925–26
1925-26 in English football
The 1925–26 season was the 51st season of competitive football in England. This marked the year that Huddersfield Town won the League three years running, making them the first team in Football League history to do so.-Honours:-First Division:...
he was no longer first choice, making only nine appearances, and on 18 August 1926, having scored 31 goals in 220 appearances for Manchester City, he joined 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...
for £350.
Southampton
Murphy was brought to the south coast by new manager Arthur ChadwickArthur Chadwick
Arthur Chadwick was a professional footballer whose playing career included spells at Portsmouth and Southampton, before going on to be manager at Exeter City, Reading and Southampton...
and, by Christmas 1926, prospects looked good as the Saints were only two points behind the Division Two leaders, with Murphy linking up well with centre forward Bill Rawlings
Bill Rawlings
William Ernest "Bill" Rawlings was an English footballer.-Playing career:Rawlings' career started in 1918 with Southampton, he stayed ten years with the club, from 1918 to 1928. His 193 goals places him third on the club's list of all-time goalscorers, behind Mick Channon and Matthew Le Tissier...
. A reporter for the local newspaper described Murphy as "cute, quick and clever". The New Year saw a slump in the team's performances and by the end of the season they had fallen back to 13th place in the table. They did, however, have a good run in 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...
, reaching the semi-finals
FA Cup Semi-finals
The FA Cup Semi-finals are played to determine which teams will contest the FA Cup Final. They are the penultimate phase of the FA Cup, the oldest football tournament in the world.- Location :...
where they went out to Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, with Murphy appearing in all the cup matches. In the 1926–27 season, Murphy only missed one league match, scoring four goals.
The following season saw Murphy continuing on the left-wing until early March when he lost his place to Stan Cribb
Stan Cribb
Stanley Roy "Stan" Cribb was an English professional footballer who played for Southampton, Queens Park Rangers and Cardiff City as an outside-left in the 1920s and 1930s. He later went on to help found and to manage Gosport Borough.-Early days:Cribb was born in Gosport, Hampshire and attended...
. Although he regained his place for the start of the 1928–29 season, Cribb once again replaced him and Murphy only made the occasional appearance before being released at the end of the season, with Saints having recruited John Arnold
John Arnold (cricketer)
John Arnold was an English cricketer who played in one Test in 1931.-Cricket career:...
to fill the left wing position.
In his time with the Saints, Murphy made a total of 81 appearances, scoring nine goals.
Later career
After leaving the Dell he joined Oldham Athletic for £100, where he spent one season before joining his final league club Tranmere RoversTranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
, after which he joined non-league Ellesmere Port Town. He died in 1975 aged 82.