Byron Stevenson
Encyclopedia
William Byron Stevenson (born September 7, 1956, Llanelli
– died September 6, 2007) was a Welsh
international footballer
.
Stevenson played for Leeds United
, Birmingham City
and Bristol Rovers
.
He started his career at Leeds United in 1972, who were then one of the forces in European club football. Originally thought of as a potential replacement for either Jack Charlton
or Norman Hunter as the Don Revie
Leeds team started to break up. Stevenson had to wait until April 1976 before he got anything like a run of games when he made 6 successive league appearances replacing Paul Reaney
at right back. He had a good run at centre half in 1979 and in midfield in 1981 making a total of 95 appearances.
In 1981 a swap deal which saw him move to Birmingham City where he
played over 100 times. He joined Bristol Rovers in 1985, but decided to retire the following summer aged 29, after struggling with injuries.
Following his retirement from football, Byron became the landlord of the New Inn public house on Elland Road, Churwell, Leeds which also had been managed by another Leeds United and Wales international legend John Charles years earlier.
Stevenson died of throat cancer
in September 2007 - one day before what would have been his 51st birthday.
debut at the Racecourse, Wrexham in the 1-0 win over Northern Ireland in the British Championship. Stevenson played for his country 15 times between 1978 and 1982, adding to his Wales youth and U21 caps.
He was controversial sent off in Turkey in 1979 after he allegedly fractured opponent Buyak Mustafa's cheekbone. He was given a four-and-a-half year European ban, effectively ending his international career.
Llanelli
Llanelli , the largest town in both the county of Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed , Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately west-north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. The town is famous for its proud rugby...
– died September 6, 2007) was a Welsh
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...
.
Stevenson played for Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
, Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
and Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
.
He started his career at Leeds United in 1972, who were then one of the forces in European club football. Originally thought of as a potential replacement for either Jack Charlton
Jack Charlton
John "Jack" Charlton, OBE, DL is a former footballer and manager who played for Leeds United in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and was part of the England team who won the 1966 World Cup...
or Norman Hunter as the Don Revie
Don Revie
Donald George 'Don' Revie, OBE, , was an English footballer who played for Leicester City, Hull City, Sunderland, Manchester City and Leeds United as a deep-lying centre forward. After managing Leeds United he managed England from 1974 until 1977...
Leeds team started to break up. Stevenson had to wait until April 1976 before he got anything like a run of games when he made 6 successive league appearances replacing Paul Reaney
Paul Reaney
Paul Reaney was a long-serving full back with the Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s.Reaney wore the No.2 shirt for Leeds and in a team renowned for its hard approach to the game, he more than held his own....
at right back. He had a good run at centre half in 1979 and in midfield in 1981 making a total of 95 appearances.
In 1981 a swap deal which saw him move to Birmingham City where he
played over 100 times. He joined Bristol Rovers in 1985, but decided to retire the following summer aged 29, after struggling with injuries.
Following his retirement from football, Byron became the landlord of the New Inn public house on Elland Road, Churwell, Leeds which also had been managed by another Leeds United and Wales international legend John Charles years earlier.
Stevenson died of throat cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in September 2007 - one day before what would have been his 51st birthday.
International career
In May 1978 Stevenson made his WalesWales 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...
debut at the Racecourse, Wrexham in the 1-0 win over Northern Ireland in the British Championship. Stevenson played for his country 15 times between 1978 and 1982, adding to his Wales youth and U21 caps.
He was controversial sent off in Turkey in 1979 after he allegedly fractured opponent Buyak Mustafa's cheekbone. He was given a four-and-a-half year European ban, effectively ending his international career.