Biography
William “Billy” Wilkinson joined the Tigers’ professional ranks in May 1962 after signing amateur terms a year earlier in August 1961 following his transfer from Stockton FC. Billy was a renowned schoolboy footballer on Teesside who won several medals had spent a short period of time on Middlesbrough’s books. He debuted for the City first team in April 1963 when manager Cliff Britton selected him in a forward role, Wilkinson repaid his selection by scoring on his debut in a 2-0 win over Halifax Town. After two appearances a persistent knee problem kept Billy out of the team for several months and when Britton turned to Wilkinson again in October 1963 he paired him with Ray Henderson to provide the inside forward support to impressive teenage centre forward Chris Chilton.
Billy established himself as the first team regular and missed only seven of the remaining 40 fixtures in 1963/64 season – between mid October 1963 and early January 1964 Wilkinson netted 14 times in 13 starts, scoring braces against Shrewsbury (4-0 win), Port Vale (4-1 win) and Crewe in the FA Cup (3-0 win), bettering that in late November 1963 with a hattrick against Walsall. This rich vein of form for both Wilkinson and Hull City faded in the New Year and the Tigers finished 8th in Division Three North.
Wilkinson retained his first team shirt at the beginning of 1964/65 season and by early November he had scored four goals. A mid November FA Cup tie at Kidderminster Harriers saw City win 4-1, Billy contributed two goals and may have thought that his starting place was cemented. However during the following week City signed Ken Wagstaff from Mansfield Town and while Wilkinson was moved to the wing for three games to accommodate Waggy he was soon dropped from the first team for the rest of the season, save for one appearance at Bristol Rovers in March 1965. A similar pattern persisted throughout the Tigers’ historic 1965/66 promotion season with Wilkinson a bystander, making only one start on the opening day of the season against Scunthorpe United.
It wasn’t until December 1966, with City elevated to the Second Division, that Wilkinson made a return when Ken Houghton was unavailable. Billy celebrated his return with two goals against Derby County and followed up a week later with the second of six City goals against Crystal Palace. For the rest of the season Wilkinson deputised in a number of forward positions and scored five more goals as the Tigers’ form drifted and a tilt at a second successive promotion passed. Wilkinson again showed his versatility and patience in 1967/68 season as he played a support role and in November 1967 he netted his second brace against Derby County in two seasons. Wilkinson was selected by Cliff Britton for only three starts between February and December 1968, but in the second half of 1968/69 season Chilton was absent due to injury and Wilkinson played centre forward for fourteen games.
In September 1969, during the final weeks of Cliff Britton’s time as manager, Wilkinson began playing in the centre of defence and when Britton moved upstairs in November 1969 Billy commenced a second stanza to his City career in a more defensive role, which lasted for two years until an injury suffered during September 1971 saw Billy miss three months of football. He returned on New Years Day 1972 and was a regular for the rest of the season, but at the start of the 1972/73 season experienced half-back John Kaye was preferred in defence and Wilkinson once again drifted out of the first team. His final City appearance saw him come on as substitute at Luton Town’s Kenilworth Road in October 1972 – he was given a testimonial match between Hull City and West Ham United in May 1973.
Wilkinson joined Rotherham United in November 1972 for a £10,000 fee but within five months he was absent with a back injury – during eighteen months at Millmoor he made only 29 first team appearances. In May 1974 he headed for South Africa to play for Durban City, returning seven months later in December 1974 for a six month spell at Yorkshire League side Bridlington Town.
In April 1975 Wilkinson joined North American Soccer League side Boston Minutemen. making 15 appearances during the 1975 season and playing alongside Portuguese legend Eusebio (Wilkinson and Eusebio are numbers 2 and 13 respectively in the photo). After returning to Bridlington Town for the 1975/76 season, Billy headed of to the USA again in April 1976 to play for Tacoma Tides, a side that briefly competed in NASL’s rival the American Soccer League, where he played in front of future US international manager Bruce Arena, who was then a 24 year old goalie.
In October 1976 Billy returned to England to play for Division Four strugglers Southport, whose manager was Ray Henderson his former strike partner at Hull City 13 years earlier. After just eleven starts for the Sandgrounders Wilkinson was again on his travels in February 1977, joining Melbourne side George Cross who were managed by another former City teammate Ken Wagstaff. When Wagstaff returned to England in January 1977, Wilkinson stayed in Australia and was appointed player-manager, winning the Victorian State League and cup double at the end of 1977. He remained with George Cross until 1982, relinquishing his managerial role in May 1980 and combining his playing duties with sales work for an electrical contractor. He then served local league side Bell Park between 1983 and 1984.
Wilkinson stayed in Melbourne for the rest of his life and died of a heart attack in July 1996 at the age of only 53 – his ashes were bought back to England and scattered on the Boothferry Park pitch.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 24 March 1943, Stockton on Tees
Hull City First Game: 12 April 1963, Halifax Town H (Division Three), 20 years, 19 days old
Hull City Final Game: 21 October 1972, Luton Town A (Division Two), 29 years, 211 days old
Clubs
Stockton, Hull City (1961-1972), Rotherham United (1972-1974), Durban City (1974), Bridlington Town (1974-1975), Boston Minutemen (1975), Bridlington Town (1975-1976), Tacoma Tides (1976), Southport (1976-1977), George Cross (1977-1982), Bell Park (1983-1984), Keilor Austria (1985)
Hull City Record
Career: 252 apps, 41 goals
Billy Wilkinson| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961/62 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1962/63 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1963/64 | 27 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – |
| 1964/65 | 23 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| 1965/66 | 1 (3) | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1966/67 | 19 (3) | 8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1967/68 | 18 (2) | 2 | 3 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | – |
| 1968/69 | 19 (2) | 5 | 0 (1) | 0 | 1 (0) | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| 1969/70 | 33 (1) | 1 | – | – | 1 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | – |
| 1970/71 | 39 (0) | 0 | 3 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | – | – | 2 (0) | 0 |
| 1971/72 | 20 (2) | 1 | 3 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | – |
| 1972/73 | 7 (2) | 0 | – | – | 2 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | – |
Billy was always cheerful, 1977
Middlesbrough based and at college in Hull 1963 – 66 and in late ’63 got a thumbed lift from Billy and his wife/girlfriend from York on a darkening evening. He finally asked me if I knew who he was near the end of the journey – I didn’t know cos I watched rugby league at Hull or Hull K R until Hull signed their class acts in ’64, when, sadly, Billy missed out. Nice to see he came back as a defending stalwart post 1966 and then saddened to see he died so young in Aussie. Wish he’d told me earlier who he was cos I could have had a fuller conversation with him on that darkening evening. A moving memory for me.
I had to double the there. When I first glanced at the photo of him with Eusabio I thought the guy on the end had #2 shirt on.
I’ve been tracking his playing career in Australia and this is his history after Southport:
1977 George Cross Courage (Victorian State League)
1978 George Cross (Victorian State League)
1979 George Cross (Victorian State League)
1980 George Cross (Victorian State League)
1981 George Cross (Victorian State League)
1982 George Cross (Victorian State League)
1983 Bell Park (Victorian Metropolitan League Division One)
1984 Bell Park (Victorian Metropolitan League Division One)
Info gained from the records at ozfootball.net
Eg the 1982 season : http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/States/VIC/1982SLR.html
After leaving Bell Park, in ‘83/84 he went back and took his old job back at George Cross, who were then in a higher league ( flying interstate) to play Sydney, Brisbane etc based teams). He took this job as a non player role.
He did not hang his boots up yet though as in ‘85 ( i think it eas) was to coach and play for Keilor Austria. Where he remained until he retired from Soccer.
A true Tiger through and through and one of my favourites from back then. Taken far too soon but never forgotten.
I knew Billy from St bedes stockton on tees …was surprised to see him when he came to Australia to play ..always the gentleman and friend to everyone
A class act with a great sense of humour. Was kind to me as a kid collecting autographs.