William Bainbridge (9 March 1922 – 1966) was an English

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

for

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...

and Tranmere Rovers in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

. Born in

Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

, Bainbridge began his career with Ashington, but his career was immediately interrupted by the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. During the war, Bainbridge played for

Hartlepools United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They were founded in 1908 as Har ...

. His exploits there led to him signing for Manchester United when peace was declared, but, although he scored in a friendly match on his debut, he only made one appearance for the club and signed for Bury in May 1946, losing his place in the United team to Johnny Carey. He spent just over two seasons with Bury and moved to Tranmere Rovers in November 1948 after just two appearances for the Shakers. It was at Tranmere that Bainbridge made the biggest impact. In six seasons with the Wirral side, Bainbridge played in almost 170 league matches, scoring 63 goals in the process. He died in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

in 1966 at the age of 44.Ancestry: William Bainbridge in the England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007
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References

External links

at StretfordEnd.co.uk

at MUFCInfo.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Bainbridge, Bill 1922 births 1966 deaths Footballers from Gateshead English men's footballers Men's association football forwards Ashington A.F.C. players Hartlepool United F.C. wartime guest players Manchester United F.C. players Bury F.C. players Tranmere Rovers F.C. players English Football League players Stafford Rangers F.C. players Macclesfield Town F.C. players