William Walter Morris (26 March 1913 – 1995) 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 ...

who spent the majority of his playing career at

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...

. Morris began his senior career in the colts side of

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...

, before moving to

Halesowen Town Halesowen Town Football Club is a football club based in Halesowen, West Midlands, England. They are currently members of the and play at the Grove Recreation Ground. History The club was believed to have been established around 1873, but rec ...

. He was signed by

in May 1933 for £100, and made his debut for the club against former team

on 17 February 1934, playing as an emergency centre-forward. He remained a back-up player until the 1935–36 season when he became a first choice centre-half for the Midlanders. A disappointing start to the next campaign saw him switched to right-back, which would remain his position for the rest of his Molineux career. He played in the

1939 FA Cup Final The 1939 FA Cup Final was contested by Portsmouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Wembley. Portsmouth won 4–1, with goals from Bert Barlow, John Anderson and two by Cliff Parker. Dicky Dorsett scored Wolves' effort. As a result of the suspe ...

, where Wolves were surprisingly beaten by

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

, and won three

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

caps. His international debut came on 16 November 1939 in a 7–0 victory over

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

at Old Trafford. The outbreak of

World War II 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 opposing ...

meant the suspension of league football, but Morris turned out 67 times for Wolves in regional games, and also guested for

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...

. At the resumption of league action in 1946, Morris soon found himself out of the team, and at the end of the 1946–47 season he left Wolves. He joined nearby Dudley Town, where he played two further seasons as a centre-forward before retiring in May 1949. He died in 1995, aged 82.

Honours

;

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

finalist: 1939

References

Bill Morris
England Stats {{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Bill 1913 births 1995 deaths Footballers from Birmingham, West Midlands English footballers England international footballers Association football defenders West Bromwich Albion F.C. players Halesowen Town F.C. players Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players Dudley Town F.C. players English Football League players Footballers from Handsworth, West Midlands FA Cup Final players