William Sheppard (c. 1906 – 27 December 1950) was an English professional

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 ...

. He was capable of playing as both an

inside Inside may refer to: * Insider, a member of any group of people of limited number and generally restricted access Film * ''Inside'' (1996 film), an American television film directed by Arthur Penn and starring Eric Stoltz * ''Inside'' (2002 f ...

and

outside forward Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

Career

Born in

Ferryhill Ferryhill is a town in County Durham, England, with an estimated population in 2018 of 9,362. The town grew in the 1900s around the coal mining industry. The last mine officially closed in 1968. It is located between the towns of Bishop Auckland ...

, County Durham, Sheppard started his career as an amateur in County Durham, before joining

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

in 1926. He signed as a professional for

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...

in 1927, who at the time were playing 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 ...

Third Division South The Third Division South of The Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division North with clubs elected to the League or relegated from Division Two allocated to on ...

. In the 1927–28 season—his first at Watford—Sheppard scored 25 goals in all competitions, finishing as the club's top scorer. After 39 goals in 95 Watford games, he joined

QPR Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus R ...

on a free transfer in 1930, and moved to

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...

the following year. Sheppard joined

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...

in January 1933, and one of his first games for the club was an

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 ...

Third Round tie against

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

Fellows Park Fellows Park was a football stadium in Walsall, England. It was the home ground of Walsall F.C. from 1896 until 1990, when the team moved to the Bescot Stadium. Fellows Park was situated about a quarter of a mile away from the club's present ...

, in front of 11,150 spectators. At the time Arsenal were competing for the First Division title, which they eventually won. Walsall were in the

Third Division North The Third Division North of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to ...

. Sheppard played the game at

inside right Forwards (also known as attackers) are Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring Goal (sport)#Association footbal ...

. After a goalless first half, Walsall centre-forward

Gilbert Alsop Gilbert Arthur Alsop (22 September 1908 – 16 April 1992) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward in the Football League for Coventry City, Walsall, West Bromwich Albion and Ipswich Town. Early life Alsop was born in F ...

scored the opening goal with a header in the second half. Five minutes later Alsop won a

penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...

, which Sheppard converted to double the team's lead. Arsenal were unable to overturn the deficit; Walsall won the match 2–0. He remained at Walsall until the end of the 1933–34 season. He briefly joined

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 ...

, but returned to Walsall in October of that year, before leaving permanently in June 1935. Season 1935–36 saw him at Tunbridge Wells Rangers in the Southern League. Sheppard died in

Hemel Hempstead Hemel Hempstead () is a town in the Dacorum district in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of London, which is part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2011 census was 97,500. Developed after the Second World War as a ne ...

, Hertfordshire, during a Christmas celebration.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheppard, Bill 1900s births People from Ferryhill Footballers from County Durham 1950 deaths Liverpool F.C. players Watford F.C. players Queens Park Rangers F.C. players Coventry City F.C. players Walsall F.C. players Chester City F.C. players Crook Town A.F.C. players English Football League players Tunbridge Wells F.C. players Ferryhill Athletic F.C. players Men's association football forwards English men's footballers