William Robert Hamilton (born 9 May 1957 in
Gilnahirk
The subdivisions of Belfast are a series of divisions of Belfast, Northern Ireland that are used for a variety of cultural, electoral, planning and residential purposes.
The city is traditionally divided into four main areas based on the cardinal ...
,
County Down) is a former
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 ...
international
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 played as a forward.
Club career
At club level, Hamilton played for
Linfield,
QPR
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football, football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home ...
,
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston, at the confluence of the River C ...
,
Oxford United
Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and t ...
,
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
,
Sligo Rovers,
Coleraine and
Distillery.
He joined Distillery as Player/Manager in December 1989, after leaving Limerick City of the
League of Ireland Premier Division, having managed them to a third-place finish in the
1988–89 season. He made his playing debut for the Whites on 22 March 1990 and in his three seasons made 72 appearances and scored 33 goals including one hat-trick.
International career
Hamilton is best remembered by
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 ...
fans as the man who crossed the ball for
Gerry Armstrong to score for Northern Ireland in their famous win against the hosts
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
at the
1982 FIFA World Cup. He played in every game and scored two goals in the second-round game against Austria,
and also played at the
1986 World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup was the 13th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June 1986. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had ...
.
He also twice won the
Home Internationals in 1980 and 1984, scoring the winner against
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
in the 1980 competition. Northern Ireland never lost when Hamilton scored. In total, Hamilton played 41 games for his country, scoring five goals.
Management and coaching
Knee injuries forced Hamilton to end his playing career in February 1992, but he continued to manage Distillery until February 1995. He guided the club to the
Gold Cup victory in the 1993/94 season.
Personal life
Hamilton has the distinction of designing a board game,
Billy Hamilton's Football Academy
Board Game Geek; Retrieved 25 January 2010 Billy Hamilton's Football Academy, which was released in 1985.
International goals
''Scores and results list Northern Ireland's goal tally first ''
References
External links
*
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Billy
1957 births
Living people
Association football forwards
Association footballers from Belfast
Association footballers from Northern Ireland
Expatriate association footballers from Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland international footballers
Queens Park Rangers F.C. players
Burnley F.C. players
Oxford United F.C. players
Linfield F.C. players
Lisburn Distillery F.C. players
Lisburn Distillery F.C. managers
1982 FIFA World Cup players
1986 FIFA World Cup players
Limerick F.C. players
Limerick F.C. managers
Sligo Rovers F.C. players
Expatriate association footballers in the Republic of Ireland
League of Ireland managers
League of Ireland players
NIFL Premiership players
English Football League players
Burnley F.C. non-playing staff
Football managers from Northern Ireland