''For other people of the same name see

Billy Lane William David Lane (born February 6, 1970 in Miami, Florida) is an American builder of custom motorcycles, owner of Choppers Inc. in Melbourne, Florida, known for his 2009 conviction and imprisonment in Florida for a drunk-driving incident in 2006 ...

and Billy Lane (angler)'' William Henry Charles Lane (23 October 1904 – 10 November 1985) was an English

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

centre 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 ...

, best remembered for his time in the Football League with Watford and Brentford, making over 120 appearances for each club.

Club career

After playing for the London City Mission, Gnome Athletic and Park Avondale, Lane joined Tottenham Hotspur in 1922 for the first time but left the club without appearing in a senior match. He went on to play for Summerstown and Barnet before re-joining Tottenham after a spell with the club's " nursery" team

Northfleet United Northfleet United Football Club was a football club based in Northfleet Northfleet is a town in the borough of Gravesham in Kent, England. It is located immediately west of Gravesend, and on the border with the Borough of Dartford. Northf ...

. Lane, a

, went on to feature in 36 matches and found the net on 12 occasions between 1924 and 1926. Lane's time with Spurs came to an end after manager Peter McWilliam dropped him after Lane kicked the ball into the crowd after having a goal disallowed in a match versus

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...

. Lane had been courting the attention of the England selectors at the time, who were present at the match, but unimpressed with his behaviour. The incident ended Lane's chances of an international call-up and his Tottenham career. After leaving White Hart Lane, Lane appeared for Leicester City (joining for £2250), Reading and

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...

, where he scored 89 goals in 123 appearances. As of 2015, his record of seven league hat-tricks is second behind club record-holder

Jack Holliday John William Holliday (19 December 1908 – 1987) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward in the Football League for Brentford and Middlesbrough. In 2013, Holliday was voted by the Brentford supporters as the club's fourth ...

and his 33-goal haul in the 1929–30 season was a club record until Holliday broke it in 1932–33. Despite his excellent form for the Bees, Lane was transfer-listed by manager Harry Curtis, who needed the money from Lane's sale to fund the transfer of Middlesbrough players

, Bert Watson and Billy Scott. Lane signed for Watford in a £1500 deal in 1932 and the following year scored a hat-trick 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 ...

in under three minutes against Clapton Orient on 20 December 1933, then a record. He featured in a total of 136 matches for Watford in all competitions, scoring 77 goals and went on to have spells at Bristol City, Clapton Orient and finally Gravesend United.

Managerial and coaching career

In 1945, Lane turned down the manager's job at Clapton Orient to return to Brentford as a

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

under Harry Curtis. He remained with the Bees before going into management with Guildford City. He later moved on to manage Brighton & Hove Albion and Gravesend & Northfleet. He managed Brighton & Hove Albion to its first ever Football League title, as 1957–58 Third Division South champions. After leaving Gravesend & Northfleet, Lane became a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

for

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 ...

and later returned to Brighton & Hove Albion in a similar role. He was still working for Albion at the time of his death in 1985.

Personal life

Lane served as a

PT instructor Physical training instructor (PTI) is a term used primarily in the British Armed Forces and British police, as well as some other Commonwealth countries, for an instructor in physical fitness. United Kingdom In the British Army, specialist Physic ...

during the Second World War.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lane, Billy 1904 births 1985 deaths Footballers from Tottenham English men's footballers Gnome Athletic F.C. players Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players Summerstown F.C. players Barnet F.C. players Northfleet United F.C. players Leicester City F.C. players Reading F.C. players Brentford F.C. players Watford F.C. players Bristol City F.C. players Leyton Orient F.C. players Gravesend United F.C. players English Football League players Southern Football League players English football managers Guildford City F.C. managers Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. managers Ebbsfleet United F.C. managers Southern Football League managers English Football League managers Arsenal F.C. non-playing staff Brentford F.C. non-playing staff Men's association football forwards Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. wartime guest players Clapton Orient F.C. wartime guest players Reading F.C. wartime guest players Watford F.C. wartime guest players Military personnel from Middlesex British military personnel of World War II