William Richards (6 October 1874 – 12 February 1926) 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

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 ...

. He played in the Football League for West Bromwich Albion and Newton Heath.

Biography

Richards was born in West Bromwich and turned professional with West Bromwich Albion in July 1894. He scored on his debut to help Albion beat Wolves 5–1 in September 1894. Richards picked up a runners-up medal in the

1895 FA Cup Final The 1895 FA Cup Final was contested by Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion at Crystal Palace. Aston Villa won 1–0, with Bob Chatt being credited with scoring the fastest goal in FA Cup Final history, scored after just 30 seconds. This r ...

and was the club's top scorer in the 1895–96 and 1898–99 seasons. He was transferred to Newton Heath in April 1901 for a £40 fee and the following year moved to Stourbridge on a free transfer. In September 1904 he joined Halesowen Town, where he ended his playing career, retiring in April 1907. He died in West Bromwich in 1926.

References

;General * ;Specific {{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Billy 1874 births 1926 deaths Footballers from West Bromwich English men's footballers Men's association football forwards Coventry City F.C. players West Bromwich Albion F.C. players Manchester United F.C. players Stourbridge F.C. players Halesowen Town F.C. players English Football League players