John William Wright (4 March 1931 – 14 April 2020) was an English footballer who played in midfield. He played for

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...

and

Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east ...

."Billy Wright (1931-2020)"
- Blackpool F.C., 19 April 2020

Career

Wright began his career with his hometown club

in 1951. In four years he made fifteen League appearances, his chances largely limited by

Stanley Matthews Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE (1 February 1915 – 23 February 2000) was an English footballer who played as an outside right. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the British game, he is the only player to have been knighted while stil ...

being ahead of him in the pecking order. In 1955 he joined

, for whom he made 27 League appearances and scored ten goals. After three years at

Filbert Street Filbert Street was a football stadium in Leicester, England, which served as the home of Leicester City F.C. from 1891 until 2002. Although officially titled the City Business Stadium in the early 1990s, it remained known almost exclusively b ...

, Wright moved north to

in 1958. In five League appearances he scored three goals. The south coast was Wright's next destination, in 1959. He joined

, and went onto make 42 League appearances for the club, netting nine goals. In 1961 Wright signed for

. He made fifteen League appearances in his one season with ''the Lions''. He moved into

non-League football Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...

with Tonbridge Angels.

Death

Wright died on 14 April 2020, aged 89.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Billy 1931 births 2020 deaths English men's footballers Blackpool F.C. players Leicester City F.C. players Newcastle United F.C. players Plymouth Argyle F.C. players Millwall F.C. players Tonbridge Angels F.C. players Bexley United F.C. players Footballers from Blackpool English Football League players Men's association football midfielders