William Eric Houghton (29 June 1910 – 1 May 1996) was an English footballer and manager. Eric Houghton was born in Billingborough,

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

and educated at Donington Grammar School. He signed for Aston Villa as a seventeen-year-old and played in the Villa side for two decades, scoring 170 goals in 392 games. (The total including wartime matches was over 200 goals.) He also won 7

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Ja ...

for

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. His formidable and powerful shot was regarded as the hardest shot of his era. Houghton converted 58 spot kicks and also scored direct from about 30 free-kicks. He is often referred to as 'Mr Aston Villa' in recognition of his long standing service and contribution to the club. Houghton scored 30 goals in the 1930-31 season, in which Villa scored 128 league goals, a First Division record. Houghton finished his playing career at

Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 25 November 1862, it is the ...

. After managing Notts County, he went on to become Aston Villa manager, guiding Villa to a record seventh

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 ...

triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

in 1957. He later returned to Villa as a director, the only person to do this at the club. He had 4 children. In 2006 the club announced the creation of an

Aston Villa Hall of Fame Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Pa ...

. This was voted for by fans and the inaugural induction saw 12 former players, managers and directors named. Eric Houghton was chosen. He also played seven first-class matches as a right-handed batsman and a right-arm bowler for

Warwickshire County Cricket Club Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Warwickshire. Its T20 team is called the Birmingham Bears. Founde ...

(1946–1947) and also minor counties cricket for

Lincolnshire County Cricket Club Lincolnshire County Cricket Club is one of twenty minor county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Lincolnshire. The team is currently a member of the Minor Counties Champio ...

. He also played club cricket for Sleaford, Aston Unity and Olton Cricket Clubs. His brother, Roy Houghton, and cousin, Reg Goodacre, were also footballers. His son Neil chaired

(2003-2011) and his great-nephew

Chris Woods Christopher Charles Eric Woods (born 14 November 1959) is an English football coach and former professional footballer, who is goalkeeping coach for the Scotland national team. As a player, he was a goalkeeper who played in the Football Leag ...

was a successful international footballer. He died in Sutton Coldfield on 1 May 1996, aged 85.

References

External links

Eric Houghton
at Cricket Archive

at Cricinfo

football career statistics {{DEFAULTSORT:Houghton, Eric 1910 births 1996 deaths People from Billingborough English footballers England international footballers Aston Villa F.C. players English football managers Aston Villa F.C. managers Notts County F.C. managers English cricketers Warwickshire cricketers Lincolnshire cricketers English Football League players English Football League representative players English Football League managers Association football wingers Brentford F.C. wartime guest players Notts County F.C. players Footballers from Lincolnshire Aston Villa F.C. directors and chairmen