William Perkins (28 January 1876 - c. 1940) was a

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 ...

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

who notably played for

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Life and playing career

Perkins played for

Kettering Kettering is a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located north of London and north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place (or territory) of Ket ...

and

Luton Town Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...

before being signed by Liverpool on 25 March 1899, making his senior debut on 3 April 1899 in a Football League Division One match against

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892. ...

, a game that the Reds won 3–2. Perkins became the Reds number 1 when he took over from

Matt McQueen Matthew McQueen (18 May 1863 – 28 September 1944) was a Scottish football player, who later became a director and manager of Liverpool. Life and playing career Born in Harthill, Lanarkshire, Scotland, McQueen played for Leith Athletic ( ...

, who had often played in outfield positions. Harry Storer started the first 11 games during the 1899–1900 season but Perkins took over and remained first choice until 1903 when he shared the duties with

Peter Platt Peter Platt (23 January 1883 – 1921) was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Liverpool in The Football League. Platt started his career at Great Harwood as an amateur before he was signed by Blackburn Rovers F.C. He signed fo ...

. Perkins was an ever present between the sticks when Liverpool won their first ever

Football League First Division The Football League First Division was a division of the Football League in England from 1888 until 2004. It was the top division in the English football league system from the season 1888–89 until 1991–92, a century in which the First ...

title in 1900–01. After leaving Liverpool he joined

Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...

of the Southern League.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, Bill 1876 births 1940s deaths Kettering Town F.C. players Luton Town F.C. players Liverpool F.C. players Northampton Town F.C. players Men's association football goalkeepers Sportspeople from Wellingborough English men's footballers Footballers from Northamptonshire