Billy Lewis (1864–1935) was a Welsh international

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 lea ...

in the late 19th century who played as a

centre forward In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on be ...

. He played for Bangor City before joining Everton for a brief period in the first ever season of

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, making 3 league appearances with the Toffees in September 1888. William Lewis was described by one source as, 'a speedy forward and very clever – does not use sufficient judgement'. William Lewis made his Club and League debut on 8 September 1888, playing at centre–forward, at

Anfield Anfield is a Association football, football stadium in the area of Anfield (suburb), Anfield, Liverpool, England, which has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since its formation in 1892. The stadium has a seating capacity of 61,276, making it the ...

, the then home of Everton. The home team defeated the visitors

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2–1. William Lewis scored his debut Club and League goal (his only League goal for Everton and his only League goal in the top–flight) on 29 September 1888, playing as a winger, at Pike's Lane, the then home of

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...

. Everton were defeated by the home team 6–2, William Lewis scoring the first of Everton' two goals in the match. William Lewis appeared in three of the 22 League games played by Everton in season 1888–89 and scored one League goal. After the heavy defeat at Bolton Lewis did not play for Everton again and did not play top–flight football again. When Lewis played for Manchester City the latter were in Division Two. Billy Lewis returned to Bangor in January 1889 before spells with

Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. Its first team competes in League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' ...

and

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

. In 1896 he moved to

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

, and he made 13 appearances for City, scoring on 4 occasions. Lewis gained 13 Welsh caps whilst with Chester, which remained a club record for more than 100 years. His record was broken when Angus Eve was capped 35 times for

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

, although for 24 of these caps he was on loan away from Chester, and thus Lewis could still be argued to be the record holder.Chester City Club Records

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Billy (Footballer) 1864 births 1935 deaths Footballers from Bangor, Gwynedd Wales men's international footballers Welsh men's footballers English Football League players Bangor City F.C. players Chester City F.C. players Crewe Alexandra F.C. players Manchester City F.C. players Everton F.C. players Men's association football forwards