William Thomas Sperrin (9 April 1922 – 21 June 2000) was an English football inside forward and coach. He made 100 appearances as a player for Brentford and was later a member of the coaching staff at Hillingdon Borough for 12 years.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Thomas Sperrin[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 9 April 1922 | ||
| Place of birth | Wood Green, England | ||
| Date of death | 21 June 2000 (aged 78)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Sawbridgeworth, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Inside forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Tottenham Hotspur | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 27 | (6) | |
| → Clapton Orient (guest) | |||
| → Fulham (guest) | |||
| → Millwall (guest) | |||
| → Bradford Park Avenue (guest) | |||
| → Brighton & Hove Albion (guest) | 2 | ||
| 1943–1944 | → Chelsea (guest) | 3 | (1) |
| Finchley | |||
| –1949 | Guildford City | ||
| 1949–1956 | Brentford | 90 | (27) |
| Tunbridge Wells United | |||
| Hillingdon Borough | |||
| North Greenford United | |||
| Managerial career | |||
| Hillingdon Borough (assistant) | |||
| Hillingdon Borough (caretaker) | |||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
editEarly years
editAn inside forward, Sperrin began his career as an amateur at Second Division club Tottenham Hotspur and also represented Middlesex Schools.[2] His career was interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, but he managed to make 27 wartime appearances for the club, scoring six goals.[3] He also played as a guest for Clapton Orient, Fulham, Millwall, Bradford Park Avenue, Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea during the war.[2] After the war, Sperrin dropped into non-league football and had a short spell at Athenian League club Finchley and then spent a season with Southern League club Guildford City.[2]
Brentford
editSperrin joined Second Division club Brentford in September 1949 and made his debut in a 1–1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday at Griffin Park on 1 October 1949.[2][4] He gradually broke into the team and scored 11 goals in 35 appearances during the 1951–52 season.[4] Sperrin's appearances subsequently tailed off and he made just 23 appearances between August 1952 and his final appearance in September 1956.[4] In 1956, he was jointly awarded a testimonial with George Bristow, Ken Horne and Reg Newton against an International Managers XI.[2] Sperrin made 100 appearances and scored 30 goals during his seven years at Griffin Park.[2]
Non-league football
editSperrin dropped back into non-league football in 1956, linking up with fellow Brentford departee Reg Newton at Kent League First Division club Tunbridge Wells United.[2] He ended his career with a 14-year spell at Southern League club Hillingdon Borough and finally North Greenford United.[2]
Coaching career
editAfter his retirement as a player, Sperrin went on to serve Yiewsley (later named Hillingdon Borough) for 12 years in the trainer, coach, assistant manager and caretaker manager roles.[2] As assistant manager, he had the honour of leading the team out for the 1971 FA Trophy final at Wembley Stadium, as player-manager Jim Langley had included himself in the starting lineup.[3]
Personal life
editSperrin's brother James was also a footballer and the brothers' early careers mirrored each other, with both on the books at Tottenham Hotspur and later signing for Finchley.[3] Sperrin's son Martyn was also a footballer.[3]
Honours
editHillingdon Borough
- Southern League First Division second-place promotion: 1965–66[3]
Career statistics
edit| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Brentford | 1949–50[4] | Second Division | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 3 |
| 1950–51[4] | 26 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 11 | ||
| 1951–52[4] | 31 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 35 | 11 | ||
| 1952–53[4] | 12 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 3 | ||
| 1953–54[4] | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | ||
| 1954–55[4] | Third Division South | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | |
| 1955–56[4] | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 90 | 27 | 10 | 3 | 100 | 30 | ||
References
edit- ^ a b "Billy Sperrin". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. p. 152. ISBN 978-0955294914.
- ^ a b c d e "Football Statistics :: Football History :: 11v11". www.11v11.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 380–383. ISBN 0951526200.