Bill Rawlings
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | William Ernest Rawlings[1] | ||
Date of birth | [2] | 3 January 1896||
Place of birth | Andover, Hampshire, England[1] | ||
Date of death | 25 September 1972[1] | (aged 76)||
Place of death | Chandler's Ford, Hampshire, England[1] | ||
Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2] | ||
Position(s) | Centre-forward | ||
Youth career | |||
Andover | |||
1918–1919 | Southampton | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1919–1928 | Southampton | 327 | (175) |
1928–1929 | Manchester United | 35 | (19) |
1929–1930 | Port Vale | 5 | (2) |
1930 | New Milton | ||
1930–1933 | Newport (IOW) | ||
Total | 367+ | (196+) | |
International career | |||
1922 | England | 2 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
William Ernest Rawlings (3 January 1896 – 25 September 1972) was an English footballer. A centre-forward, he scored more than 196 goals in 367 league games in a 15-year career.
He began his career with Southampton in 1918, who were elevated from the Southern League to the Football League in 1919. He finished as the club's top-scorer eight times in nine seasons from 1920–21 to 1927–28, helping the Saints to win the Third Division South title in 1921–22 and to reach the FA Cup semi-finals in 1925 and 1927. He also won himself two England caps in 1922, both of which were from British Home Championship games. He signed with Manchester United in March 1928, and moved on to Port Vale in November 1929. He picked up a serious ankle injury while with the Valiants, and moved onto Newport via New Milton the following year, before retiring in 1933.
Early and personal life
William Ernest Rawlings was born on 3 January 1896 at Clatford Lodge,
Career
Southampton
Rawlings' career started in 1918 with an apprenticeship at
for England while playing for a third-tier club.In
Manchester United
In March 1928, he signed for First Division side Manchester United for a fee of £4,000.[2] He scored on his Old Trafford debut on 14 March; a 1–0 win over Everton.[2] He hit a hat-trick on 7 April, in a 4–3 home win over Burnley, and finished the 1927–28 season with ten goals for the Red Devils.[2] However, he was limited to six goals in 1928–29. He found all three goals of the 1929–30 campaign on 14 September, in a 3–2 win over Middlesbrough at Ayresome Park.[6]
Later career
In November 1929, he moved to
Style of play
Rawlings was a centre-forward with strong heading and shooting skills.[4]
Career statistics
Source:[7]
Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
Southampton | 1920–21 | Third Division South | 39 | 18 | 4 | 4 | 43 | 22 |
1921–22 | Third Division South | 38 | 30 | 3 | 2 | 41 | 32 | |
1922–23 | Second Division | 35 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 44 | 14 | |
1923–24 | Second Division | 36 | 19 | 5 | 2 | 41 | 21 | |
1924–25 | Second Division | 41 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 46 | 16 | |
1925–26 | Second Division | 35 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 20 | |
1926–27 | Second Division | 38 | 23 | 6 | 5 | 44 | 28 | |
1927–28 | Second Division | 32 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 33 | 21 | |
Total | 294 | 156 | 35 | 18 | 329 | 174 | ||
Manchester United | 1927–28 | First Division | 12 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 10 |
1928–29 | First Division | 19 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 6 | |
1929–30 | First Division | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | |
Total | 35 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 19 | ||
Port Vale | 1929–30 | Third Division North | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
Career total | 334 | 177 | 37 | 18 | 371 | 195 |
Honours
Southampton
Professionals
- FA Charity Shield runner-up: 1926[3]
Port Vale
Newport
- Hampshire Senior Cup: 1932[4]
References
- ^ ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
- ^ a b c d e "William Rawlings - Manchester United Player Profile & Stats". www.mufcinfo.com. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g "England Players - Bill Rawlings". www.englandfootballonline.com. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Bill Rawlings | SaintsPlayers.co.uk". saintsplayers.co.uk. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ "Bill Rawlings". Englandstats.com. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
- ^ "The Website of Dreams". stretfordend.co.uk. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
- ^ Bill Rawlings at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
- ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.