Bill Cleary (footballer, born 1931)

Bill Cleary

Personal information
Full name	William Cleary[1]
Date of birth	20 April 1931[1]
Place of birth	England[1]
Date of death	12 March 1991 (aged 59)
Playing position	Half-back
Youth career
	South Bank East End
	Sunderland
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1953–1956	Norwich City	18	(0)
	Wisbech Town
1957–1958	Port Vale	8	(0)
	Boston United
	Wisbech Town
	King's Lynn
Total		26+	(0+)
Teams managed
	Wisbech Town
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

William "Bill" Cleary (20 April 1931 – 12 March 1991) was an English footballer who played at half-back for Sunderland, Norwich City, Wisbech Town, Port Vale, Boston United, and King's Lynn.

Playing career

Cleary played for South Bank East End and Sunderland (without making a first team appearance), before joining Norman Low's Norwich City in 1953. He played 18 Third Division South games for the "Canaries", as the Carrow Road outfit posted mid-table finishes in 1953–54, 1954–55, and 1955–56. He then played non-league football for Wisbech Town. He was signed again by Norman Low, now manager of Port Vale, in November 1957.^[1] He played eight Third Division South and two FA Cup games in the 1957–58 season, but failed to nail down a regular slot at Vale Park and so was transferred to Southern League side Boston United in July 1958.^[1] He moved on to King's Lynn, before returning to old club Wisbech Town.^[1] He became a coach, manager and finally a director at the club.^[1]

Statistics

• Sourced from Bill Cleary profile at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Norwich City	1953–54	Third Division South	4	0	1	0	5	0
	1954–55	Third Division South	9	0	2	0	11	0
	1955–56	Third Division South	5	0	0	0	5	0
	Total		18	0	3	0	21	0
Port Vale	1957–58	Third Division South	8	0	2	0	10	0

References

1. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 61. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.