Bill Collins (footballer, born 1920)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Hanna Collins | ||
| Date of birth | 15 February 1920 | ||
| Place of birth | Belfast, Ireland | ||
| Date of death | 3 November 2010 (aged 90) | ||
| Playing position | Wing half | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1942–1945 | Belfast Celtic | ||
| 1945–1948 | Distillery | ||
| 1948–1949 | Luton Town | 7 | (0) |
| 1949–1951 | Gillingham | 51 | (0) |
| 1951–1956 | Snowdown Colliery Welfare | ||
| Teams managed | |||
| 1975 | Gillingham (caretaker)[1] | ||
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
William Hanna "Bill" Collins, also popularly known as Buster Collins (15 February 1920 – 3 November 2010)[2] was a Northern Irish professional footballer. His clubs included Distillery, Belfast Celtic, Luton Town[3] and Gillingham.[4]
He later became reserve team manager at Gillingham, and in 1965 was appointed by manager Freddie Cox as the head of the club's newly organised youth scheme, a post he held for nearly twenty years.[5] He served as first team trainer and kitman for a further ten years, finally retiring in 1993 at the age of 73. He has been cited as a major influence on the careers of future stars Micky Adams and Steve Bruce.[6]
He died in 2010 at the age of 90.[7]
References
- ↑ Bradley, Andy (12 October 1985). "10 Years Ago". Gillingham F.C. Official Matchday Magazine.
- ↑ Triggs, Roger (2001). The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club. Tempus Publishing Ltd. p. 93. ISBN 0-7524-2243-X.
- ↑ Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database
- ↑ Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database
- ↑ Triggs, Roger (2001). The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club. Tempus Publishing Ltd. p. 94. ISBN 0-7524-2243-X.
- ↑ Patrick Barclay (6 March 2004). "Adams and Bruce were Buster's premier pupils". Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 18 November 2007. Retrieved 27 September 2007.
- ↑ "Gillingham stalwart Bill Collins dies". BBC. 3 November 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2010.