Roger Willis
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Roger Christopher Willis[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 17 June 1967 [1] | ||
| Place of birth | Sheffield, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[1] | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder / Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 198?–1988 | Dunkirk | ||
| 1988–1990 | Grimsby Town | 9 | (0) |
| 1990 | → Boston United (loan) | 10 | (5) |
| 1990–1992 | Barnet | 81 | (23) |
| 1992–1993 | Watford | 36 | (2) |
| 1993–1994 | Birmingham City | 19 | (5) |
| 1994–1996 | Southend United | 31 | (7) |
| 1996–1997 | Peterborough United | 40 | (6) |
| 1997–2002 | Chesterfield | 135 | (21) |
| 2002 | Peterborough United | 4 | (0) |
| 2002 | Kettering Town | 2 | (0) |
| 2002 | Stevenage Borough | 1 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | Cambridge City | 2 | (0) |
| 2003 | Hucknall Town | 1 | (0) |
| 2004 | St Albans City | 5 | (2) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Roger Christopher Willis (born 17 June 1967) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder or forward. He made more than 300 appearances in the Football League between 1989 and 2002 playing for seven different clubs.[2]
Career
Willis, a native of Sheffield generally known by his nickname, Harry, played for Nottingham-based non-league club Dunkirk before joining Grimsby Town in 1989.[3] He made ten first-team appearances for the Mariners in all competitions,[4] and spent time on loan to Boston United in the Conference,[5] before being sold to Barnet for £10,000 at the end of the 1989–90 season.[3]
In his first season with Barnet, Willis helped them to the Conference title and consequent promotion to the Football League.[3] A flourishing second season, in which he was one of the key players as Barnet reached the playoff semifinal,[6] earned him a move to Division One (second-tier) club Watford in October 1992 for a fee of £175,000.[3] After a relatively unsuccessful year with the Hornets,[7] he rejoined former Barnet manager Barry Fry, now at fellow Division one club Birmingham City, for a fee of £150,000.[3] Willis left for Southend United after ten months,[3] and went on to feature for Peterborough United before settling down for a five-year spell with Division Three (fourth-tier) Chesterfield, whom he helped to promotion in the 2000–01 season.[8]
Released by Chesterfield in 2002, he made a brief return to Peterborough, followed by occasional appearances for non-league clubs Kettering Town, Stevenage Borough, Cambridge City and Hucknall Town, before retiring from the game in February 2003.[9][10] He came out of retirement to play for St Albans City in 2004.[11]
References
- Infobox statistics
- Football League clubs: Roger Willis career statistics at Soccerbase
- Boston United: "Boston United Roll Call". Boston United FC – The Original Website. Ken Fox. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- Barnet (Conference): Harman, John, ed. (2005). Alliance to Conference 1979–2004: The first 25 years. Tony Williams Publications. pp. 71, 75. ISBN 978-1-869833-52-7.
- Kettering Town, Stevenage Borough: "Player Profiles: Roger Willis". Stevenage F.C. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- Cambridge City: "Goals and Games 02/03". Cambridge City F.C. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- Hucknall Town: "Player Details: Season 2002–2003". SoccerFacts UK. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- St Albans City: "Roger Willis profile". St Albans City F.C. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- General
- 1 2 3 Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2003). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2003/2004. Queen Anne Press. p. 456. ISBN 1-85291-651-6.
- ↑ "Roger Willis". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 135. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
- ↑ "Roger Willis". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- ↑ "Boston United Roll Call". Boston United FC – The Original Website. Ken Fox. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- ↑ "The Barry Fry Years – Part Seven". History of Barnet F.C. Barnet F.C. Supporters Association. Retrieved 17 December 2008.
- ↑ Devon, Simon; Grant, Ian. "Roger 'Harry' Willis". Blind, Stupid and Desperate (a Watford F.C. fanzine). Retrieved 17 December 2008.
- ↑ "Roger Willis Back in Posh Colours For Trial Outing". Peterborough United F.C. 16 July 2002. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011.
- ↑ "Roger Willis's Career". UpThePosh.com (a Peterborough United fansite). Retrieved 17 December 2008.
- ↑ "Hucknall Lose Willis". NonLeague Daily. 11 February 2003. Archived from the original on 15 August 2012.
- ↑ "Player Profile: Roger Willis". NonLeague Daily. Archived from the original on 15 August 2012.