Bill Blackmore
William J. Blackmore was an English footballer who played for Southampton in the Southern League and FA Cup in 1912–13.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of birth | Southampton, England | ||
| Position(s) | Outside-right | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Adelaide, Southampton | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1912–1913 | Southampton | 7 | (0) |
| 1913–1915 | Woolston | ||
| 1915–1920 | Southampton | 0 | (0) |
| 1920–19?? | Harland & Wolff | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Football career
Blackmore was born in Southampton and played junior football with the Adelaide club before joining Southampton in the 1912 close season.[1]
He started his career in the reserve team but soon impressed new manager Jimmy McIntyre[1] who selected him for the third match of the 1912–13 season on 12 September 1912. Blackmore replaced Sid Kimpton at outside-right, while Kimpton moved to centre-forward to replace the amateur player, Leonard Dawe. The match at Northampton Town was won 2–1 and Blackmore retained his place for the next match before Joe Blake replaced him.[2]
Blackmore returned to the side on Christmas Day and played seven further matches (including two in the First Round of the FA Cup against Bury). Of Blackmore's nine first-team appearances in a side that struggled to produce any consistency, five matches ended in defeats, including his final match, against local rivals Portsmouth on 25 January 1913.[2]
In September 1913, Blackmore left the club and reverted to local football with Woolston but returned following the start of World War I. He remained with the "Saints" throughout the war,[1] making 44 appearances in the wartime competitions, scoring seven goals,[3] and spent the 1919–20 season assisting the reserve team, before retiring in the 1920 close season, after which he found employment with the Harland & Wolff shipyard, turning out for the works team.[1]