Bill Laverick

William Laverick (11 September 1897 – 24 June 1975), commonly known as Bill or Billy Laverick, was an English footballer who played as an outside left in the Football League for Ashington and Halifax Town. He also played non-league football for clubs including Pelton Fell, Annfield Plain, Darlington, Chester-le-Street Town, West Stanley and Murton Colliery Welfare.

Bill Laverick
Personal information
Full name William Laverick[1]
Date of birth (1897-09-11)11 September 1897[2]
Place of birth Pelton Fell, County Durham, England
Date of death 24 June 1975(1975-06-24) (aged 77)[2]
Place of death Murton, County Durham, England
Position(s) Outside left
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
– Pelton Fell
– Annfield Plain
19??–1921 Darlington
1921–1923 Chester-le-Street Town
1923–1928 Ashington 92 (13)
1928 West Stanley
1928 Halifax Town 2 (0)
1928–19?? Murton Colliery Welfare
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Life and career

Laverick was born in Pelton Fell, County Durham,[1] and played football for his village club before the First World War. He went on to play for North-Eastern League clubs Annfield Plain and Darlington,[3] for whom he appeared in the 1920–21 FA Cup against Blackpool of the Football League Second Division.[4] He crossed for Dick Healey's opening goal in a 2–2 draw, but Tommy Winship returned to the team for the replay.[5] He continued his tour of the North-Eastern League with two seasons at Chester-le-Street Town, for whom he scored regularly and attracted interest from a variety of clubs from the Football League. Preferring to stay in the north of England, he accepted an offer from Ashington of the Third Division North.[6]

He made a bright start – the Derby Daily Telegraph picked him out as "a clever young left winger [who] has proved himself quite fitted and talented enough for Northern Section football"[7] – and soon established himself in the senior eleven, where he remained more or less a regular for the first three seasons of his Ashington career. His appearances declined, and at the end of the 1926–27 season the club did not offer to renew his contract.[8] He was transfer-listed at a fee of £100, but there were no takers, and in 1928, he applied for and was granted a free transfer.[9] He scored 13 goals from 98 Football League appearances for Ashington.[1]

Laverick made a brief return to North-Eastern League football with West Stanley,[3] and a similarly brief one to the Third Division with Halifax Town, for whom he played twice in September 1928,[10] before joining Murton Colliery Welfare of the Wearside League.[3] He stayed with the club, helping them reach the fourth qualifying round of the 1933–34 FA Cup, in which they took Scarborough to a replay,[11] and appeared on the losing side in the 1935 Durham County Cup final,[12] before retiring as a player to become the club's trainer in 1936 – although the Sunderland Echo still expected his crossing ability to be called upon in the future.[13]

He died in Murton in 1975 at the age of 77.[2]

References
  1. Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 152. ISBN 978-1-899468-67-6.
  2. Dykes, Garth (2011). Ashington AFC in the Football League. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 41. ISBN 978-1905891481.
  3. "Player search". English National Football Archive. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  4. Tweddle, Frank (2000). The Definitive Darlington F.C. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 15. ISBN 978-1-899468-15-7.
  5. "English Cup. Darlington v. Blackpool". Derby Daily Telegraph. 8 January 1921. p. 5 – via British Newspaper Archive. Darlington were ahead in the first two minutes, Healey scoring from Laverick's centre.
    'Perseus' (12 January 1921). "Home side much stronger on the ball". Lancashire Evening Post. p. 3 – via British Newspaper Archive. Darlington had two alterations, Winship, the old Arsenal winger, resuming at outside left in place of Laverick, Travis being included at inside right.
  6. "Laverick signs for Ashington". Northern Daily Mail. West Hartlepool. 16 July 1923. p. 5 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. "North and South. A promising youngster". Derby Daily Telegraph. 8 September 1924. p. 3 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. "English football in 1927–28. Ashington". Athletic News. Manchester. 1 August 1927. p. 8 – via playupliverpool.com (Kjell Hanssen).
  9. "Players' claims". Athletic News. Manchester. 4 June 1928. p. 8 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. "Wadsworth unfit". Yorkshire Post. 22 September 1928. p. 21 – via British Newspaper Archive. Halifax Town's 'mystery' winger in the team to visit Lincoln City to-day is W. Laverick, the left winger of Ashington, where he has been since the 1923–4 season.
    "Weak spot of Halifax. Why Bradford City got a point". Athletic News. Manchester. 1 October 1928. p. 10 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. "Scarborough's task". Leeds Mercury. 10 November 1933. p. 11 – via British Newspaper Archive.
    "The Emirates FA Cup Past results". The Football Association. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  12. "Durham County Challenge Cup. Final tie". Sunderland Echo. 3 May 1935. p. 15 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. "Murton C.W.". Sunderland Echo. 28 August 1936. p. 12 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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