Billy Leighton

William Alexander Leighton (8 December 1914 – 1981) was an English footballer who played in the Football League as a forward for Newcastle United and Southend United.

Billy Leighton
Personal information
Full name William Alexander Leighton[1]
Date of birth (1914-12-08)8 December 1914[1]
Place of birth Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England[1]
Date of death 1981 (aged 66–67)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
Meldon Villa
Walker Park
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1932–1938 Newcastle United 39 (8)
1938–1939 Southend United 16 (2)
EKCO Sports
1945–1946 Colchester United (guest) 3 (0)
Total 58 (10)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Born in Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne, Leighton joined Newcastle United from local amateur football.[1] After signing in February 1932 from Walker Park, he made his Football League debut on 4 February 1933 in a First Division 2–0 win over Chelsea.[2] He scored his first goal for the club on 21 March 1934 in a 1–1 away draw with Manchester City.[3]

Leighton made a total of 39 appearances in the First and Second Divisions for Newcastle between 1932 and 1938. He was widely seen as a second-choice player, and after making his final appearance in a 1–0 defeat against Barnsley at St James' Park on 1 September 1937,[4] Leighton moved to Southend United in search of first-team football.[5]

Leighton made 16 league appearances for Southend, scoring twice, but was unable to secure a regular starting position due to the Second World War as all leagues were suspended.[6] He also had a brief spell with Southend-based team EKCO Sports.[1]

Towards the end of the war, with Leighton stationed at Colchester Garrison, he signed briefly with Colchester United who played in the Southern League which had restarted for the 1945–46 season.[1] He made his debut for the U's on 29 December 1945 in a 1–0 defeat to Cheltenham Town at Whaddon Road. He made three Southern League appearances for Colchester[7] and made his final appearance for the club in a Southern League Cup victory against Guildford City on 19 January 1946.[8]

Billy Leighton died in 1981.[1]

References
  1. "Colchester United – Player profile". Coludata.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 July 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  2. "Newcastle United v Chelsea, 04 February 1933 – 11v11 match report". 11v11.com. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  3. "Manchester City v Newcastle United, 21 March 1934 – 11v11 match report". 11v11.com. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  4. "Newcastle United v Barnsley, 1 September 1937 – 11v11 match report". 11v11.com. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  5. "Billy Leighton". 11v11.com. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  6. "SUFCdb – Player Detail – Billy Leighton". SUFCdb. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  7. "Colchester United – Appearances". Coludata.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 May 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  8. "Colchester United – Match details – Colchester Utd 3–1 Guildford City". Coludata.co.uk. Archived from the original on 14 September 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
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