Billy Tempest

William Tempest (8 January 1893 – 1945) was an English footballer who played on the left-wing. He played for Stoke between 1912 and 1924, before finishing his career in 1926 with Port Vale.

Billy Tempest

Personal information
Full name	William Tempest[1]
Date of birth	8 January 1893[1]
Place of birth	Stoke-upon-Trent, England[1]
Date of death	1945 (aged 51–52)[2]
Place of death	Stoke-on-Trent, England[2]
Height	5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Position(s)	Left winger
Youth career
	Trentham
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1910–1911	Huddersfield Town	0	(0)
1911–1912	Trentham
1912–1924	Stoke	202	(29)
1924–1926	Port Vale	45	(3)
Total		247	(32)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Tempest played for Trentham in two spells around a spell as a professional at Huddersfield Town in the 1910–11 season, the club's first in the Football League.[3] However, he never made his debut at Leeds Road.[3] He signed with Stoke in 1912. He played four games in 1912–13, as Stoke were relegated after finishing bottom of the Southern League Division One. He scored his first goal at the Victoria Ground in a 2–0 win over Newport County, making 11 appearances in 1913–14. He hit six goals in 28 games in 1914–15, helping the club to the Southern League Division Two title with his accurate crosses to the free-scoring Arthur Watkin.[3] He remained with the club throughout World War I, playing 13 games in 1915–16, one game in 1916–17 and 1917–18, and nine games in 1918–19. He scored one goal in 36 Second Division games in 1919–20. Tempest then hit ten goals in 38 appearances in 1920–21, before helping Stoke to achieve promotion with nine goals in 46 appearances in 1921–22. He scored two goals in 20 First Division games in 1922–23, as the club were relegated straight back out of the top-flight; Tempest missed the end of season run-in with a broken collarbone.[3] He scored against Manchester United at both Old Trafford and in the return fixture in 1923–24, his only strikes of the campaign. However, he was made available for transfer after refusing to accept a new contract on lower pay.[3] He was sold to local rivals Port Vale for £1,000 in June 1924.[1] He was a regular feature in the 1924–25 season, scoring against Stoke in a 2–0 win at The Old Recreation Ground on 24 January.[1] However, he suffered an injury in December 1925 and was forced to retire after the 1925–26 season.[1]

Style of play

A slight figure at just 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) tall, Tempest used his pace to beat opposing full-backs.[3] The Sentinel described his "graceful progression, an immobile body being borne along on a very mobile pair of legs. He used to have a knack of taking the ball very cleverly across the toes of the man who tackled him and another characteristic of his play is to double back and centre with his right."[3]

Statistics

Source:[4]

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Stoke	1912–13	Southern Division One	5	0	0	0	5	0
	1913–14	Southern Division Two	10	1	1	0	11	1
	1914–15	Southern Division Two	24	6	4	0	28	6
	1919–20	Second Division	36	1	1	0	37	1
	1920–21	Second Division	37	10	1	0	38	10
	1921–22	Second Division	41	7	5	2	46	9
	1922–23	First Division	20	2	2	0	22	2
	1923–24	Second Division	29	2	1	0	30	2
	Total		202	29	15	2	217	31
Port Vale	1924–25	Second Division	29	1	0	0	29	1
	1925–26	Second Division	16	2	0	0	16	2
	Total		45	3	0	0	45	3
Career total			248	32	15	2	263	34

Honours

Stoke

• Southern League Division Two champion: 1914–15
• Football League Second Division runner-up: 1921–22

References

1. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 289. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
2. "search deaths indexes 1837 – 2006". Findmypast.com. Missing or empty |url= (help)
3. Stoke City 101 Golden Greats. Desert Islands Books. 2002. pp. 43–45. ISBN 1-874287554.
4. Billy Tempest at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)