Harry Wilson (footballer, born 1953)

Harry Wilson (born 29 November 1953) is an English former professional footballer who made nearly 300 appearances in the Football League in the 1970s and 1980s.

For the Welsh footballer, see Harry Wilson (footballer, born 1997).

Harry Wilson
Personal information
Full name Harry Wilson[1]
Date of birth (1953-11-29) 29 November 1953[1]
Place of birth Hetton-le-Hole, England
Height 5 ft 9 1⁄2 in (1.77 m)[2]
Position(s) Left back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1970–1973 Burnley 12 (0)
1973–1977 Brighton & Hove Albion 130 (4)
1977–1980 Preston North End 42 (0)
1980–1983 Darlington 85 (0)
1983–1984 Hartlepool United 16 (0)
1984–19?? Crook Town
National team
1968–1969 England schoolboys 4
1970–1971 England youth
Teams managed
198?–1988 Seaham Red Star
1988–1989 Whitby Town
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Primarily a left back, Wilson was a schoolboy international and played for the England youth team. He began his club career with Burnley and went on to play League football for Brighton & Hove Albion, Preston North End, Darlington and Hartlepool United. Wilson also had a spell in non-league football with Crook Town, and went on to work as a manager and coach.

Life and career

Wilson was born in 1953 in Hetton-le-Hole, County Durham.[1] He attended Murton County Primary School in Murton, now called Ribbon Academy, which named one of its houses in his honour.[3] He played representative football for Durham Schools, and was capped four times for England schoolboys in the 1968–69 season.[4] He began his club career as an apprentice with Burnley,[1] and it was as a Burnley player that he played for the England youth team in 1970–71.[5]

With Burnley's relegation from the First Division already confirmed, Wilson made his first-team debut on 26 April 1971, aged 17 years 5 months, playing at left back in a 1–0 win against Chelsea in the First Division. He kept his place for the last match of the season, and made ten Second Division appearances in 1971–72,[6] as one of four players tried at left back, but the arrival of England international full back Keith Newton meant Wilson played no part in Burnley's 1972–73 Second Division-winning campaign.[7][8] Shortly after his 20th birthday, after 18 months of second-eleven football,[6] Wilson and fellow long-term reserve Ronnie Welch were signed by Brian Clough for Brighton & Hove Albion for £70,000 the pair. He said later that he "was happy at Burnley but if an offer comes in for you and they accept it there's not much you can do".[9]

Wilson went straight into the starting eleven, and after two games, John Vinicombe of the Evening Argus was impressed: he "is looking something of a fire-eater. He has a rare zest for the game and relishes the close, physical contact that is synonymous with his position. He knows how to destroy and create, and does both in a manner befitting a five-year background at the academy of fine footballing arts."[10] He kept his place for two-and-a-half seasons before being dislodged by Chris Cattlin, but still made 17 appearances for the 1976–77 Third Division promotion squad, taking his totals to 146 appearances in all competitions.[6][11]

In the 1977 close season, Albion signed Mark Lawrenson and Gary Williams from Third Division club Preston North End, and supplied Wilson and Graham Cross in part exchange.[11][12] Wilson played the first 23 matches of the 1977–78 season, all but one in the starting eleven,[6] when a motor accident left him in hospital for several weeks. Suggestions that his career was over proved wrong,[13] and he returned at the beginning of the 1978–79 season in the Second Division, to which Preston had been promoted in his absence. After eight league starts, he fell out of contention, and in the following season, he made twelve league starts, the last of which was on 21 December 1979.[6]

He was transfer-listed in February 1980,[14] and a month into the 1980–81 season, signed for Darlington. The club had had to apply for re-election the previous season, and targeted Wilson to fill a vacancy at left back and to add experience to a small and very young squad.[15] He made 90 appearances over three years with the financially struggling club, the third of which was interrupted by injury,[6][16] before finishing his Football League career with Darlington's local rivals Hartlepool United. It would be a further 18 years before another player – Neil Aspin – made the same move on a permanent basis.[17]

Wilson moved into non-league football, first as a player with Crook Town of the Northern League and then as a manager, with Seaham Red Star and Whitby Town.[8][18] He went on to act as Sunderland's community officer, coached at Burnley and Bury, and worked for the Football League monitoring clubs' youth systems.[8][13][19]

Career statistics
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[6]
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
Division AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Burnley 1970–71 First Division2000000020
1971–72 Second Division1000000—00
1972–73 Second Division0000000000
1973–74 First Division00—000000
Total 120000000120
Brighton & Hove Albion 1973–74 Third Division250———250
1974–75 Third Division4233040—493
1975–76 Third Division4613020—511
1976–77 Third Division1701030—210
Total 13047090—1464
Preston North End 1977–78 Third Division1800050—230
1978–79 Second Division12000103[lower-alpha 1]0160
1979–80 Second Division12000202[lower-alpha 1]0160
Total 420008050550
Darlington 1980–81 Fourth Division2601000—270
1981–82 Fourth Division2901000—300
1982–83 Fourth Division3001020—330
Total 8503020—900
Hartlepool United 1983–84 Fourth Division160202000200
Career total 2854120210503234
  1. Appearances in Anglo-Scottish Cup

References
  1. "Harry Wilson". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  2. Rollin, Jack, ed. (1980). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1980–81. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 302. ISBN 0362-02017-5.
  3. "Ribbon Houses". Ribbon Academy. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  4. "Past players (WXYZ)". Durham County Schools' Football Association. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  5. Jones, Ken (4 December 1970). "Which two England youth stars will make the first eleven?". Daily Mirror. London. p. 23.
    "Match results under 18: 1971–1980". England Football Online. Chris Goodwin and Glen Isherwood. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  6. "Player search: Wilson, H (Harry)". English National Football Archive. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  7. Scholes, Tony (9 August 2002). "Wilson is special guest". Clarets Mad. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  8. Ellis, Adam (17 March 2016). "Where Are They Now? Burnley Division Two Champions 1972/73". The Football League Paper. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  9. Vignes, Spencer (2018). Bloody Southerners: Clough and Taylor's Brighton & Hove Odyssey. London: Biteback. p. 55. ISBN 978-1-78590-437-0.
  10. Vinicombe, John (December 1973). Evening Argus. Brighton, quoted in "Clough's wheeling and dealing". The Goldstone Wrap. 18 February 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  11. Turrell, Nick (5 December 2018). "Ex-Burnley left back Harry Wilson "something of a fire-eater" for Albion". In Parallel Lines. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  12. Horner, Matthew (2010). He Shot, He Scored: The Official Biography of Peter Ward. eBook Partnership. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-9562769-1-9.
  13. Vignes, Spencer (2018). Bloody Southerners: Clough and Taylor's Brighton & Hove Odyssey. London: Biteback. p. 181. ISBN 978-1-78590-437-0.
  14. "Haslegrave out". The Journal. Newcastle. 18 February 1980. p. 12.
  15. Weatherill, Simon (15 July 2020). "Memory match – Wigan 1980". Darlington F.C. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  16. Weatherill, Simon (9 July 2020). "Memory match Stockport County 1983 – Fred Barber's debut". Darlington F.C. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  17. "Aspin makes switch to arch-rivals Pool". The Northern Echo. Darlington. 23 January 2001. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  18. "FA blunder over Chile". The Journal. Newcastle. 16 December 1988. p. 17.
    Connolly, Paul (15 January 2021). "A look back to when Whitby Town lured Leeds United legend Eddie Gray .... and paid him with seafood!". Whitby Gazette. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  19. "Top officials run rule over Town". Huddersfield Examiner. 29 September 2003. Retrieved 20 January 2021.

Sources
  • Simpson, Ray (2007). The Clarets Chronicles: The Definitive History of Burnley Football Club 1882–2007. Burnley F.C. ISBN 978-0-9557468-0-2.
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