Bill Appleyard
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bill Appleyard (b. 1879 in Cleethorpes - d. 1958) was a professional football player, whose career at the highest level was cut short through injury.
He was an English football player who is perhaps best known for wearing the number nine shirt for Newcastle United. He signed for the club in 1903 from Grimsby Town and went on to win the Championship twice as well as being a finalist in two FA Cup finals. He was known as "Cockles", a reference to a previous job he had as a fisherman. Appleyard stood at 6ft and weighed over 14 stone.
After playing 145 games for Newcastle and scoring an impressive 87 goals, he was forced to leave the club in 1908 through injury. After leaving Newcastle he resigned for Grimsby Town, although his return lasted only a year, signing for Mansfield Mechanics in 1909. He later retired and returned to the Newcastle area, working in Vickers Shipyards in Wallsend.
[edit] Resources
- A Complete Who's Who of Newcastle United, by Paul Joannou.
- Haway The Lads, The Illustrated Story of Newcastle United, by Paul Joannou, Tommy Canning/Patrick Canning
