Billy Scott (footballer, born 1907)

Billy Scott
Personal information
Full name	William Reed Scott
Date of birth	6 December 1907
Place of birth	Willington Quay, England
Date of death	12 January 1969 (aged 61)
Place of death	Southport, England
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Position(s)	Inside forward
Youth career
1926–1927	Howden British Legion
Senior career*
Years	Team
1927–1932	Middlesbrough
1932–1947	Brentford
1947–1948	Aldershot
	Dover
Total
International career
1936	England
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

William Reed Scott (6 December 1907 – 12 January 1969) was an English professional footballer, who played as an inside forward. He is best remembered for his time with Brentford, for whom he made over 290 appearances. He was posthumously inducted into the Brentford Hall of Fame in 2015. Scott was capped once by England at international level.

Career

Middlesbrough

Born in Willington Quay, Scott began his senior career at First Division club Middlesbrough in 1927.^[3] He made just 28 appearances in five years at Ayresome Park and departed at the end of the 1931–32 season.^[4]^[5]

Brentford

Scott signed for Third Division South club Brentford in May 1932 and was joined by former Middlesbrough teammates Jack Holliday and Bert Watson at Griffin Park.^[3]^[6] Scott quickly made an impression, making 42 appearances and scoring 15 goals in the 1932–33 season, to help the Bees to the Third Division South title.^[7] Now playing in the Second Division, further success would follow in the 1934–35 season, when Scott's 18 goals helped Brentford to their second title in three seasons, to secure a place in the First Division for the first time in the club's history.^[7] Scott's 18-goal tally also included five goals in an 8–1 win over Barnsley on 15 December 1934,^[8] which made him the second Brentford player to achieve the feat after Jack Holliday the previous year.^[9]

Scott performed strongly in the First Division and was a virtual ever-present during the 1935–36 and 1936–37 seasons, scoring 11 and 15 goals respectively and in total, he missed just five games in his first five seasons at Griffin Park.^[7] Scott played on into the early part of the 1939–40 season, when professional football was suspended due to the break-out of the Second World War.^[7] After guesting for Newcastle United, Hartlepools United and Darlington during the war,^[10] Scott returned to Brentford after hostilities ended in 1945.^[6] By now in his late 30s, Scott made his final appearance for the Bees in a 4–1 FA Cup fourth round replay defeat to Leicester City on 3 February 1947.^[7] Scott made 295 appearances and scored 87 goals during his time with Brentford.^[5] He was posthumously inducted into the Brentford Hall of Fame in 2015.^[11]

Aldershot

Scott joined Third Division South club Aldershot in 1947 and made 21 appearances before retiring from league football in 1948.^[1]^[5]

Dover

Scott ended his career with a short spell at Kent League club Dover, under player-manager and former Brentford teammate George Poyser.^[5]

International career

Scott was called up as a reserve for an England v Anglo-Scots match at Highbury in May 1935.^[5] Scott's form for Brentford during the 1936–37 season saw him called up to the England squad for a Home International away to Wales on 17 October 1936 and he played in the 2–1 defeat.^[4]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			FA Cup		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Middlesbrough	1930–31^[4]	First Division	6	1	0	0	6	1
	1931–32^[4]	First Division	20	4	2	0	22	4
	Total		26	5	2	0	28	5
Brentford	1932–33^[7]	Third Division South	41	14	1	1	42	15
	1933–34^[7]	Second Division	41	12	1	0	42	12
	1934–35^[7]	Second Division	42	18	1	0	43	18
	1935–36^[7]	First Division	39	11	1	0	40	11
	1936–37^[7]		41	15	2	0	43	15
	1937–38^[7]		29	8	4	0	33	8
	1938–39^[7]		28	7	1	0	29	7
	1945–46^[7]	—			8	1	8	1
	1946–47^[7]	First Division	12	0	3	1	15	1
	Total		273	84	22	3	295	87
Career total			299	89	24	3	323	92

Honours

Brentford

Individual

Brentford Hall of Fame^[11]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Billy Scott". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^ "Brentford. Only one change in 'Bees' team". Sunday Dispatch Football Guide. London. 23 August 1936. p. iv – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b "Scott Billy Brentford 1933". Vintage Footballers. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "William Scott". 11v11.com. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. p. 143. ISBN 0955294916.
^ ^a ^b Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z of Bees: Brentford Encyclopaedia. Yore Publications. pp. 111–112. ISBN 1-874427-57-7.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 372–379. ISBN 0951526200.
^ TW8 Official Brentford Matchday Programme versus Port Vale. London: Morganprint Blackheath Ltd. 14 April 2001. p. 30.
^ Brentford Football Club Official Matchday Magazine versus Wrexham. Newbury: Dunwoody Sports Marketing. 14 September 2004. p. 46.
^ "NUFC Season Review 1939/40". theyworethenewcastleshirt-researchwebsite. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
^ ^a ^b Wickham, Chris. "Kevin O'Connor and Marcus Gayle join others in being added to Brentford FC Hall of Fame". brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 14 June 2015.