William Charles Gorman (13 July 1911 – December 1978) was an Irish

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played for, among others, Bury and

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...

. Gorman was a dual internationalist who also played for both Ireland teams – the FAI XI and the IFA XI. In September 1946 Gorman, along with

Johnny Carey John Joseph Carey (23 February 1919 – 22 August 1995) was an Irish professional footballer and manager. As a player, Carey spent most of his career at Manchester United, where he was team captain from 1946 until he retired as a player in 195 ...

, actually played for both teams against

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

within three days of each other. The 11 international caps Gorman won while playing for Bury remain a club record.

Club career

Although born in

County Sligo County Sligo ( , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region and is part of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in ...

, Gorman was raised in Scotland and spoke with a Scottish accent. He began his footballing career with junior club

Shettleston Shettleston (, ) is an area in the Glasgow#East End, east end of Glasgow in Scotland. Toponymy The origin of the name "Shettleston" is not clear and, like many place-names of possibly medieval origin, has had a multitude of spellings. A papal bu ...

. An engineer by trade, he went completely bald by the time he was 19 and subsequently became known as ''Old Naked Brains''. In 1936, at the age of 25, Gorman moved south to the English League and joined Bury. Early in the 1938–39 season, Gorman made a £7,000 move to

where he is still talked of as one of the club's greatest ever defenders. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Gorman continued to play for Brentford in regional leagues. However, he also spent time in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

where he had two spells guesting regularly for Bury. He spent the 1943–44 season guesting at

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...

where his teammates included a young

Nat Lofthouse Nathaniel Lofthouse (27 August 1925 – 15 January 2011) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward for Bolton Wanderers for his entire career. He won 33 caps for England between 1950 and 1958, scoring 30 goals, with one ...

. The war also gave Gorman the chance to guest with both

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

and

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

. In October 1950 he was appointed player-manager of Deal Town of the semi-professional Kent League. He eventually retired as a player in 1952, but as a manager guided Deal to the league title in 1954.

Irish international

When Gorman began his international career in 1936 there were, in effect, two Ireland teams, chosen by two rival associations. Both associations, the Northern Ireland – based

IFA IFA or Ifa may refer to: Organisations Economics * Independent financial adviser, a type of financial services professional in the UK * Index Fund Advisors * Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, representing actuaries in the UK * Institute of Act ...

and the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State (6 December 192229 December 1937), also known by its Irish-language, Irish name ( , ), was a State (polity), state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-ye ...

– based FAI claimed jurisdiction over the whole of Ireland and selected players from the whole island. As a result, several notable Irish players from this era, including Gorman, played for both teams.

FAI XI

Between 1936 and 1947 Gorman made 13 appearances for the FAI XI. He made his international debut on 17 March 1936 in a 1–0 win against

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

Dalymount Park Dalymount Park (Irish language, Irish: ''Páirc Chnocán Uí Dhálaigh'') is a Association football, football stadium in Phibsborough on the Northside Dublin, Northside of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is the home of Bohemian F.C., ...

. Among the highlights of his international career were helping the FAI XI beat

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

5–2 in a friendly on 17 October 1936. On 7 November 1937 he also played for the FAI XI in a

World Cup qualifier The FIFA World Cup qualification is a set of competitive matches that a national association football team plays in order to qualify for one of the available berths at the final tournament of the men's FIFA World Cup. Qualifying tournaments ar ...

against

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. The game finished as a 3–3 draw. On 30 September 1946 he was a member of the first ever FAI XI to play against

. Despite a credible performance, the FAI XI lost 1–0. Two days earlier Gorman had made his debut for the IFA XI against the same opponents. He made his last appearance for the FAI XI on 4 May 1947 in 2–0 defeat against

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

IFA XI

Between 1946 and 1948 Gorman also made four appearances for the IFA XI. He made his debut for the IFA XI on 28 September 1946 in a 7–2 defeat against

. On 27 November 1946, together with

Con Martin Cornelius Joseph Martin (20 March 1923 – 24 February 2013) was an Irish footballer. Martin initially played Gaelic football for the Dublin county team before switching codes and embarking on a successful soccer career, playing for, among oth ...

, Peter Farrell,

Tommy Eglington Thomas Joseph Eglington (15 January 1923 – 18 February 2004) was an Irish footballer who played as an outside-left for, among others, Shamrock Rovers, Everton and Tranmere Rovers. Eglington was also a dual internationalist and played for b ...

Alex Stevenson Alexander Ernest Stevenson (9 August 1912 – 2 September 1985) was an Irish footballer who played for Rangers and Everton, amongst other teams. As an international, Stevenson also played for both Ireland teams – the FAI XI and the IFA XI. ...

and

Davy Walsh David Joseph Walsh (28 April 1923 – 14 March 2016) was an Irish footballer who played as a centre forward for, among others, Linfield, West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa. Walsh was a dual international and played for both Ireland teams – ...

, he was one of seven players born in the

to line up for the IFA XI against

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

Hampden Park Hampden Park ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden'') is a association football, football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland, which is the national stadium of football in Scotland and home of the Scotland national football ...

. The 0–0 draw helped the IFA XI finish as runners-up in the

1947 British Home Championship It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...

. He also helped the IFA XI gain a 2–1 victory over

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

on 16 April 1947. His fourth and final appearance for the IFA XI was a 2–0 defeat to Wales on 10 March 1948.

Later years

In February 1955 Gorman returned to Bury to work as an engineering inspector. He remained a regular spectator at

Bury F.C. Bury Football Club is an English association football club based in Bury, Greater Manchester. It most recently played in the Premier Division of the North West Counties League, the ninth tier of the English football pyramid, following a 2023 ...

matches, and also carried out some scouting work for

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

while his friend

George Poyser George Henry Poyser (6 February 1910 – 30 January 1995) was an English football player and manager. A defender, he enjoyed a lengthy playing career, the tail end of which was interrupted by World War II. He played for Wolverhampton Wandere ...

was manager. He took early retirement from his job in March 1975. His wife died suddenly, only a few weeks later. After a couple of heart attacks, he died in November 1978 at the age of 67. His daughter and grandson subsequently worked for Bury F.C.

Honours

Player

Ireland *

British Home Championship The British Home Championship (historically known as the British International Championship or simply the International Championship) was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams: England, Scotlan ...

**''Runners-up'' 1946–47 1

Manager

Deal Town * Kent League **''Winners'' 1953–54: 1

Individual

* Brentford Hall of Fame

References

External links

Northern Ireland's Footballing Greats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gorman, Bill 1911 births 1978 deaths Republic of Ireland men's association footballers Republic of Ireland association football managers Pre-1950 IFA men's international footballers Ireland (FAI) men's international footballers Dual Irish men's international footballers Bury F.C. players Bury F.C. wartime guest players Brentford F.C. players Manchester United F.C. wartime guest players Bolton Wanderers F.C. wartime guest players Liverpool F.C. wartime guest players Association footballers from County Sligo Glasgow United F.C. players Deal Town F.C. players Irish Free State men's international footballers Deal Town F.C. managers Men's association football fullbacks English Football League players