William Thomas Charles Dare (14 February 1927 – 8 May 1994) was an English

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 as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

. He was described as "gutsy" and as a "stocky little battler" and was the first ever footballer to sign for a club on live television. Dare was born in

Willesden Willesden () is an area of north-west London, situated 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Charing Cross. It is historically a parish in the county of Middlesex that was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Willesden in 1933; it has formed ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and started his footballing career with

Hendon Hendon is an urban area in the London Borough of Barnet, northwest London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient Manorialism, manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has ...

. He played only 10 games for Hendon, starting with his debut game on 11 September 1948 against

Leyton Leyton ( ) is a town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It borders Walthamstow to the north, Leytonstone to the east, and Stratford to the south, with Clapton, Hackney Wick and Homerton, across the Ri ...

, but managed eight goals. He joined

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 ...

in 1948, where he was teammates with

Ron Greenwood Ronald Greenwood (11 November 1921 – 9 February 2006) was an English football player and manager. He is best known for being manager of the England national football team from 1977 until 1982, as well as being manager of West Ham United for ...

. His Brentford debut came on 12 March 1949 against

Luton Town Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...

. He made 208 league appearances and 222 in all competitions, before joining

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...

for £5,000 in 1955. A prolific goal scorer, Dare scored 52 goals in 125 games in all competitions for West Ham United. He made his Hammers debut on 5 March 1955 in a 2–1 home win against

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...

. His first goal didn't come until two games later, on 19 March 1955, in a 2–1 home defeat of

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...

. His 25 goals in all competitions in 1955–56 made him the club's highest scorer for that season. Dare, playing alongside Johnny Dick and

Vic Keeble Victor Albert Williams Keeble (25 June 1930 – 29 January 2018) was an English footballer who played as a centre-forward for Colchester United, Newcastle United and West Ham United. Early life Victor Albert Williams Keeble was born 25 June 19 ...

, played in the club's

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

championship-winning season of 1957–58. Dare contributed 14 league goals, including one hat-trick in a 3–2 defeat of

Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers FC is a men's professional football club in Bristol. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club is affiliated to Bristol Rovers W.F.C., whose team play in the FA Women's National Leag ...

at Eastville on 31 August 1957, to a campaign in which West Ham scored 101 league goals. However, the now ageing forward struggled at the higher level, and Dare played only two games between February 1958 and April 1959 before his transfer in 1959. The 1959–60 season saw Dare play for Southern League team

Yiewsley Yiewsley ( ) is a large suburban village in the London Borough of Hillingdon, England, 2 miles (3 km) south of Uxbridge, the borough's commercial and administrative centre. Yiewsley was a chapelry in the ancient parish of Hillingdon, Middl ...

, where he played under

Bill Dodgin, Sr. William Dodgin (17 April 1909 – 16 October 1999) was an English professional footballer who played as a left half and later worked as a manager, coach and scout. Football career Dodgin played in the Football League, most notably for Clapton ...

and later

Jackie Milburn John Edward Thompson "Jackie" Milburn (11 May 1924 – 9 October 1988) was an English football player principally associated with Newcastle United and England, though he also spent four seasons at Linfield. He was also known as Wor Jackie (par ...

. He served as manager of

Spartan League The Spartan League was a football league in England covering London and adjacent counties. Established in 1907, it merged with the South Midlands League in 1997 to form the Spartan South Midlands League. History The Spartan League was establi ...

side

Ruislip Manor Ruislip Manor is an area of Ruislip in the London Borough of Hillingdon in West London. It is located approximately west north west of Charing Cross. The construction of a halt on the Metropolitan Railway in the area in 1912 led to the develop ...

in the mid-1960s.

Honours

West Ham United *

Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third tier ...

: 1957–58 Individual * Brentford Hall of Fame

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dare, Billy 1927 births 1994 deaths Footballers from the London Borough of Brent People from Willesden English men's footballers Men's association football forwards Brentford F.C. players West Ham United F.C. players Tokyngton Manor F.C. managers English Football League players Hillingdon Borough F.C. players Hendon F.C. players Southern Football League players English football managers 20th-century English sportsmen