William Levi Draycott (15 February 1869 – May 1943) 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

right half In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

for Burslem Port Vale,

Stoke Stoke may refer to: Places Canada * Stoke, Quebec New Zealand * Stoke, New Zealand United Kingdom Berkshire * Stoke Row Bristol * Stoke Bishop * Stoke Gifford * Bradley Stoke * Little Stoke * Harry Stoke * Stoke Lodge Bucking ...

, Burton Wanderers,

Newton Heath Newton Heath is an area of Manchester, England, north-east of Manchester city centre and with a population of 9,883. Historically part of Lancashire, Newton was formerly a farming area, but adopted the factory system following the Industrial ...

, Bedminster,

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 ...

Wellingborough Wellingborough ( ) is a market town in the North Northamptonshire, Unitary Authority area, England, from London and from Northampton, north of the River Nene. Originally named "Wendelingburgh" (the stronghold of Wændel's people), the Anglo ...

and

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 ...

in the 1890s and early 1900s.

Career

Draycott probably joined Burslem Port Vale in the summer of 1890. He made his debut at the Athletic Ground in a 2–1 friendly defeat to

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...

on 29 September 1890. He made nine appearances for the club, scoring two goals, and was a member of the side that shared the North Staffordshire Charity Challenge Cup in 1891. He transferred to local rivals Stoke in June 1891, where he played in just two the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

matches in three seasons at the

Victoria Ground The Victoria Ground was the home ground of Stoke City from 1878 until 1997, when the club relocated to the Britannia Stadium after 119 years. At the time of its demolition it was the oldest operational ground in the Football League. Histor ...

. He then spent the 1894–95 and 1895–96 seasons with Football League newcomers Burton Wanderers, scoring three goals in 50 league games. He joined Newton Heath in May 1896. He scored five goals in 1896–97 to help the club secure second place in the Second Division; however, they lost to

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

in the promotion/relegation Test Match. Newton Heath then finished fourth in 1897–98 and 1898–99, with Draycott scoring on only one further occasion. Over three years, he made 91 appearances for the

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

club before transferring to Bedminster in 1899. Bedminster finished sixth in the Southern League in 1899–1900. He then spent the 1900–01 campaign with rivals Bristol Rovers before moving on to Wellingborough and Luton Town.

Career statistics

Honours

Burslem Port Vale *North Staffordshire Charity Challenge Cup: 1891

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Draycott, Billy 1869 births People from Swadlincote People from Newhall, Derbyshire Footballers from Derbyshire English men's footballers Men's association football wing halves Port Vale F.C. players Stoke City F.C. players Burton Wanderers F.C. players Manchester United F.C. players Bedminster F.C. players Bristol Rovers F.C. players Wellingborough Town F.C. players Luton Town F.C. players English Football League players Southern Football League players 1943 deaths 19th-century English sportsmen