William Charles Ingham (22 October 1952 – 7 November 2009) was an English professional

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 midfielder. Born in Stakeford, Ingham began his career with

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 ...

side

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...

, making his senior debut in 1972. After eight years in the Burnley first team, he transferred to

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The club competes in , the third tier of English football, and is managed by Graham Alexander. The club was founded in 1903 and ...

in 1980 for a fee of £30,000 and went on to play almost 80 league games before being forced to retire in 1982. He later played non-league football for

Accrington Stanley Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England, that compete in the , the fourth level of the English football league system. They have spent their entire history playing a ...

while working as a bus driver.

Personal life

Ingham was born in the village of Stakeford in

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

but moved to

at the age of 15 when he was signed by

Burnley F.C. Burnley Football Club () is a professional football club based in Burnley, Lancashire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1882, Burnley were one of the first to be ...

as an apprentice. Following his retirement from football, he continued to live in Burnley, and worked as a

bus driver A bus driver, bus operator, or bus captain is a person who drives buses for a living. Description Bus drivers must have a special license above and beyond a regular driver's licence. Bus drivers typically drive their vehicles between bus st ...

for Burnley & Pendle. In 2008, Ingham was taken ill and was given last rites in hospital. He returned home but failed to fully recover and on 7 November 2009, he died following the illness.

Football career

Ingham began his career with

where he was affectionately known as "the Ginger Pele". After joining the club as an apprentice at the age of fifteen, he was promoted from the youth team in 1969 and made his first-team debut on 12 February 1972, coming on as a substitute for Alan West in the 0–2 defeat to Hull City in the

. His first start for the club came on 3 April 1972 as the side lost 3–4 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 ...

. He went on to play 265 games for the Clarets in all competitions, scoring 31 goals between 1972 and 1980. He was signed by

manager George Mulhall in 1980 for a fee of £30,000 and played 78 league games for the club in the following two seasons. He was part of the team which won promotion to the

Football League Third Division The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 Football League, 1920–21 and again from 1958–59 Football League, 1958 until 1991–92 Football League, 1992. When the FA Premier League ...

in 1982, although he missed the last two months of the season through an injury which eventually ended his playing career at the age of 29. After retirement from the professional game, Ingham played part-time

non-league football Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...

for

. Prior to the 1986–87 season, he was given the chance to return to

Turf Moor Turf Moor is an association football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Burnley F.C., Burnley Football Club since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground in Footbal ...

by manager Brian Miller, but he turned down the offer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ingham, Billy 1952 births 2009 deaths People from Stakeford Footballers from Northumberland Footballers from Burnley English men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Burnley F.C. players Bradford City A.F.C. players Accrington Stanley F.C. players English Football League players 20th-century English sportsmen