William Reuben Tremelling (9 May 1905 — 5 November 1961) 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 ...

. He played as a forward at the beginning of his career, but was later played as a defender.

Family

His brothers Dan and Sol were also footballers, as was a fourth brother, Jack. His nephew Arthur (son of Sol) was also a footballer.

Career

After starting out with Shirebrook, Kirby Colliery, Welbeck Colliery,

Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third level of the English football league system. The club was formed in 1897 as Mans ...

, Retford Town and Worksop Town, in 1925 he joined

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

, then in the Second Division, with whom he spent five years. Tremelling made his debut for Blackpool on 28 March 1925, in a goalless draw at

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 ...

in front of a crowd of 30,000. He made one more league appearance in the 1924–25 season, in the very next game (a home victory over

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

), but missed the final eight games of the season. In 1925–26, he only appeared in three league games, after breaking his leg in a 6–1 defeat at Swansea Town on 25 February 1926. He made a major impact in 1926–27, with 30 goals in 26 league games. He scored his first goal for Blackpool on 13 November 1926, in a 3–0 victory over

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 ...

Bloomfield Road Bloomfield Road is a association football, football stadium in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Blackpool F.C., Blackpool Football Club since 1901. It is the third stadium in the club's existence, the previous two be ...

. He went on to score in the next five games, including a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...

in a 6–0 home victory over Clapton Orient on 11 December. He scored another treble in a 4–2 victory at Port Vale on 16 April 1927, the second of Blackpool's two games in as many days. Tremelling also scored Blackpool's sole goal in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

that season, in a 3–1 third-round loss at home to

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 ...

on 8 January 1927. In 1927–28, Tremelling, under new Blackpool boss

Sydney Beaumont Sydney Beaumont (8 October 1884 – May 1939) was an English professional footballer and football manager, runner and cricketer. He played at both half back and left wing during his football career and won many trophies for middle-distance run ...

, was switched to a defensive position. As such, his goal hauls dried up: he made 22 appearances and scored just four goals that season. Tremelling was returned to the forward line for part of the 1928–29 as new manager Harry Evans struggled to find a partner for

Jimmy Hampson James Hampson (23 March 1906 – 10 January 1938) was an English professional footballer. He spent eleven seasons at Blackpool, where he remains record goalscorer with 252 goals in 373 games, and is still regarded as one of the best centre forwa ...

. He scored five goals in twelve league appearances. Back in a defensive role for the 1929–30 campaign, Tremelling helped Blackpool to the Division Two championship. He made 38 league appearances and scored three goals in the club's successful season. Tremelling's final game for Blackpool was on 6 December 1930, in a 3–1 home defeat by

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 ...

. He left the club to join arch-rivals

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...

, with whom he made over 200 appearances, captaining the side in the 1937 FA Cup Final. After retirement, Tremelling returned to Blackpool as a coach.

Honours

;Blackpool * Second Division championship: 1929-30 ;Preston North End *

runner-up: 1936-37

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tremelling, Billy 1905 births 1961 deaths English men's footballers Retford Town F.C. players Mansfield Town F.C. players Blackpool F.C. players Preston North End F.C. players Shirebrook Miners Welfare F.C. players English Football League players People from Newhall, Derbyshire Footballers from Derbyshire Men's association football forwards Men's association football defenders 20th-century English sportsmen