William James Lilley (born 1885, date of death unknown) was a
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
goalkeeper
In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...
for both
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...
and
Rotherham Town in
The Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...
.
Career
Born in
Staveley in
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...
, England
he began his career alongside his older brother
Harry
Harry may refer to:
Television
* ''Harry'' (American TV series), 1987 comedy series starring Alan Arkin
* ''Harry'' (British TV series), 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons
* ''Harry'' (New Zealand TV series), 2013 crime drama starring Oscar K ...
with local side Staveley Lowgates in 1887 and would go on to follow his sibling from club-to-club until 1894.
The pair moved to the town's senior side
Staveley with whom Will played for three years, appearing in the
Midland Counties League
The Midland Football League was a semi-professional football league in England. It acted as a feeder league to the Football League for many years before merging with the Yorkshire League in 1982 to form the Northern Counties East League.
Histo ...
for the club.
Harry left for
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...
in the summer of 1890 but Will remained at Staveley for a further season.
He was eventually transferred in November 1891 and had been intending to join
The Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.
Formed in 1867 as an off ...
who had offered him a contract,
but influenced by his brother he instead opted to join him at their cross-city rivals
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...
when the opportunity arose.
Lilley competed with established keeper
Charlie Howlett for a starting position in the first team but more often than not lost out to his rival.
Despite this he remained with United for two and a half seasons and had the distinction of being in goal for their first ever game in
The Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...
against
Lincoln City in September 1892.
Both Lilley and his older brother Harry played their final first team game for United in April 1894 with Will having played in 25 league and three
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 ...
games for the club, and remarkably for a keeper having scored three goals.
Older brother Harry opted to retire from football at that point but Will played on for another season, transferring to
Rotherham Town for whom he played nine times in The Football League.
Honours
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...
*
Football League Division Two
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 ...
**Runner-up:
1892–93
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lilley, Will
1885 births
Footballers from Staveley, Derbyshire
English men's footballers
Men's association football goalkeepers
Staveley F.C. players
Sheffield United F.C. players
Rotherham Town F.C. (1878) players
English Football League players
Year of death missing
Northern Football League players