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Players Index Page Last Updated
13 August 2022
 
 

Bill Slater

Wolverhampton Wanderers FC

12 appearances, 0 goals

P 12 W 5 D 5 L 2 F 23: A 16
63% successful

1954-60

captain: none
minutes played:
1080

Timeline

  William John Slater OBE, CBE
Birth 29 April 1927 in Clitheroe, Lancashire [registered in Clitheroe, June 1927].
Marriage to Marion Warr [registered in Ealing, Middlesex,September 1952].
Death 18 December 2018 at Wytham House care home, Oaken Holt, Eynsham Road, in Oxford, aged 91 years 233 days, suffering with Alzheimer's disease.
Funeral 12.40pm, Tuesday, 15 January 2019 at Mortlake Crematorium

Source

Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990] &

Club Career

Club(s) Began his football career playing junior football in Lancashire. Slater remained an amateur during the war, signing for Blackpool FC in 1944, also assisting Yorkshire Amateurs FC whilst at Leeds Training College. Played thirty league appearances and scored nine goals for the Seasider, before he signed as a Brentford AFC amateur in December 1951, and on 9 August 1952, after one goal in seven league outings, signed amateur forms with Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, ahead of a late bid from Birmingham City FC. He turned professional at the age of 27 years old on 18 February 1954. He remained to captain Wolves' most successful periods in their history, making 310 league appearances, scoring 24 goals, leaving to return to Brentford AFC for the 1963-64 season, making five league appearances, scoring twice. He subsequently made sporadic appearances for the Northern Nomads FC.
Club honours FA Cup runners-up 1947-48, 1950-51, winners 1959-60; FA Charity Shield shared 1954, 1960, runners-up 1958, winners 1959; Football League Division One runners-up 1954-55, 1959-60, Champions 1953-54, 1957-58, 1958-59;
Individual honours Football League (September 1954, injured);
FWA Player of the Year
1959-60; Officer of the British Empire 1982, Commander of the British Empire 1998
Distinctions Last amateur to won the FA Cup.
According to newspaper reports in April 1960, Slater was being 'groomed' to be the next England manager when Walter Winterbottom became the FA Secretary and Stanley Rous moved into FIFA.
Height/Weight 6' 0", 12st. 7lbs [1957].

Source

Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990].

England Career

Player number One of two who became the 741st players (741) to appear for England.
Position(s) Left-half, centre-half.
First match No. 292, 10 November 1954, England 3 Wales 2, a British Championship match at Empire Stadium, Wembley, London, aged 27 years 195 days.
Last match No. 338, 9 April 1960, Scotland 1 England 1, a British Championship match at Hampden Park, Mount Flordia, Glasgow, aged 32 years 346 days.
Major tournaments World Cup Finals 1954 (provisional squad), 1958;
British Championship 1954-55, 1957-58, 1959-60;
Team honours British Championship winners 1954-55, shared 1957-58, 1959-60;
Individual honours England Amateur (twenty appearances, seven goals, some as captain), Great Britain (one appearance, 1952)
Distinctions None

Beyond England

Slater held an appointment as deputy Director of the Crystal Palace Sports Centre, subsequently working as a Director of Physical Education at Liverpool University and Birmingham University. - An English Football Internationalists' Who's Who. Douglas Lamming (1990). Hatton Press, p.224/225.
Also President of the British Gymnastics Association in 1989.


The Numbers
parties Appearances comp. apps minutes unused/
reserve
captain
9 12 7 1080 one 0 none
minutes are an approximation, due to the fact that many matches rarely stick to exactly ninety minutes long, allowing time for injuries and errors.
P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
12 5 5 2 23 16 +7 3 3 1.917 1.333 62.5 +3

Venue Record

Venue P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
Home 4 4 0 0 13 4 +9 0 1 3.25 1.00 100.0 +4
Away 4 1 2 1 6 7 -1 1 1 1.50 1.75 50.0 =0
Neutral 4 0 3 1 4 5 -1 2 1 1.00 1.25 37.5 -1

Shirt Record

Colour P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
White 11 4 5 2 20 15 +5 3 3 1.818 1.364 59.1 +2
Red 1 1 0 0 3 1 +2 0 0 3.00 1.00 100.0 +1

Competition Record

Competition P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L

WCP

0 0 0 0 0 0 =0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 =0
WCF 4 0 3 1 4 5 -1 2 1 1.00 1.25 37.5 -1
World Cup 4 0 3 1 4 5 -1 2 1 1.00 1.25 37.5 -1
British Championship 3 2 1 0 8 3 +5 0 1 2.667 1.00 83.3 +2
Friendly 5 3 2 0 11 8 +3 1 1 2.20 0.60 80.0 +3

Tournament Record

World Cup Final Tournament
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WCF 1958 4 0 3 1 4 5 -1 2 1 1.00 1.25 37.5 -1
WCF All 4 0 3 1 4 5 -1 2 1 1.00 1.25 37.5 -1

British Championship Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
BC 1954-55 1 1 0 0 3 2 +1 0 0 3.00 2.00 100.0 +1
BC 1957-58 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4 0 1 4.00 0.00 100.0 +1
BC 1959-60 1 0 1 0 1 1 =0 0 0 1.00 1.00 50.0 =0
BC All 3 2 1 0 8 3 +5 0 1 2.667 1.00 83.3 +2

All Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WC 4 0 3 1 4 5 -1 2 1 1.00 1.25 37.5 -1
BC 3 2 1 0 8 3 +5 0 1 2.667 1.00 83.3 +2
7 2 4 1 12 8 +4 2 2 1.714 1.143 57.1 +1

Match History
 
 Club: Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. - twelve full appearances (1080 min) manager: Walter Winterbottom - twelve appearances (1080 min)x

apps match pic match details comp res. rundown shirt

Age 27
286 16 May 1954 - Yugoslavia 1 England 0, Stadion JNA, Beograd tour AL withdrawn
party member
B  
withdrawn party member - Yugoslavia 16 May 1954
287 23 May 1954 - Hungary 7 England 1, Népstadion, Budapest   AL  
B  
withdrawn party member  - Switzerland 23 May 1954
May 1st 1954 was the date set by FIFA for a list of forty names to be submitted, from which the final 22 could be selected for each country's World Cup squad. England's list appeared on April 22 1954, nine days ahead of the deadline. 18 were destined not to make the final cut, including Bill Slater.
  
291 2 October 1954 - Northern Ireland 0 England 2, Windsor Park, Belfast BC AW reserve
1 292 10 November 1954 - England 3 Wales 2
Empire Stadium, Wembley
BC HW   6

one of two who became the 741st player (741) to appear for England.
the 24th Wolverhampton Wanderers player to represent England

2 293 1 December 1954 - England 3 West Germany 1
Empire Stadium, Wembley
Fr HW   6
  

Age 30
3 318 19 April 1958 - Scotland 0 England 4
Hampden Park, Glasgow
BC AW   6

Age 31
4 319 7 May 1958 - England 2 Portugal 1
Empire Stadium, Wembley
Fr HW   6
5 320 11 May 1958 - Yugoslavia 5 England 0
Stadion JNA
, Beograd

tour
AL   6
6 321 18 May 1958 - USSR 1 England 1
Lenin Stadium, Moskva
AD   6
 
WCF
left half 6x
7 322 8 June 1958 - England 2 USSR 2
Nya Ullevi Stadion, Göteborg
ND  
8 323 11 June 1958 - Brazil 0 England 0
Nya Ullevi Stadion, Göteborg
ND  
9 324 15 June 1958 - England 2 Austria 2
Ryavallen Stadion, Borås
ND  
10 325 17 June 1958 - USSR 1 England 0
Nya Ullevi Stadion, Göteborg
NL  
  
11 327 22 October 1958 - England 5 USSR 0
Empire Stadium, Wembley
Fr HW   6
  

Age 32
12 338 9 April 1960 - Scotland 1 England 1
Hampden Park, Glasgow
BC AD   5
  


 

 
 
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