England Football Online
Goalkeepers Index Page Last Updated
1 August 2022
 
 

Bert Williams

Wolverhampton Wanderers FC
 
24 appearances, 34 goals against
 two penalties conceded, three clean sheets
  
P 24 W 13 D 4 L 7 F 56: A 34
63% successful
1949-56
captain: none
minutes played: 2160

Timeline
  Bert Frederick Williams MBE (*Actual for and against are the goals scored
while the player was on the field.)
Birth 31 January 1920 at 7 Bank Street in Bilston, Staffordshire [registered in Wolverhampton, March 1920]. To Walter and Daisy (née Portman)
 

His record on the 1939 register remains closed.
Marriage to Evelyn Gladys Wilde [registered in Bilston, September 1940]. Three children, Annette M. [b.1941], Vaughan B. [b.1953] and Paul A. [b.1959]
Death 19 January 2014 at 3 Mead Way in Silvermere Park area of Shifnal, Staffordshire, aged 94 years 353 days [registration not yet found].
Memorial 5 February 2014 at St Peter's Collegiate Church in Wolverhampton
 Attended by Gordon Banks and Ron Flowers

Source

 Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990] &
Biographies The Cat in Wolf's Clothing: A book of fond memories by Bert Williams - Bert Williams (B.F. Williams 2007)
 

x. - A Football Compendium, Peter J. Seddon (1999).

Club Career
Club(s) Williams played school football in Bilston, and works football with Thompson's FC, in the Wolverhampton Works League. He signed amateur forms with Walsall FC in the 1935-36 season, turning professional in April 1937. Wolverhampton Wanderers FC won the battle to sign Williams on 15 September 1945 for a £3500 transfer fee. Bert announced his retirement from the game on 6 March 1957.
Club honours FA Cup winners 1948-49; Football League Division One runners-up 1949-50, 1954-55, Champions 1953-54; FA Charity Shield shared 1949, 1954;
Individual honours Football League (five appearances)
Distinctions Received an MBE for services to football and charity in June 2010
Height/Weight 5' 10", 12st. 2lbs [1950].

Source

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

England Career
Player number 686th player to appear for England.
Position(s) Goalkeeper
First match No. 248, 22 May 1949, France 1 England 3, an end-of-season tour match at Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris, aged 29 years 111 days.
Last match No. 299, 22 October 1955, England 1 Wales 2, British Championship match at Ninian Park, Sloper Road, Cardiff, aged 35 years 264 days.
Major tournaments World Cup Finals 1950; British Championship 1949-50, 1950-51, 1951-52, 1954-55, 1955-56;
Team honours British Championship winners 1949-50, 1954-55, shared 1951-52, 1955-56;
Individual honours England wartime (one appearance), England B (one appearance, 1949)
Distinctions The oldest ex-England player at the time of his death

Beyond England
Engaged in a sports outfitting business in Bilston, and Wolverhampton, he also started a goalkeeping school in 1969.  - An English Football Internationalists' Who's Who. Douglas Lamming (1990). Hatton Press, p.269.


The Numbers
parties Apps Comp
Apps		 unused/
reserve		 minutes GA GA Av.
min		 Comp GA Clean
Sheets		 Cln
Sht Av		 Cln
Sht best		 captain
22 24 11 four 2160 34 64 min 14 3 12.5% 234 min 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
24 13 4 7 56 34 +22 4 3 2.333 1.417 62.5 +6

Venue Record

Venue P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
Home 10 6 2 2 29 17 +12 1 1 2.90 1.70 70.0 +4
Away 11 6 2 3 25 15 +10 1 1 2.273 1.364 63.6 +3
Neutral 3 1 0 2 2 2 =0 2 1 0.667 0.667 33.3 -1

Competition Record

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

WCP

 2 2 0 0 5 1 +4 0 1 2.50 0.50 100.0 +2
WCF 3 1 0 2 2 2 =0 2 1 0.667 0.667 33.3 -1
World Cup 5 3 0 2 7 3 +4 2 2 1.40 0.60 60.0 +1
British Championship 8 5 1 2 24 12 +12 0 1 3.00 1.50 68.8 +3
The 1949-50 record of the World Cup preliminaries and British Championship are duplicated, and one set is deducted from the grand total.
Friendly 13 7 3 3 30 20 +10 2 1 2.308 1.538 65.4 +4

Tournament Record

World Cup Preliminary Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WCP/BC 1949-50 2 2 0 0 5 1 +4 0 1 2.50 0.50 100.0 +2
WCP All 2 2 0 0 5 1 +4 0 1 2.50 0.50 100.0 +2
World Cup Finals Tournament
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WCF 1950 3 1 0 2 2 2 =0 2 1 0.667 0.667 33.3 -1
WCF All 3 1 0 2 2 2 =0 2 1 0.667 0.667 33.3 -1
World Cup
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WC 1949-50 5 3 0 2 7 3 +4 2 2 1.40 0.60 60.0 +1
WC All 5 3 0 2 7 3 +4 2 2 1.40 0.60 60.0 +1

British Championship Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
BC/WCP 1949-50 2 2 0 0 5 1 +4 0 1 2.50 0.50 100.0 +2
BC 1950-51 3 2 0 1 10 6 +4 0 0 3.33 2.00 66.7 +1
BC 1951-52 1 0 1 0 1 1 =0 0 0 1.00 1.00 50.0 =0
BC 1954-55 1 1 0 0 7 2 +5 0 0 7.00 2.00 100.0 +1
BC 1955-56 1 0 0 1 1 2 -1 0 0 1.00 2.00 0.00 -1
BC All 8 5 1 2 24 12 +12 0 1 3.00 1.50 68.8 +3

All Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WC 5 3 0 2 7 3 +4 2 2 1.40 0.60 60.0 +1
BC 8 5 1 2 24 12 +12 0 1 3.00 1.50 68.8 +3
The 1949-50 record of the World Cup preliminaries and British Championship are duplicated, and one set is deducted from the grand total.
11 6 1 4 26 14 +12 2 2 2.364 1.273 59.1 +2

Match History
 
 Club: Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. - 24 full appearances (2160 min) 34ᵍᵃ manager: Walter Winterbottom - 24 full appearances (2160 min) 34ᵍᵃx 

apps match pic match details comp res. rundown shirt

Age 29
246 13 May 1949 - Sweden 3 England 1, Råsunda Fotbollstadion, Solna tour AL party member
B
one appearance - Finland A 15 May 1949
247 18 May 1949 - Norway 1 England 4, Ullevål Stadion, Oslo   AW party member
B  
party member - Netherlands A 18 May 1949
1 248 22 May 1949 - France 1 England 3
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris		   AW cs: 33 secs 1
ᵍᵃmisjudged

the 686th player to appear for England.
the 21st Wolverhampton Wanderer player to represent England
the 71st goalkeeper to represent England

2 249 21 September 1949 - England 0 Republic of Ireland 2
Goodison Park, Liverpool		 Fr HL cs: 121 min 1
ᵍᵃ & lob

the ninth penalty kick against scored (nineteenth overall)

3 250 15 October 1949 - Wales 1 England 4
Ninian Park, Cardiff		 BC/
WCP		 AW   1
ᵍᵃangled
  
4 252 30 November 1949 - England 2 Italy 0
White Hart Lane, Tottenham		 Fr HW   1

Age 30
5 253 15 April 1950 - Scotland 0 England 1
Hampden Park, Glasgow		 BC/
WCP		 AW   1
B  
party member - Italy 11 May 1950
6 254 14 May 1950 - Portugal 3 England 5
Estadio Nacional, Lisboa		 tour AW cs: 234 min 1
ᵍᵃhook & 2 headers
B  
party member - Netherlands 17 May 1950
7 255 18 May 1950 - Belgium 1 England 4
Stade du Heysel, Bruxelles		   AW   1
ᵍᵃ18yd
B  
withdrawn party member - Luxembourg 21 May 1950
 
WCF		 goalkeeperx
8 256 25 June 1950 - England 2 Chile 0
Estádio Municipal, Rio		 NW   1
9 257 29 June 1950 - United States 1 England 0,
 Estádio Independência, Belo Horizonte		 NL   1
ᵍᵃheader

the first goalkeeper to concede a World Cup Finals goal for England

10 258 2 July 1950 - Spain 1 England 0
Estádio Municipal, Rio		   NL   1
ᵍᵃclose range
11 259 7 October 1950 - Ireland 1 England 4
 Windsor Park, Belfast		 BC AW   1
ᵍᵃlob
12 260 15 November 1950 - England 4 Wales 2
Roker Park, Sunderland		 BC HW   1
ᵍᵃ2 headers
13 261 22 November 1950 - England 2 Yugoslavia 2
Arsenal Stadium, Highbury		 Fr HD   1
ᵍᵃ & 7yd

Age 31
14 262 14 April 1951 - England 2 Scotland 3
Empire Stadium, Wembley		 BC HL   1
ᵍᵃshot, 8yd & 12yd
15 263 9 May 1951 - England 2 Argentina 1
Empire Stadium, Wembley		 Fr HW   1
ᵍᵃheaders
16 264 19 May 1951 - England 5 Portugal 2
Goodison Park, Liverpool		 Fr HW   1
ᵍᵃshot & nip-in
17 265 23 October 1951 - England 2 France 2
Arsenal Stadium, Highbury		 Fr HD   1
ᵍᵃvolley & angled
18 266 20 October 1951 - Wales 1 England 1
 Ninian Park, Cardiff		 BC AD   1
ᵍᵃshot
  
268 28 November 1951 - England 2 Austria 2, Empire Stadium, Wembley Fr HD withdrawn
unused sub
  

Age 32
270 18 May 1952 - Italy 1 England 1, Stadio Comunale di Firenze, Firenze
tour		 AD unused sub
271 25 May 1952 - Austria 2 England 3, Praterstadion, Prater, Wien AW unused sub
272 28 May 1952 - Switzerland 0 England 3, Hardturm Stadion, Zürich AW unused sub
  

Age 33
284 25 November 1953 - England 3 Hungary 6, Empire Stadium, Wembley Fr HL unused sub
  

Age 34
19 293 1 December 1954 - England 3 West Germany 1
Empire Stadium, Wembley		 Fr HW   1
ᵍᵃ16yd

Age 35
20 294 2 April 1955 - England 7 Scotland 2
Empire Stadium, Wembley		 BC HW   1
ᵍᵃ12yd & freekick

the 27th England player to reach twenty appearances, fourth goalkeeper

21 295 15 May 1955 - France 1 England 0
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris
tour		 AL   1
ᵍᵃ
22 296 18 May 1955 - Spain 1 England 1
Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid		 AD   1
ᵍᵃ16yd
23 297 22 May 1955 - Portugal 3 England 1
Estádio do FC do Porto, Oporto		 AL   1
ᵍᵃ25yd, crack & mistake
  
24 299 22 October 1955 - Wales 2 England 1
Ninian Park, Cardiff		 BC AL   1
ᵍᵃ10yd & header
  


  
 

 

  
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