Bill Rawlings
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Ernest Rawlings | ||
| Date of birth | 3 January 1896 | ||
| Place of birth | Andover, Hampshire, England | ||
| Date of death | 25 September 1972 (aged 76) | ||
| Place of death | Chandler's Ford, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Playing position | Centre-forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Andover | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1918–1928 | Southampton | 327 | (175) |
| 1928–1929 | Manchester United | 35 | (19) |
| 1929–1930 | Port Vale | 5 | (2) |
| 1930 | New Milton | ||
| 1930–1933 | Newport (IOW) | ||
| Total | 367+ | (196+) | |
| National team | |||
| 1922 | England | 2 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
|||
William Ernest Rawlings (3 January 1896 – 25 September 1972) was an English footballer. A centre-forward, he scored more than 196 goals in 367 league games in a 15-year career.
He began his career with Southampton in 1918, who were elevated from the Southern League to the Football League in 1919. He finished as the club's top-scorer eight times in nine seasons from 1920–21 to 1927–28, helping the "Saints" to win the Third Division South title in 1921–22 and to reach the FA Cup semi-finals in 1925 and 1927. He also won himself two England caps in 1922, both of which were from British Home Championship games. He signed with Manchester United in March 1928, and moved on to Port Vale in November 1929. He picked up a serious ankle injury whilst with the "Valiants", and moved onto Newport via New Milton the following year, before retiring in 1933.
Rawlings' career started in 1918 with Southampton. He quickly settled into the side, building a formidable attacking partnership with Arthur Dominy. He scored 19 goals in the Southern League in 1919–20. The "Saints" were then elected into the Football League, becoming founder members of the Third Division. He became the club's top scorer in 1920–21 with 22 goals, as Southampton were denied promotion despite finishing in second place. He hit 32 goals in 1921–22 to win himself attention at a national level, and to help his club win the Third Division South title. His intelligent play and deadly shooting earned him two England caps. He appeared against Wales and Scotland in the 1922 British Home Championship, achieving the rare distinction of being capped for England while playing for a third tier club.
...
Wikipedia