Blunt Billy Image 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1910

Description

Bilston, Staffordshire born centre forward Billy Blunt began his football career with Stafford Wesleyans in 1905 and joined Birmingham League club Stafford Rangers in 1906, before being signed by Second Division Wolverhampton Wanderers in November 1908, making his Football League debut towards the end of the same month in a defeat at Oldham Athletic. Blunt scored twice on his home debut a week later in a 5-1 victory over Clapton Orient and returned a respectable 8 goals in 16 appearances in his debut season.

The 1909-10 campaign saw him score 27 goals, and he was the club’s top goalscorer for the season. During the season he became the first Wolves player to score two hat-tricks during a season and twice scored 4 goals in matches, scoring all four in a 4-1 victory over Leicester Fosse in December 1909 and four in a 5-0 FA Cup trouncing of Southern League club Reading the next month. He also scored a hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Burnley in March 1910 and all 3 goals as Wolves beat Bolton Wanderers 3-0 that September.

However an injury in October 1910 curtailed his exploits and effectively ended his Wolves career, though he managed one further appearance in a match at Birmingham in February 1912, before joining Southern League club Bristol Rovers in the 1912 close season after 42 goals in 61 appearances. After a season at Eastville, he returned to Stafford Rangers in 1913, for whom he played both sides of the First World War, subsequently playing for Hednesford Town in 1920 before returning for a third time to Stafford Rangers in 1921, where he saw out his playing career.