Grimshaw Billy Image 3 Cardiff City 1922

Description

Burnley, Lancashire born outside right Billy Grimshaw played junior football for Livingstone United in 1908 and Barnoldswick United in 1909 but started his professional career at Burnley in 1910 but failed to make the first team, after which he joined non league Colne in 1911. He arrived at First Division Bradford City in 1913,  making his Football League debut that April against Tottenham Hotspur, where for three seasons he was a fringe player, playing 7 times and scoring once up to the suspension of football with the advent of the First World War.

After the War he joined Southern League Cardiff City in 1919 and over the next four years he played 140 League matches for them scoring 31 goals (in addition to his Southern League appearances) and he also scored in their inaugural Football League fixture, a 5-2 win at Stockport County in August 1920, helping them to promotion to the First Division at the end of the season as Second Division runners up. He also represented The Football League v Scottish League in a 3-0 win at Ibrox Park, Glasgow in March 1922.

He was sold to Sunderland in December 1923 and helped Sunderland to finish third in the League Championship that season, behind Cardiff City who finished runners up. He played 74 times for them over the next three years, scoring 6 goals before his retirement from professional football in 1927, when he played for non league JS Driver’s of Bradford before hanging up his boots.