Hill Dick Image 1 Millwall 1922

Description

Mapperley, Nottingham born left back Dick Hill played Army football for The Grenadier Guards with whom he had served during the First World War. He was spotted by Millwall while playing Army representative football in 1919 and signed for the newly elected Third Division (South) club  in the summer of 1920, for whom he made his Football League debut at Bristol Rovers in September 1920 early in their inaugural League season. He played for The Lions for ten seasons during which he was twice an ever present, in 1924-25 and 1928-29, and he was a member of their 1927-28 team that won the Third Division (South) Championship, only missing three matches in the campaign.

In May 1926 his consistency was recognised as he was selected to play for England in Antwerp in a 5-3 victory, which proved his only cap for England, becoming only one of a handful of players to have been awarded an England cap while playing in the third tier of English football. Early in the 1929-30 season he lost his regular place in the Millwall starting eleven and in the summer of 1930 he transferred to Torquay United, having played 340 games for The Lions without scoring, and it was at Torquay that he scored his only career goal, which came in a 3-1 defeat at Luton Town on Christmas Day 1930. He played 32 times for The Gulls in his single season in Devon before joining Midland League club Newark Town in August 1931.

Having retired from playing, Hill became a trainer at Mansfield Town before joining Sutton Town in August 1934, after which he became a trainer at Coventry City from 1935 to 1950, when he returned to Torquay United as their trainer. Hill returned to Coventry City as a coach and remained there until months before his death in April 1971.