Hooper Bill Image 2 Nottingham Forest 1910

Description

Lewisham, London born outside right Bill Hooper began his football career with Catford Southend but after serving in the Royal Army Service Corps, playing Army football, from where he signed for Second Division club Grimsby Town in August 1905, making his Football League debut at Barnsley that September. The following season he clearly caught the eye, scoring in a 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest just before the year end, and Forest then signed him in February 1907 after 6 goals in 35 appearances. Hooper then played in 13 matches for Forest before the season end, 11 of which were won and the other two drawn as Forest won the Second Division Championship.

Hooper established himself in the top flight with Forest and missed only one match in their 1908-09 campaign, similarly one match in their 1910-11 campaign, which ended in relegation. But he lost his place the following October and only played 6 more matches before a transfer to First Division near neighbours Notts County in August 1912 after 24 goals in 156 appearances for Forest, but his season at Meadow Lane also ended in relegation and he signed for Lancashire Combination club Barrow in August 1913 after a single goal in 17 appearances.

After a season at Holker Street he joined Southern League club Gillingham in 1914, where he scored once in 25 appearances during their 1914-15 campaign, but his career was then interrupted by the onset of the First World War which forced the suspension of peacetime football in May 1915. During the War he scored 7 goals in 37 matches in wartime league football for Brentford. After the War he signed for Central League club Southport Central, where he scored 5 goals in 29 appearances in their first post war season, helping them to win the Lancashire Junior Cup, joining Lancaster Town in 1920, his final club before his eventual retirement.