Lomas Billy Image 1 Bury 1922

Description

Pendleton, Lancashire born centre forward Billy Lomas joined junior club Heywood United in 1908 before moving to Second Division Burnley in August 1909, making his Football League debut at Derby County in September 1909. Although he lost his place after 4 games, he returned to the team the following February and was a regular marksman thereafter, scoring 11 goals in his debut season.

He continued at a similar rate before First Division Bury signed him in February 1911 after 21 goals in 37 appearances for The Clarets. However his opportunities were limited and he only made 16 appearances for The Shakers in a year and a half at Gigg Lane before, after playing only 9 games in their relegation season, he joined Manchester City in the summer of 1912. His stay at City was brief and he soon joined Midland League York City later that year without appearing for their first eleven. He returned to The Football League with Clapton Orient in 1913 but only played 5 times in East London that autumn before joining Lancashire Combination club Tranmere Rovers.

The First World War then cut short his stay on The Wirral, and when League football resumed in 1919 he had re-joined Bury that June, by now in the Second Division, scoring 8 goals in their first post war campaign as Bury finished fifth in the League. But his appearances steadily dwindled and by the time he made his final Shakers appearance in November 1922 he had scored 9 goals in 54 additional appearances before retiring in 1923, already aged 37.