Raisbeck Bill Image 1 Reading 1904

Description

Polmont, Falkirk, Stirlingshire born left half Bill Raisbeck began his football career with Larkhall Thistle in the early/mid 1890’s before going on to Hibernian, where unlike his brothers Alex and Andrew he didn’t make their first eleven. He joined Clyde in 1896 where he scored once in 7 appearances and rapidly came to the attention of First Division club Sunderland, spending a season at Roker Park without making a first team appearance.

In 1897 he returned to Scotland to play for Royal Albert and returned to Clyde later the same year, where he scored once in 11 further matches before a return to Wearside in the summer of 1898, where he made his Football League debut for Sunderland at Preston North End in September 1898 and immediately established himself as a first team regular, missing only 4 matches in their 1899-1900 campaign. But he was used less often the next season and after 8 goals in 74 matches for The Wearsiders he transferred to Derby County in the 1901 close season.

However he found opportunities at Derby few and far between although the last of his 6 matches was the 1902 FA Cup semi final, a 1-1 draw at The Hawthorns, although he didn’t play as Derby were beaten by eventual winners Sheffield United in the replay. Raisbeck joined Southern League club New Brompton (now Gillingham) in the summer of 1902 where he scored twice in 56 matches over two seasons before a move to Reading in 1904, where he played a single season for The Royals before returning to Scotland with hometown club Falkirk in the summer of 1905. He scored once in 33 matches for Falkirk over the next two seasons before emigrating to Canada in 1907 along with his younger brother Andrew and their families.

He was a eldest brother of Liverpool’s Scotland international Alex Raisbeck and of Andrew Raisbeck, who played for Hull City and Hibernian, and a cousin of Luje Raisbeck who played for several clubs including Blackpool, Middlesbrough and West Ham United.