Wright Billy Image 1 Bolton Wanderers 1930

Description

Sheffield born wing half Billy Wright began his senior football career on the books of Southend United during the 1921-22 season, without making a first team appearance for The Shrimpers. He joined First Division Bolton Wanderers in the summer of 1922, making his Football League debut at Manchester City that November, and although a fringe player during his first six seasons at Burnden Park, during which he didn’t participate in any of their three FA Cup Final wins, he scored 8 goals deputising as a forward in 1926-27 including a hat-trick in a 4-0 win over Huddersfield Town in April 1927.

From March 1930 he became a regular starter for The Trotters, but lost his place in September 1932, and after a spell back in the side in December and January of 1932-33, found himself sidelined. In the 1933 close season he joined Reading after 22 goals in 159 appearances over ten seasons with Bolton. At Reading he was a mainstay of their strong Third Division (South) team that was unlucky not to win promotion to the Second Division, finishing third, second, third, fifth and sixth in five successive seasons, although in his final season with the club he lost his regular place in November 1937 and played only five more games during the remainder of the season. He went to play for Wachat Rouen in the French League in the summer of 1938 after 5 goals in 193 appearances for The Royals before retiring from the game.

NB in the image he is shown with Bolton team mates Bob Jones, Bob Haworth and Fred Kean.